The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act states the following:
"No former officer, member, or state employee, or spouse or immediate family member living with such person, shall, within a period of one year immediately after termination of State employment, knowingly accept employment or receive compensation or fees for services from a person or entity if the officer, member, or State employee, during the year immediately preceding termination of state employment, participated personally and substantially in the award or fiscal administration of state contracts, or the issuance of state contract change orders, with a cumulative value of $25,000 or more to the person or entity, or its parent or subsidiary." 5 ILCS 430/5-45(a).
This means that an employee who participated personally and substantially in the award or fiscal administration of a contract of $25,000 or more to a company during their final year of employment may not go to work for that company for one year after terminating employment with the state/NIU. This is commonly called the one-year look-back period, with a one-year cooling-off period.
This provision applies to all employees, not just those who work in Procurement.
If, by the nature of your duties, you have the authority to participate personally and substantially in the award or fiscal administration of state/university contracts, you are designated on the (c) list. The ethics officer maintains the university's (c) list. This means that prior to accepting employment or compensation from a non-state employer within one year after leaving the university, you are required to notify the Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG) so they may make a determination whether the revolving door prohibition has been adhered to.
If an employee is found to be in violation of the revolving door prohibitions, a fine of up to three times the total compensation that would have been obtained may be issued. Therefore, it is important to contact the ethics officer or visit the OEIG's website if you have any questions or concerns.