Obligation-Conflict Resolution
Case 23-1 (2023) · Competence in Design Services
Professional obligations conflict, and the board applies no fixed rule for which one wins.
Each resolution is recorded as three edges:
competesWith (the tension),
prevailsOver (the obligation the board allowed to win in this case), and
defeasibleUnder (the situation under which the yielding obligation gives way).
The same tension is then traced across comparable cases, where its resolution shifts with context.
Hover any obligation or state to see its definition; click to open it in OntServe.
How this case resolved it
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Engineer B Domain-Specific Competence Verification Rural Roadway Contract
prevails over
County A Competitive Procurement Fairness Local Advertisement Policy
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Public Safety at Risk - Deficient Roadway Design
Engineer B Professional Honor Reputation Preservation Rural Roadway Bidding
prevails over
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Driving Scope Overreach
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Scope Overreach - Highway Contract
Engineer B Honest Competence Representation Rural Roadway Bidding
prevails over
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Driving Scope Overreach
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Scope Overreach - Highway Contract
Engineer B Political Lobbying Non-Substitution County Commission
prevails over
Engineer B Political Lobbying County Commission Rural Roadway Contract
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Driving Scope Overreach
Engineer B Domain-Specific Competence Verification Rural Roadway Contract
prevails over
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Driving Scope Overreach
- Engineer B Financial Pressure Scope Overreach - Highway Contract
Open tensions recorded without a resolution:
Engineer B Design Deficiency Early Disclosure Construction Problems vs Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract vs Engineer B Faithful Agent Obligation County A Roadway Design
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract vs Engineer B Honest Competence Representation County A Procurement
Engineer B Economic Pressure Non-Subordination Rural Roadway Contract vs Engineer B Political Lobbying County Commission Rural Roadway Contract
What the board concluded
- It was unethical for Engineer B to accept the rural roadway design contract under these circumstances.