(a) Prohibitions. No person may be licensed or authorized who has a conflict of interest as defined in section 11 of the Act or specified in § 800.187.

(b) Exceptions to prohibitions—(1) Conflict by agency. An employee of an agency that has a conflict of interest that is waived by the Administrator under section 11(b)(5) of the Act may be licensed: Provided, That the employee has no conflict of interest other than the agency conflict of interest.

(2) Warehouse samplers. A qualified employee of an elevator may be licensed to perform specified sampling services under the Act in accordance with the provisions of § 800.174(a)(2).

(c) General qualifications—(1) Inspection and weighing. To obtain a license to perform inspection or weighing services under the Act, an individual must be employed by an agency to perform the services and must otherwise be found competent in accordance with this section and § 800.173.

(2) Specified technical services. To obtain a license to perform specified sampling, inspection testing, weighing, and similar services under the Act, an individual must (i) be employed by an agency to perform the services, or (ii) enter into or be employed under a contract with the Service to perform the services, and (iii) otherwise be found competent in accordance with this section and § 800.173.

(3) Warehouse sampler. To obtain a warehouse sampler's license, an applicant must be employed by an elevator to perform sampling services and otherwise be found competent in accordance with this section and § 800.173.

(4) Requirements. To be considered competent, an individual must (i) meet the qualifications specified in § 800.173; and (ii) have available the equipment and facilities necessary to perform the services for which the individual is to be licensed.

(d) Competency determinations—(1) Agency samplers and technicians. The competency of an applicant for a license as a sampler, inspection technician, or weighing technician shall be determined by (i) the chief inspector or the chief weighmaster, as applicable, of the agency that employs the applicant or, in the case of a warehouse sampler, the agency that is assigned the area in which the elevator that employs the sampler is located, and (ii) the field office supervisor.

(2) Inspectors, weighers, contract samplers, and technicians. The competency of an applicant for a license as an inspector or weigher or any license issued under the terms of a contract with the Service shall be determined by the Service.

(3) Examinations. A determination of competency of an applicant for a license shall include an evaluation of the results of examinations or reexaminations under § 800.173.