Gifts and perquisites - Kunnskapsbasen
Gifts and perquisites
This information is for all employees at NTNU. The information is about gifts, discounts and benefins you can be offered while you are on custom travel.
Norwegian: Gaver og fordeler
Topic page on purchasing | Pages tagged with ethical business behaviour
Innholdsfortegnelse [-]
NTNU guidelines
Moderate forms of attention, hospitality and socializing are a part of accepted and polite behaviour. On the other hand, NTNU employees cannot accept or give gifts, discounts, travel or similar benefits that might affect decision making.
NTNU requires special dilligence in this regard in conjunction with suppliers and external business and research partners.
Use of position
Employees shall not use their position for personal gain. Be conscious of preserving and strengthening respect for your position at the university. This is one way that you can help protect and preserve NTNU's good reputation.
Disqualifications for purchasing
- NTNU employees shall not attempt to gain benefits or perquisites for themselves or other individuals that might call into question their integrity.
- NTNU employees shall not write a procurement need that can be perceived by others as a conflict of interest. This applies to both direct personal interests, as well as the interests of others.
- If an employee plans a purchase from a firm in which he or she knows that NTNU employees have an interest, the purchase must be justified in writing and approved by the purchaser's immediate supervisor.
- If personal interests can affect decision making in a case in which an employee has professional responsibility, or where others can reasonably perceive that situation to be likely, the situation should be forwarded to the individual's immediate supervisor to decide whether or not the individual should recuse him or herself from the case.
See also Ethics in purchasing
Socializing
Moderate forms of hospitality and socializing are considered to be polite. However, the degree of this attention should not reach the point where it affects the decision making process, or that can give others the perception that it can affect the process. The frequency and degree of these interactions must be reasonable in relation to business or service needs.
Gifts and other perquisites
- Employees cannot on behalf of themselves or others accept gifts, food, services or other perquisites that are designed to affect any action. This does not apply to small marketing articles or Christmas greetings in the form of small gifts that have little actual value, where it is clear that the gift can in no way affect the decision making process.
- The decision as to whether or not a gift may be accepted depends on a concrete evaluation in certain cases. What matters is if the gift can affect the recipient's integrity, or can give others the impression that the individual's integrity is compromised in a way that harms the individual or NTNU.
- Gifts that have a connection to a concrete issue that is up for a decision shall not be accepted. If there is any doubt as to whether or not the gift should be accepted, it should be politely refused.
Gifts/awards from funds, foundations, and organizations
There are many circumstances where researchers from NTNU receive support in the form of gifts or awards from different funds, foundations or organizations. In order for these gifts and awards to be posted in NTNU's accounting system, the following conditions must be met:
- There must be an awards letter where it is clear that the gift or award is being given to NTNU
- It must be clear in the application form that the researcher is applying for funds on behalf of NTNU, and not as a private individual.
In cases where the giver only has a relationship with the individual who is receiving the gift or award (such as where the awards letter is written to the researcher's privat address and the application was not made through NTNU), the award or gift should not be posted in NTNU's accounting system.
Travel and lodging must always be paid for by NTNU
When suppliers and other businesses offer visits to private companies, travel to exhibitions and the like, it is required that NTNU pay for all travel related expenses, including travel and lodging.
Private use of contract agreements
General agreements with suppliers on the supply of goods and services to NTNU shall not be employed by employees for their private use. This also applies to the employees family and friends, if the benefit is linked to the individual's employment at NTNU.
If you are uncertain
If you are uncertain as to how these regulations should be interpreted, you should discuss the matter with your immediate supervisor.
Law - Civil Servants Act (Statsansatteloven)
Statsansatteloven §39: "No government official or civil servant shall accept gifts, food, services or other benefits on behalf of themselves or others that are suited to, or by givers are meant to affect that individual's service or conduct of duties, or that under applicable regulations are forbidden to accept. Violations of this law can result in disciplinary measures or dismissal."
The complete text of the guidelines can be found in the Ethics guidelines for the state (pdf, in Norwegian).