Guidelines for Engineering

Preamble
Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members 
of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest 
standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and 
vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the 
services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, 
fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection 
of the public health, safety, and welfare. Engineers must 
perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires 
adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.
I. Fundamental Canons
Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall:
1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful 
manner.
4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
5. Avoid deceptive acts.
6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, 
and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and 
usefulness of the profession.
II. Rules of Practice
1.	Engineers	shall	hold	paramount	the	safety,	health,	and	
welfare	of	the	public.
a. If engineers’ judgment is overruled under 
circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall 
notify their employer or client and such other authority 
as may be appropriate.
b. Engineers shall approve only those engineering documents 
that are in conformity with applicable standards.
c. Engineers shall not reveal facts, data, or information 
without the prior consent of the client or employer except 
as authorized or required by law or this Code.
d. Engineers shall not permit the use of their name or 
associate in business ventures with any person or firm 
that they believe is engaged in fraudulent or dishonest 
enterprise.
e. Engineers shall not aid or abet the unlawful practice of 
engineering by a person or firm.
f. Engineers having knowledge of any alleged violation of 
this Code shall report thereon to appropriate professional 
bodies and, when relevant, also to public authorities, and 
cooperate with the proper authorities in furnishing such 
information or assistance as may be required.
2.	Engineers	shall	perform	services	only	in	the	areas	of	their 	
competence.
a. Engineers shall undertake assignments only when 
qualified by education or experience in the specific 
technical fields involved.
b. Engineers shall not affix their signatures to any plans 
or documents dealing with subject matter in which they lack competence, nor to any plan or document not 
prepared under their direction and control.
c. Engineers may accept assignments and assume 
responsibility for coordination of an entire project and sign 
and seal the engineering documents for the entire project, 
provided that each technical segment is signed and sealed 
only by the qualified engineers who prepared the segment.
3.	Engineers	shall	issue	public	statements	only	in	an	objective	
and	truthful	manner.
a. Engineers shall be objective and truthful in professional 
reports, statements, or testimony. They shall include 
all relevant and pertinent information in such reports, 
statements, or testimony, which should bear the date 
indicating when it was current.
b. Engineers may express publicly technical opinions 
that are founded upon knowledge of the facts and 
competence in the subject matter.
c. Engineers shall issue no statements, criticisms, or 
arguments on technical matters that are inspired or paid 
for by interested parties, unless they have prefaced their 
comments by explicitly identifying the interested parties 
on whose behalf they are speaking, and by revealing the 
existence of any interest the engineers may have in the 
matters.
4.	Engineers	shall	act	for	each	employer	or	client	as	faithful	
agents	or	trustees.
a. Engineers shall disclose all known or potential conflicts 
of interest that could influence or appear to influence 
their judgment or the quality of their services.
b. 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 and 
agreed to by all interested parties.
c. Engineers shall not solicit or accept financial or other 
valuable consideration, directly or indirectly, from outside 
agents in connection with the work for which they are 
responsible.
d. Engineers in public service as members, advisors, or 
employees of a governmental or quasi-governmental 
body or department shall not participate in decisions with 
respect to services solicited or provided by them or their 
organizations in private or public engineering practice.
e. Engineers shall not solicit or accept a contract from a 
governmental body on which a principal or officer of their 
organization serves as a member.
5.	Engineers	shall	avoid	deceptive	acts.
a. Engineers shall not falsify their qualifications or 
permit misrepresentation of their or their associates’ 
qualifications. They shall not misrepresent or exaggerate 
their 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 venturers, or past accomplishments.
b. Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit, or receive, either 
directly or indirectly, any contribution to influence the 
award of a contract by public authority, or which may be 
reasonably construed by the public as having the effect 
or intent of influencing the awarding of a contract. They 
shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in 
order to secure work. They shall not pay a commission, 
percentage, or brokerage fee in order to secure work, 
except to a bona fide employee or bona fide established 
commercial or marketing agencies retained by them.
III. Professional Obligations
1.	Engineers	shall	be	guided	in	all	their	relations	by	the	
highest	standards	of	honesty	and	integrity.
a. Engineers shall acknowledge their errors and shall not 
distort or alter the facts.
b. Engineers shall advise their clients or employers when 
they believe a project will not be successful.
c. Engineers shall not accept outside employment to 
the detriment of their regular work or interest. Before 
accepting any outside engineering employment, they will 
notify their employers.
d. Engineers shall not attempt to attract an engineer from 
another employer by false or misleading pretenses.
e. Engineers shall not promote their own interest at the 
expense of the dignity and integrity of the profession.
f. Engineers shall treat all persons with dignity, respect, 
fairness, and without discrimination.
2.	Engineers	shall	at	all	times	strive	to	serve	the	public	interest.
a. Engineers are encouraged to participate in civic affairs; 
career guidance for youths; and work for the advancement 
of the safety, health, and well-being of their community.
b. Engineers shall not complete, sign, or seal plans and/ or 
specifications that are not in conformity with applicable 
engineering standards. If the client or employer insists 
on such unprofessional conduct, they shall notify the 
proper authorities and withdraw from further service on 
the project.
c. Engineers are encouraged to extend public knowledge 
and appreciation of engineering and its achievements.
d. Engineers are encouraged to adhere to the principles 
of sustainable development1 in order to protect the 
environment for future generations.
e. Engineers shall continue their professional development 
throughout their careers and should keep current in their 
specialty fields by engaging in professional practice, 
participating in continuing education courses, reading 
in the technical literature, and attending professional 
meetings and seminar.
1420 KING STREET, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22314-2794 • 888-285-NSPE (6773) • LEGAL@NSPE.ORG • WWW.NSPE.ORG • PUBLICATION DATE AS REVISED JULY 2019 • PUBLICATION #1102    ©NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Code of Ethics for Engineers 

3.	Engineers	shall	avoid	all	conduct	or	practice	that 	
deceives	the	public.
a. Engineers shall avoid the use of statements containing 
a material misrepresentation of fact or omitting a 
material fact.
b. Consistent with the foregoing, engineers may advertise 
for recruitment of personnel.
c. Consistent with the foregoing, engineers may prepare 
articles for the lay or technical press, but such articles 
shall not imply credit to the author for work performed 
by others.
4.	Engineers	shall	not	disclose,	without	consent,	confidential 	
information	concerning	the	business	affairs	or	technical 	
processes	of	any	present	or	former	client	or	employer,	or 	
public	body	on	which	they	serve.
a. Engineers shall not, without the consent of all 
interested parties, promote or arrange for new 
employment or practice in connection with a specific 
project for which the engineer has gained particular 
and specialized knowledge.
b. Engineers shall not, without the consent of all 
interested parties, participate in or represent an 
adversary interest in connection with a specific project 
or proceeding in which the engineer has gained 
particular specialized knowledge on behalf of a former 
client or employer.
5.	Engineers	shall	not	be	influenced	in	their	professional 	
duties	by	conflicting	interests.
a. Engineers shall not accept financial or other 
considerations, including free engineering designs, 
from material or equipment suppliers for specifying 
their product.
b. Engineers shall not accept commissions or allowances, 
directly or indirectly, from contractors or other parties 
dealing with clients or employers of the engineer 
in connection with work for which the engineer is 
responsible.
6.	Engineers	shall	not	attempt	to	obtain	employment	or 	
advancement	or	professional	engagements	by	untruthfully 	
criticizing	other	engineers,	or	by	other	improper	or 	
questionable	methods.
a. Engineers shall not request, propose, or accept a 
commission on a contingent basis under circumstances 
in which their judgment may be compromised.
b. Engineers in salaried positions shall accept part-time 
engineering work only to the extent consistent with 
policies of the employer and in accordance with ethical 
considerations.
c. Engineers shall not, without consent, use equipment, 
supplies, laboratory, or office facilities of an employer 
to carry on outside private practice.7.	Engineers	shall	not	attempt	to	injure,	maliciously	or 	
falsely,	directly	or	indirectly,	the	professional	reputation, 	
prospects,	practice,	or	employment	of	other	engineers. 	
Engineers	who	believe	others	are	guilty	of	unethical	or 	
illegal	practice	shall	present	such	information	to	the 	
proper	authority	for	action.
a. Engineers in private practice shall not review the work 
of another engineer for the same client, except with the 
knowledge of such engineer, or unless the connection of 
such engineer with the work has been terminated.
b. Engineers in governmental, industrial, or educational 
employ are entitled to review and evaluate the work of other 
engineers when so required by their employment duties.
c. Engineers in sales or industrial employ are entitled to 
make engineering comparisons of represented products 
with products of other suppliers.
8.	Engineers	shall	accept	personal	responsibility	for	their	
professional	activities,	provided,	however,	that	engineers	
may	seek	indemnification	for	services	arising	out	of	
their	practice	for	other	than	gross	negligence,	where	the	
engineer’s	interests	cannot	otherwise	be	protected.
a. Engineers shall conform with state registration laws in 
the practice of engineering.
b. Engineers shall not use association with a nonengineer, a 
corporation, or partnership as a “cloak” for unethical acts.
9.	Engineers	shall	give	credit	for	engineering	work	to	those	
to	whom	credit	is	due,	and	will	recognize	the	proprietary	
interests	of	others.
a. Engineers shall, whenever possible, name the person or 
persons who may be individually responsible for designs, 
inventions, writings, or other accomplishments.
b. Engineers using designs supplied by a client recognize 
that the designs remain the property of the client and 
may not be duplicated by the engineer for others without 
express permission.
c. Engineers, before undertaking work for others in 
connection with which the engineer may make 
improvements, plans, designs, inventions, or other 
records that may justify copyrights or patents, should 
enter into a positive agreement regarding ownership.
d. Engineers’ designs, data, records, and notes referring 
exclusively to an employer’s work are the employer’s 
property. The employer should indemnify the engineer 
for use of the information for any purpose other than the 
original purpose.
Footnote 1 “Sustainable development” is the challenge of meeting 
human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, 
food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste management while 
conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural 
resource base essential for future development.“By order of the United States District Court for the 
District of Columbia, former Section 11(c) of the NSPE 
Code of Ethics prohibiting competitive bidding, and all 
policy statements, opinions, rulings or other guidelines 
interpreting its scope, have been rescinded as unlawfully 
interfering with the legal right of engineers, protected 
under the antitrust laws, to provide price information to 
prospective clients; accordingly, nothing contained in the 
NSPE Code of Ethics, policy statements, opinions, rulings 
or other guidelines prohibits the submission of price 
quotations or competitive bids for engineering services 
at any time or in any amount.”
Statement by NSPE Executive Committee
In order to correct misunderstandings which have been 
indicated in some instances since the issuance of the 
Supreme Court decision and the entry of the Final Judgment, 
it is noted that in its decision of April 25, 1978, the Supreme 
Court of the United States declared: “The Sherman Act does 
not require competitive bidding.”
It is further noted that as made clear in the Supreme Court 
decision:
1. Engineers and firms may individually refuse to bid for 
engineering services.
2. Clients are not required to seek bids for engineering 
services.
3. Federal, state, and local laws governing procedures 
to procure engineering services are not affected, and 
remain in full force and effect.
4. State societies and local chapters are free to actively 
and aggressively seek legislation for professional 
selection and negotiation procedures by public 
agencies.
5. State registration board rules of professional conduct, 
including rules prohibiting competitive bidding for 
engineering services, are not affected and remain in 
full force and effect. State registration boards with 
authority to adopt rules of professional conduct may 
adopt rules governing procedures to obtain engineering 
services.
6. As noted by the Supreme Court, “nothing in the 
judgment prevents NSPE and its members from 
attempting to influence governmental action . . .”
Note: In regard to the question of application of the Code to 
corporations vis-a-vis real persons, business form or type should 
not negate nor influence conformance of individuals to the Code. 
The Code deals with professional services, which services must 
be performed by real persons. Real persons in turn establish and 
implement policies within business structures. The Code is clearly 
written to apply to the Engineer, and it is incumbent on members 
of NSPE to endeavor to live up to its provisions. This applies to all 
pertinent sections of the Code.
1420 KING STREET, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22314-2794 • 888-285-NSPE (6773) • LEGAL@NSPE.ORG • WWW.NSPE.ORG • PUBLICATION DATE AS REVISED JULY 2019 • PUBLICATION #1102    ©NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.