Obligation-Conflict Resolution
Case 99-8 (1999) · Incomplete Plans and Specifications – Engineer, Government, and Contractor Responsibilities
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
Engineer A Safety Obligation Dam Design
prevails over
Engineer A Deadline Pressure Resistance
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer A Undisclosed Deadline Pressure
Engineer A Complete Design Delivery
prevails over
Engineer A Cost Allocation Neutrality
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer A Federal Funding Assumption
Featured
Engineer A Deliverable Completeness Disclosure
prevails over
Engineer A Deadline Pressure Resistance
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer A Undisclosed Deadline Pressure
Open tensions recorded without a resolution:
Engineer A Complete Design Delivery vs Engineer A Deadline Pressure Resistance
What the board concluded
- It was not ethical for Engineer A to submit drawings and specifications for review and approval that he knew were incomplete.
- It was not ethical for Engineer B to approve a set of incomplete drawings on behalf of the Federal government for competitive bidding.
- It was not ethical for Engineer C, owner of the Hi-Lo Construction firm, to submit a bid on a construction contract that he later characterized as “unbuildable” without major changes.
Recorded violations:
Non-Disclosure of Incompleteness violates Engineer A Deliverable Completeness Disclosure
Incomplete Work Submission violates Engineer A Complete Design Delivery
Non-Disclosure of Incompleteness violates Engineer A Public Funds Misrepresentation
Reactive Incompleteness Acknowledgment violates Engineer A Complete Design Delivery
Reactive Incompleteness Acknowledgment violates Engineer A Competence Dam Drawings
Incomplete Work Submission violates Engineer A Competence Dam Drawings
Low Bid Submission violates Engineer C Bid Adequacy Reflection
Non-Disclosure of Incompleteness violates Engineer A Complete Design Delivery
Incomplete Documents Approval violates Engineer A Public Funds Misrepresentation
Non-Disclosure of Incompleteness violates Engineer A Competence Dam Drawings
Incomplete Work Submission violates Engineer A Public Funds Misrepresentation
Incomplete Documents Approval violates Engineer B Competence Limit Escalation
Reactive Incompleteness Acknowledgment violates Engineer A Deliverable Completeness Disclosure
Reactive Incompleteness Acknowledgment violates Engineer A Public Funds Misrepresentation