> This is the Markdown of a Backed Help Centre page, https://admin.backed.giving/help/administrator/assessments/conflicts-of-interest.md. Every page is listed at https://admin.backed.giving/help/llms.txt.

> This page uses Backed's default terms, such as Funding Round and Application Template. An organisation may rename them, so read each as your organisation's own term if you've renamed it.

When an assessment round asks assessors to declare conflicts of interest, each conflict an assessor
declares is listed under `Assess > Conflicts of interest` for you to revoke or confirm.

## Before you start

Conflicts are declared only in rounds with `Assessors declare any Conflict of Interest before
assessing` turned on. The help text assessors see starts from your organisation's
`Conflict of interest help text`.

## Review a conflict

Each row names the application and the assessor, and when they declared it. Select `View Comment` to
read what the assessor wrote.

- **Revoke** the conflict if it does not stop them assessing. Select `Revoke`, enter a `Comment` and
  select `Confirm`. The assessor's access to the application is restored and they are told the
  conflict was revoked; your comment is not sent to them.
- **Confirm** the conflict to keep the application closed to the assessor for good. Select
  `Confirm Conflict`, enter a `Comment` and select `Confirm Conflict`. It cannot be revoked
  afterwards.

Revoked and confirmed conflicts show who resolved them and when, with `View Revoke Comment` or
`View Confirmation Comment`.

## Automatic recusals

A conflict made by one of your [independence rules](../organisation/independence-rules.md) shows
`COI Recused` and the rule's name beside its status. The same `COI Recused` mark appears beside
`Declared Conflict` on `All Assessments`, the round's `Assessments` list and the assessment's own
page. Use `Declared by` to list only the assessors' own declarations or only the automatic ones.

Every row shows its recusal period: "Recused from" the date it was declared "to close of round"
while it stands, or to the date it was revoked.

## Declaration details and management actions

When the round asks for structured declarations, `View Comment` also shows the relationship, its
direction, how serious it is, and whether it was declared before or during assessing.

To record what was done about a declared or confirmed conflict, select `Record management action`,
choose `Recused`, `Secondary review`, `Escalated` or `No action required`, add an optional `Note`
and select `Record`. A new action replaces the last one; both stay in the audit log. The action
shows in `View Comment`.

## Rule matches

Select `Independence rule matches` above the list to see every time a rule matched an assessor to
an application: the rule, the assessor, the application, the round, what the rule did and when.
A match on an assessor who had already declared no conflict leaves them untouched and is logged.

An application cannot be assigned to an assessor who has a conflict with it that has not been
revoked.

## See also

- [Assignments](assignments.md)
- [Independence rules](../organisation/independence-rules.md)