Professional Ethics in Construction and Surveying

Book excerpt: This textbook responds to the increasing demand for practical, industry aligned, ethical practices in quantity surveying, construction management and related AEC professions. Professional Ethics for Construction and Surveying addresses how existing ethical standards can be pragmatically applied to both private and contracting practice, with case studies aligned with the ethical requirements of the main professional bodies. After an introduction to ethics, the authors present real-world situations where the minimum legal and contractual requirements necessitate the combination of professional judgement and ethical decision-making. They outline how such situations arise, then address how decisions can and should be made that are in keeping with the moral, contractual and CSR requirements, with cases covering the building lifecycle from procurement to handover. Consequently, the book brings together ethical theory, existing worldwide ethical standards and the requirements of the RICS, the CIOB and the ICES, with the authors’ experiences of examining candidates for entry into the professional bodies. The result is a professionally focused textbook aimed at vocational learners (at both undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels) and practitioners in construction, engineering, architecture and the wider built environment.