> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.tahua.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.tahua.io/knowledge-base/administrator-help-guides/assessments/conflict-of-interest.md).

# Conflict of Interest

This article is for Administrators who would like to understand how to manage conflicts of interest (COI) declarations in the assessment process.

When setting up an Assessment Round, you can enable Conflicts of Interest (COI) so that Assessors are asked to declare whether they have a conflict before assessing an Application. If an Assessor declares that they do, they're required to add a comment explaining it, and you'll be notified so you can review it.

{% hint style="info" %}
Important: declaring a Conflict of Interest is not just informational. It **blocks that Assessor from completing the Assessment** — they can't submit a score, and that Assessment is left out of the round's scoring — until you review and Revoke the conflict.
{% endhint %}

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Enable Conflicts of Interest for an Assessment Round

* When creating (or editing a draft) Assessment Round, go to the **Workflow** step and tick **Would you like the Assessors to be able to declare a Conflict of Interest?**
* Choose what information Assessors see when making that declaration — Application Title, Applicant Name, and/or Collaborator List — and optionally add your own help text.
* This setting can't be changed once the Assessment Round is published.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### What happens when an Assessor declares a conflict

* When an Assessor starts an Assessment, they're asked whether they have a conflict of interest.
* If they answer **Yes**, they must add a comment explaining the conflict before it can be submitted.
* Once submitted, that Assessor immediately loses access to complete, view, or export that Application until the conflict is resolved.
* You (and any other Admin with access to that Funding Round) receive a notification and a dashboard task to review it.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Locate and view the COI comment

* On the **Conflicts of Interest** menu, locate the COI and click **View Comment**.

![View Comment](https://content.gitbook.com/content/49pNEQ4fXNtxv0yJ5jgn/blobs/VomcKxCuhdXGGNZgc4AI/T%20bvrJwQf_nP3Nb1rjrbwasTFqs26cQR9Hhwag%20tTDSb_m4xr4NxV91yzz8Bd2GO3FVd0vwP53BJCCR4s%207eoRFt6uSzOcDt1eChSADp4jmFVRqTmiA8tv2mDVdSdJ_OnyH9ahCA)

This will show the comment the Assessor made regarding their COI.

![COI Comment](https://content.gitbook.com/content/49pNEQ4fXNtxv0yJ5jgn/blobs/hcnK9B6bvaXb3YIMmtBX/nhtgUqjD4eJtly35sr1voV9H5d97oER2AKF1NlraRHqFjavbvHyDgVwnfeZTFmOHM3XMlwndeRv7MhT5_I4byGEMe7QUF1V9TOZ%20CfRJ%20OHkeZTGryyReju8mG3u2ETVfjq1U8mp)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Revoke the COI

* Using the information in the comment, decide whether to revoke the COI by clicking **Revoke**.
* Add your own comment explaining your decision, then click **Confirm**.

Revoking lets the **same** Assessor regain access and continue the Assessment — it doesn't reassign the Application to someone else. The Assessor is automatically notified by email once you revoke it.

{% hint style="info" %}
Note: this notification just tells the Assessor their COI has been revoked and that they can continue — it does not include the comment you wrote. Your revocation comment is only visible to Admins (see below); if you want the Assessor to know your reasoning, you'll need to tell them separately.
{% endhint %}

![Revoke COI](https://content.gitbook.com/content/49pNEQ4fXNtxv0yJ5jgn/blobs/JIdZ5zUk7RsapNzfoXir/qKMJ5OW7xITLYuYzKB9BZgnh_%20JP%201Bk%20DmdHIaK8i1O14D9xUQUXy3g28SMp76WZjFIYnZF5O431X6Npo9rUVFEzPixOuRU9_V0W_vJneKwPIKVoAZ3HD5I6sccpMXR3SySBWeR)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Find a revocation reason later via Data Reports

Need to check back on why a COI was revoked — for your own records, or to answer a query? You don't have to reopen every Application individually:

* From the **Conflicts of Interest** menu, a revoked entry also has a **View Revoke Comment** action for a quick look.
* To pull revocation reasons across many Applications at once, create or edit a Data Report using the **Assessments** data source, then in **Create Data Table** tick **Conflict Of Interest Revocation Notes** and **Conflict Of Interest Revoked Date**.

![Conflict Of Interest Revocation Notes and Revoked Date in a Data Table](https://4124979405-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F49pNEQ4fXNtxv0yJ5jgn%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-7d5eda98eff828d1d0255a992774a334933d04d5%2Fcoi-revocation-notes-data-table.png?alt=media)

This surfaces your revocation comment and the date it was revoked across all Assessments in one place, and can be exported like any other report — the Assessor never sees this data themselves.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### If you don't revoke the COI

* The Assessment stays blocked indefinitely — the Assessor cannot access, complete, or export that Application, and their Assessment is permanently excluded from the round's scoring.
* There's no automatic reminder or escalation, and no automatic reassignment to a different Assessor. It's on you to review and act on outstanding Conflicts of Interest.
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}