CE LAWS, ETHICS, AND CONTRACTS Canon 5 - Civil engineers shall build their
professional reputation on the merit of their
Civil Engineering as a Profession
- Military engineers began to work on nonmilitary
projects.
- RA544, An Act to Regulate the Practice of Civil
Engineering in the Philippines
5 Characteristics of a Profession
(by John Philip Bachner)
1. Systematic Body of Theory
- Skills flow from an internally consistent system
- Spirit of rationality; expansion of theory
- based on mathematics and natural sciences,
such as physics and chemistry
2. Authority
- Extensive education in systematic theory
highlights the layperson’s comparative
ignorance.
- Functional specificity
3. Community Sanction
- State-sponsored boards
- License or registration
4. Ethical Codes
- clients’ trusted advisors
- ethical – professional
- client-professional – impulse to perform
maximally
- colleague to colleague
- cooperative – egalitarian, supportive
5. Culture
- Social values
- Services valuable to the community
- Appropriate behavior – sounding like a
professional, saying “no” gracefully, make
presentations and conducting meetings
- Symbols – jargons, insignia, emblems, history,
folklore
Codes of Ethics
- Principles – fundamental and comprehensive
doctrine (morality) regarding behavior and
conduct
- Canons – broad principles of conduct
- Standards – more specific goals
- Rules of Conduct – mandatory, violation is
grounds for disciplinary action
Fundamental Canons of Ethics
Canon 1 - Civil Engineers shall hold paramount the
safety, health, and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of
sustainable development in the performance of
their professional duties.
Canon 2 - Civil engineers shall perform services
only in areas of their competence
Canon 3 - Civil engineers shall issue public
statements only in an objective and truthful
manner.
Canon 4 - Civil engineers shall act in professional
matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees and shall avoid conflicts of
interest
services and shall not compete unfairly with
others
Canon 6 - Civil engineers shall act in such a manner
as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity,
and dignity of the civil engineering profession
Canon 7 - Civil engineers shall continue their
professional development throughout their careers,
and shall provide opportunities for the
professional development for those Civil
Engineers under their supervision
Specialization in Civil Engineering
- Structural engineering
- Geotechnical engineering
- Water engineering
- Transportation engineering
- Construction Management engineering
Classification of Engineering Services
1. Consultations, research, investigations, and
reports
- Preliminary and Feasibility Investigations and
Reports
- Appraisals, Valuations, and Rate Studies
- Planning Studies
- Assistance in Financial Matters
- Materials Engineering and Equipment Tests
- Research and Development
2. Design services for construction projects
- Study and Report Phase
- Preliminary Design Phase
- Final Design Phase
- Bidding or Negotiating Phase
- Construction Phase
- Operation Phase
3. Construction services
- technical employee
- construction engineer
- resident civil engineer
- quality control engineer
- cost engineer
- project engineer inspector.
4. Special services for construction projects
- Services beyond the scope of basics
- Geotechnical engineering, Land surveying,
topographic surveys
- Laboratory inspections of materials and
equipment
- Value engineering
- Final investigations
- Assistance in selection of other services
- Computer simulation and modeling
5. Engineering support services
- Drafting
- Data gathering activities
6. Academic services
- Teaching and Lecturing Activities
7. Services as Employee
- perform work or fulfill duties regularly for
wages or salary paid by employers.
FA 1 – ATTRIBUTES OF CE PROFESSION
1. Mylene can now accept Project Consultancy because she passed the accreditation exam for it. -
Community Sanction
2. As a Quality Control Engineer. James applied all things he learned during materials science and
engineering degree. - Systematic Body of Theory
3. A contractor hires a Safety Engineer in a project he is handling. He is strictly implementing safety
precautions in the site without exemption to anyone in the site. One laborer was reprimanded by the
Safety Engineer because of not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment for his work. He
complained to the contractor about the Safety Engineer's strict attitude but the contractor did not
tolerate the ill- behavior of the laborer even if he is his relative. - Ethical Codes
4. How was the term civil engineer coined? - when military engineers began to work on
nonmilitary projects
5. John wants to improve the flood control system in their area. He consulted their local engineering
government unit to propose his design. The proposal was taken into consideration once he showed his
Civil Engineer license card. – Authority
6. During his first week as a Project Engineer, Kylie showed true professionalism even in the smallest
things such as being punctual. - Ethical Codes
7. Newton's laws of motion was used to analyze a body in motion. - Systematic Body of Knowledge
8. A contractor hires a Safety Engineer in a project he is handling. He is strictly implementing safety
precautions in the site without exemption to anyone in the site. One laborer was reprimanded by the
Safety Engineer because of not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment for his work. He
complained to the contractor about the Safety Engineer's strict attitude but the contractor did not
tolerate the ill- behavior of the laborer and he instead explained that is normally the duty of the Safety
Engineer to be strict when it comes to safety. – Culture
9. Henry aspires to be a Civil Engineer. As of the moment, he is a college student taking up BS Civil
Engineering and first ensures his graduation of the program. - Community Sanction

FA 3 – PRACTICE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

1. Who awards a certificate of specialization to Civil Engineers who fulfilled all requirements by the
concerned Specialty Committee? - Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers
2. True or False: Even in instances when Client becomes aware of the necessary changes in the scope of
services of the Civil Engineer, he/she need not inform the Engineer. It is the responsibility of the Civil
Engineer to be aware of all the circumstances on his own. – False
3. Who is liable for the works or other professionals coordinating or cooperating with the Civil Engineer's
provision of services or handled project? - The professionals themselves
4. If the CE is liable to paying the damages, the amount is limited to ______. - the foreseeable loss
and damages suffered as a direct result of breach of duty of the CE
5. When is a Civil Engineer liable to pay damages occurred in his scope of service? - when the damages
resulted from the CE's breach of duty in connection with his/her agreement with the
Client.
6. True or False: If the client is not pleased with the services provided by the Civil Engineer though the
latter is properly following whatever is under the Agreement, the former may interfere and may
obstruct the proper performance of the services whenever he/she wants. – False
7. The Client should notify the Civil Engineer, ____ days before the assumed date of effectivity, the
particulars of the changes, once aware of its necessity, of the latter's scope of services – 7
8. The usual first step in standard of practice for Civil Engineers, when he/she is given a project to
handle, is to ___________ it. – study
9. Who owns the design, drawings and specifications of a project? - The Civil Engineer who did the
design but shall only be used for projects covered by the agreement between him and the
Client
10. One of the acceptable grounds for the CE to terminate agreement of services with the client is when
the CE has not receive payment of his rendered services from the Client _______ after the due date. -
30 days
11. One of the acceptable grounds for the Civil Engineer to terminate the agreement of services with the
client is when services have been suspended for a period of __________. - 6 months
 12. What is ethically a responsible move a Civil Engineer should do when he/she sees that a change or
changes in the scope of works is required by the situation to prevent further loss or improve suitability?
- Give written notice to the client before implementation of the changes
13. True or False: A Civil Engineer may perform duties that is out of his technical skills and knowledge for
as long as he/she has at least a vague knowledge or exposure regarding such duty – False
14. True or False: If the Civil Engineer is interested in partaking another service or work which may be in
conflict of interest with his current work, he may do so with the approval of the client. – True

FA 4 – CLASSIFICATION OF SERVICES
To which broad category of Civil Engineering Services does the following service/work belong:
1. Contractor? - Construction services
2. Feasibility studies? - Consultations, research, investigations, and reports
3. Board Exam refresher course lecturer - Academic services
4. laboratory inspection of construction materials? - Special services for construction project
5. College Professor in Civil Engineering Department - Academic services
6. Construction Inspector? - Construction services
7. Civil Engineers' conference resource speaker - Academic services
8. Draftsman - Engineering support services
9. Consultant to a firm - Services as Employee
10. Project Engineer? - Construction services
11. Structural detailing - Design services for construction project
12. Government-employed Civil Engineer - Services as Employee
13. Soil sampling, testing and analysis - Special services for construction project
14. Land surveying? - Special services for construction project
15. Construction Manager - Construction services
16. Construction Materials Testing? - Consultations, research, investigations, and reports
17. Technical documents preparation - Design services for construction project
18. Exam refresher course lecturer - Academic services
19. Environmental assessments? - Consultations, research, investigations, and reports
20. Selection of engineers, contractors etc - Special services for construction project
21. Site inspection? – Special services for construction project (NOT SURE, construction services is wrong)