Organizational conflicts of interest can quietly derail strong proposals, trigger bid protests, and bar future work. This guide covers the three classic FAR 9.5 OCI types (unequal access to information, biased ground rules, and impaired objectivity), FY 2024 GAO bid protest trends, recent sustain decisions from Castro and Company and emissary LLC, the 2025 proposed FAR rule under RIN 9000-AO54, DFARS developments for NAICS 5416 consulting services, and actionable steps to build a defensible OCI mitigation plan.