Is it permissible for a purchasing officer and a maintenance engineer at a hotel to enter into a partnership to open a building materials store, then for the purchasing officer to direct those from other hotels who inquire to this store without informing them of his partnership? And is it permissible to sell building materials to the hotel they work for through tenders at competitive prices, knowing that they are not the main persons responsible for purchases or quality verification?

There is no harm for the employee in guiding an inquirer to his shop, as long as it does not involve deception, and he is not obligated to inform the inquirer that he is a partner.

There is no harm in selling the partners' shop to the hotel where they work through submitting bids and participating in tenders, provided that they do not play a role in awarding the deal to their shop. Rather, they leave the choice to the purchasing and quality control manager.

If the partner is authorized by the hotel to purchase or verify quality specifications, he is not permitted to buy from his own shop unless he is given permission to do so by the hotel management.