Canon #4

Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest.

Conflict of Interest focuses upon the difficulties that arise when competing considerations, such as personal gain, can influence your professional decision-making. Conflict of interest can arise in a variety of situations, and the items below further clarify this canon.

1. Engineers shall avoid all known conflicts of interest with their employers or clients, and shall promptly inform their employers or clients of any business association, interests, or circumstances that could influence their judgment or the quality of their services.
2. Engineers shall not undertake any assignments they know could create a conflict of interest between themselves and their clients or their employers.
3. Engineers 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.
4. Engineers shall not solicit or accept financial or other valuable considerations, for specifying products or material or equipment suppliers, without disclosure to their clients or employers.
5. Engineers shall not solicit or accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, in connection with work for which they are responsible. Where official public policy or employers’ policies tolerates acceptance of modest gratuities or gifts, engineers shall avoid a conflict of interest by complying with appropriate policies and shall avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
6. When in public service as members, advisors, or employees of a governmental body or department, engineers shall not participate in decisions or actions that involve services they or their organizations provide.
7. Engineers shall not solicit an engineering contract from a governmental body or other entity on which a principal, officer, or employee of their organization serves as a member, without disclosing their relationship and removing themselves from any activity of the body which concerns their organization.
8. Engineers working on codes, standards or government rules and specifications shall exercise careful judgment in their determinations to ensure a balanced viewpoint and avoid a conflict of interest.
9. When, as a result of their studies, engineers believe a project will not be successful, they shall so advise their employer or client.
10. Engineers 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, their employers or the public. (1) They will not disclose confidential information concerning the business affairs or technical processes of any present or former employer or client or bidder under evaluation, without consent, unless required by law or court order. (2) They will not reveal confidential information or findings of any commission or board of which they are members, unless required by law or court order. (3) They will not duplicate for others any designs supplied to them by clients without the express permission of the clients.
11. Engineers shall act with fairness and justice to all parties when administering a contract.
12. Before undertaking work for others in which Engineers may make improvements, plans, designs, inventions, or other records which may justify seeking copyrights, patents, or proprietary rights, Engineers shall enter into positive agreements regarding the rights of respective parties.
13. Engineers shall admit their own errors when proven wrong, and refrain from distorting or altering the
    facts to justify their mistakes or decisions.
14. Engineers shall not accept professional employment or assignments outside of their regular work without the knowledge of their employers.
15. Engineers shall not attempt to attract an employee from other employers or from the marketplace with false or misleading representations.