Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) Practice Test

What principle requires procurement professionals to treat all suppliers equally?

1. Transparency

2. Impartiality

3. Accountability

4. Integrity

The correct answer is: Impartiality

Impartiality is the principle that mandates procurement professionals to treat all suppliers equally. This means that all vendors or suppliers should be given the same opportunity to compete for contracts or business, without any bias or favoritism towards one over another. By upholding impartiality, procurement professionals can ensure a fair and competitive process which helps foster trust and integrity in procurement practices. This principle is crucial in maintaining a level playing field, preventing discrimination based on personal relationships, or subjective judgments about suppliers. Adhering to this principle helps organizations achieve better health competition, which often results in better pricing and quality of goods and services. While transparency, accountability, and integrity are also vital principles in public procurement, they do not specifically focus on the treatment of suppliers. Transparency ensures that the procurement processes are open and accessible, accountability requires that procurement professionals take responsibility for their actions, and integrity emphasizes honesty and ethical behavior. However, none of these principles directly address the equal treatment of suppliers in the manner that impartiality does.