§ 2-135. Ethical considerations.

It is the policy of Walton County to seek the best overall value when procuring goods and services. Toward this end, the county finds and declares that its objectives will best be achieved generally through an open, competitive process with a broad range of responsible vendors wishing to furnish products and services to the county.

Walton County declares that county employees and officials, along with those wishing to do business with the county, have the shared responsibility for avoiding biased, anticompetitive or unethical practices.

Walton County employees, officials and their family members are generally prohibited from seeking, requesting, or receiving any material payment, gift or promise of future benefit or any other thing of value when such receipt has the potential to influence a procurement decision or to gain undue advantage in a procurement competition.

Walton County employees, officers and appointees (or their immediate family members) shall not sell personal or real property to the county or any of its agencies, unless said sale amounts to less than $800.00 per calendar quarter or unless such sale is made pursuant to sealed competitive bids made by the employee either individually or on behalf of a business entity. Furthermore, county employees (or their immediate family members) either directly or through a business entity owned or controlled by them should not perform services for the county in addition to their regular paid position unless such services are rendered pursuant to a written contract which is placed on the minutes of the board of commissioners. Any such contract must be reviewed by the board of commissioners on an annual basis.

It is unethical for any county employee or official to purchase commodities or services from a county contract for personal use.

Individuals, firms and businesses seeking an award of a contract may not initiate or continue any verbal or written communications regarding a solicitation with any county officer, elected official, employee or other representative other than the purchasing department associate named in the solicitation between the date of the issuance of the solicitation and the date of the final contract award by the board of commissioners. Any such communication shall be reviewed by the purchasing manager and, if the purchasing manager determines in his or her sole discretion that the communication at issue has compromised the competitive process, the offer submitted by the individual, firm or business may be disqualified.

Commodities or services shall not be purchased from a vendor who is delinquent or in default on the payment of any taxes or other monies due Walton County, or any other county, municipality, or state or the federal government. Vendors from whom the county desires to purchase commodities or services shall be required to execute an affidavit, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit 1, stating that they are not delinquent or in default on the payment of any taxes or other monies due Walton County, or any other county, municipality, or state or the federal government ("vendor affidavit"); however, the vendor affidavit shall not be required for emergency purchases. The vendor affidavit shall be included with the documents made available in connection with all invitations to bid and requests for proposals disseminated pursuant to part 3, section 2-151(a) of this division. In the event it is discovered that a vendor is delinquent or in default on the payment of any taxes or other monies due Walton County, or any other county, municipality, or state or the federal government, the county may terminate any contract with such vendor and place the vendor on the Ineligible Source List as provided herein.

(Ord. of 12-1-15; Ord. of 10-2-18(1), § 1 (Exh. A))