Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT

1. ACEC Members shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties.

a. Members shall recognize that the lives, safety, health and welfare of the general public are dependent upon engineering judgments, decisions and practices incorporated into structures, machines, products. processes and devices.

b. Members shall not complete, sign, or seal plans and/or specifications that are not of a design safe to the public health and welfare and in conformity with accepted engineering standards.

c. Should a Member's professional judgment be overruled under circumstances where the safety. health. and welfare of the public are endangered, the Member shall inform his clients of the possible consequences and notify other proper authority of the situation, as may be appropriate.

d. Should Members have knowledge or reason to believe that another person or firm may be in violation of any of the provisions of these Guidelines, they shall present such information to the proper authority in writing and shall cooperate with the proper authority in furnishing such further information or assistance as may be required.

e. Members should seek opportunities to be of constructive service in civic affairs and work for the advancement of the safety, health and well-being of their community.

f. Members should be committed to improving the environment to enhance the quality of life.

2. ACEC Members shall perform their services only in areas of their competence.

a. Members shall undertake to perform engineering assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical field of engineering involved.

b. Members may accept an assignment requiring education or experience outside of their own fields of competence, but only to the extent that their services are restricted to those phases of the project in which they are qualified. All other phases of such project shall be performed by qualified associates, consultants or employees.

c. Members shall not affix their signatures and/or seals to any engineering plan or document dealing with subject matter in which they lack competence by virtue of education or experience, nor to any such plan or document not prepared under their direct supervisory control.

3. ACEC Members shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.

a. Members shall endeavor to extend public knowledge, and to prevent misunderstandings of the achievements of engineering.

b. Members shall be completely objective and truthful in all professional reports, statements, or testimony. They shall include all relevant and pertinent information in such reports, statements. or testimony.

c. Members, when serving as expert witnesses before any court, commission, or other tribunal, shall express an engineering opinion only when it is founded upon adequate knowledge of the facts in issue, upon a background of technical competence in the subject matter, and upon honest conviction of the accuracy and propriety of their testimony.

d. Members shall issue no statements, criticisms. or arguments on engineerIng matters which are inspired or paid for by an interested party, or parties, unless they have prefaced their comments by explicitly identifying themselves, by disclosing the identities of the party or parties on whose behalf they are speaking, and by revealing the existence of any pecuniary interest they may have in the instant matters.

e. Members shall be dignified and modest in explaining their work and merit, and will avoid any act tending to promote their own interests at the expense of the honor and dignity of the profession.

4. ACEC Members shall act in professional matters for each client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.

a. Members shall avoid all known conflicts of interest with their clients and shall promptly inform their clients of any business association, interests, or circumstances which could influence their judgment or the quality of their services.

b. Members shall not undertake any assignments which would create a potential conflict of interest between Members and their clients.

c. Members shall not accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one party for services on the same project, or for services pertaining to the same project, unless the circumstances are fully disclosed to, and agreed to, by all interested parties.

d. Members shall not solicit or accept financial or other valuable considerations, including free engineering designs, from material or equipment suppliers for specifying their products.

e. Members shall not solicit or accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, from contractors, their agents, or other parties dealing with their clients in connection with work for which they are responsible.

f. When in public service as members, advisors, or employees of a governmental body or department, Members shall not participate in considerations or actions with respect to services provided by them or their organization(s) in private engineering practice.

g. Members shall not solicit or accept an engineering contract from a governmental body on which a principal, officer or employee of their organization services as a member.

h. When as a result of their studies, Members believe a project will not be successful, they shall advise their client.

i. Members shall treat information coming to them in the course of their assignments as confidential, and shall not use such information as a means of making personal profit if such action is adverse to the interests of their clients or the public.

i.1 They do not disclose confidential information concerning the business affairs or technical processes of any present or former employer or client or bidder under evaluation, without his consent.

i.2 They shall not reveal confidential information or findings of any engineering commission or board of which they are members.

i.3 When they use designs supplied to them by clients, the designs remain the property of the clients and shall not be duplicated for others without express permission.

J. Members shall act with fairness and justice to all parties when administering construction (or other) contracts.

k. Before undertaking work for others in connection with which members may make improvements, plans, designs, inventions, or other records which may justify copyrights or patents, they shall enter into a positive agreement regarding ownership.

l. Members shall admit and accept their own errors when proven wrong and refrain from distorting or altering the facts in attempts to justify their decisions.

m. Members shall not review the work of other engineers, for the same client, except with the knowledge of such engineers, or unless the assignments or contractual agreements for the work have been terminated.

5. ACEC Members shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with other engineers.

a. Members shall not pay or offer to pay, either directly or indirectly, any commission, political contribution, or a gift, or other consideration in order to secure or retain work.

b. Members should negotiate contracts for professional services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualifications for the type of professional service required.

c. Members should negotiate a method and rate of compensation commensurate with the agreed upon scope of services. A meeting of the minds of the parties to the contract is essential to mutual confidence. The public interest requires that the cost of engineering services be fair and reasonable, but not the controlling consideration. c.1 These principles shall be applied by members in obtaining the services of other professionals.

d. Members shall not attempt to supplant other engineers in a particular employment after becoming aware that definite steps have been taken toward the others' employment or after they have been employed.

d-1 They shall not solicit employment from clients who already have engineers under contract for the same work.

d.2 They shall not accept employment from clients who already have engineers for the same work not yet completed or not yet paid for unless the performance or payment requirements in the contract are being litigated or the contracted engineers' services have been terminated in writing by either party.

d.3 In case of termination or litigation, a member, before accepting the assignment, shall advise the engineers being terminated or involved in litigation.

e. Members shall not request, propose or accept professional commissions on a contingent basis under circumstances under which their professional judgments may be compromised.

f. Members shall not falsity or permit misrepresentation of their, or their associates', academic or professional qualifications. They shall not misrepresent or exaggerate their degree of responsibility in or for the subject matter of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations incident to the solicitation of employment shall not misrepresent pertinent facts concerning employers, employees, associates, joint ventures, or their past accomplishments with the intent and purpose of enhancing their qualifications and work.

g. Members shall not enter competitions for designs for a specific project, unless provision is made for reasonable compensation for all designs submitted.

h. Members shall not maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, injure the professional reputation, prospects, practice or employment of another engineer. nor do they indiscriminately criticize another engineer's work.

i. Members shall not undertake or agree to perform any engineering service on a free basis, except professional services for civic, charitable, religous,or eleemosynary organizations.

6. ACEC Members shall associate only with reputable persons or organizations.

a. Members shall not knowingly associate with or permit the use of their names or firm names in business ventures by any person or firm which they know, or have reason to believe. are engaging in business or professional practices of a fraudulent or dishonest nature.

b. Members shall not use association with non-engineers, corporations, or partnerships as 'cloaks' for unethical acts.

7. ACEC Members shall continue their professional development throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision.