Conflicts of Interest
Bid Committee Member Declarations
SBD 4 and recusal compliance for bid specification, evaluation and adjudication committees.
Why bid committee declarations protect the procurement chain
Procurement integrity hinges on whether the people specifying, evaluating and adjudicating bids are free of interest in the outcome, and a single undisclosed conflict can invalidate an entire award. SCM regulations under the MFMA and PFMA require SBD 4 declarations and recusal, and AGSA routinely tests these as a key compliance control. AuditPro Core monitors SBD 4 completion and recusal compliance across the bid specification, evaluation and adjudication committees so that conflicted decision-making is caught before it taints an award.
The Numbers
AuditPro Core renders this view from your tenant's live, tamper-evident records. The figures below are illustrative sample data.
Declarations on file
94%
▲ 4%
Missing declarations
31
Required recusals
18
Recusals not actioned
5
Non-declaration rate by committee
Flagged sittings
| Tender | Committee | Member | Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-2024-088 | Evaluation | P. Nkosi | No SBD 4 |
| T-2024-101 | Adjudication | L. van Wyk | Recusal not recorded |
| T-2024-119 | Evaluation | S. Adams | Late declaration |
Figures shown are illustrative sample data for demonstration. AuditPro Core renders these views from your own tenant's live, tamper-evident records.
SBD 4 declaration of interest
The standard bidding document SBD 4 requires officials and bidders to disclose any relationship that could constitute a conflict. A missing, incomplete or false declaration is itself a procurement irregularity.
The duty to recuse
Disclosure alone is insufficient; a committee member with an interest must withdraw from the relevant deliberation and decision. Recusal must be recorded in the minutes to demonstrate that the conflict was actually managed.
The three committees
Specification, evaluation and adjudication are deliberately separated so that no single body controls a procurement end to end. Declaration and recusal compliance must hold at every one of these stages.
How AuditPro Core Bridges the Gap
- Declaration tracking: confirms SBD 4 completion for every member across all three bid committees.
- Recusal verification: reconciles disclosed interests against minuted recusals for the relevant tenders.
- Exception workflow: flags missing declarations or undisclosed interests for SCM investigation.
- Audit-ready export: compiles the declaration and recusal record for each award for AGSA review.
Key Takeaways
- A missing or false SBD 4 declaration is a procurement irregularity in its own right.
- Disclosure must be followed by recusal, recorded in the minutes.
- Compliance must hold at specification, evaluation and adjudication alike.
- Undeclared conflicts can render an entire award reviewable and irregular.
See This on Your Own Data
AuditPro Core renders this dashboard from your tenant's live, tamper-evident records — every figure traceable to source.