Professional Engineering

Professionalism
Definition:
A profession is "a vocation requiring knowledge of
some department of learning or science."
A professional is one who follows "an occupation as
a means of livelihood or gain," or one who is
"engaged in one of the learned professions."
Professionalism is exhibited by one of the
"professional character, spirit or methods" or the
"standing, practice, or methods of a professional as
distinguished from an amateur."
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Professional Engineering
Professionalism
Definition:
American College Dictionary
Professionalism includes integrity, courtesy, honesty,
and willing compliance with the highest ethical
standards. Professionalism goes beyond observing the
engineering profession ethical rules: professionalism
sensitively and fairly serves the best interests of the
public.
Components of Professionalism
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Professional Engineering

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Engineering Title
P.E. or PE is used in the U.S.
P.Eng. or P.Eng (UK). used in the UK for Professional Engineers
belonging to the Society of Professional Engineers UK (SPE)
P.Eng. is used in Canada, except the province of Quebec.
Eng. (French:ing.) is used in Quebec.
CEng (Chartered Engineer) and IEng (Incorporated Engineer) in the UK &
Republic of Ireland.
CPEng in Australia and New Zealand
Ing. in Germany (pre-nominal letters)
Ir. in Hong Kong
C.Eng in India Institution of Engineering under Royal Charter
EurIng (European Engineer) in Europe, used as a pre-nominal (similar to
Dr. or Prof).
Ing.P.Eur (European Professional Engineer) in Europe.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

To promote the advancement of engineering and to
facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
To provide a broad range of services to members, to
assist them in developing their careers and to play
their full role in contributing to society.
To maintain a high standard of the profession, and to
raise the standing and visibility of engineers.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

Founded in 1947 (bringing together engineers of
different disciplines for their common good).
Incorporated by Government Ordinance in 1975.
Membership is now the primary qualification for
employment as a professional engineer in Hong
Kong.
In June 1995, joined the Washington Accord as one
of the signatories. The engineering degrees accredited
by the HKIE are recognised by all other signatories
including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand,
South Africa, the UK and the United States.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

In 2001 and later, Japan, Germany, Malaysia and
Singapore were admitted as a provisional signatory to
the Washington Accord.
In 2003, the HKIE was verified by the Sydney
Accord as a full signatory. Under this Accord, Higher
Diploma and Associate Degree Programmes
accredited by the HKIE are recognised by other
signatories including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New
Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

Engineers should have acquired a clear understanding
of:
(a) The importance of adhering to the HKIE's Rules of
Conduct
(b) The need to make appropriate provision in every
engineering project to ensure safety and reliability; and
environmental factors;
(c) Their responsibilities to their employer, their colleagues,
other engineers and the community at large;
(d) The importance and relevance of knowledge to the design,
manufacture, construction, operation and maintenance of
the particular products or services with which the
employing organisation is concerned;
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

(e) The general problems affecting an industrial
organisation, such as the:- Financial, economic, commercial and statutory
limitations;
- Limitations imposed by the workforce, machines
and the materials available;
- Operation and maintenance requirements that
may affect engineering decisions;
(f) The vital importance of good industrial relations;
(g) Promote good personal relationship at all
levels within an organisation;
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong Institution of Engineers

(h) The importance of communication, and of
being able to discuss inter-related activities
and problems with members in other
branches of engineering;
(i) The need to exercise sound judgement and to
accept responsibility;
(j) The need to develop their abilities to the best
advantage of the profession.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Principles of Good Practice for Washington Accord
Signatories Working Internationally (Approved June 2001)
Purpose:
These principles are intended to provide a generally accepted
framework for undertaking reviews in countries that are not
signatories of the Washington Accord. They are intended to
strengthen the international stature of the Washington Accord
Agreement, strengthen the working relationship among
Washington Accord Signatories and international quality
assurance agencies, and encourage and enhance ongoing
cooperation and communication.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Principle 1. Considerations for Washington Accord
Signatories When Determining to Undertake Quality
Assurance Evaluations in Another Country not a
member of the Accord
Washington Accord Signatories will:
Affirm their organizational capacity to undertake a review
(e.g., language, trained staff and evaluators, budget,
experience, basic information about the country);
Clarify the relationship of international review activity to
the priorities of the accrediting organization;
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Communicate with other Washington Accord
signatories about international review activity;
Promulgate a clear statement of the scope of the
evaluation and the use of the recognition status by
an institution or program in another country,
especially with regard to transfer of credit and
degree and qualifications equivalency;
Assure clear understanding of the relationship of
the review to any international agreements that
address quality assurance.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Principle 2. Expectations for Conduct of
Evaluation Reviews Abroad
Washington Accord Signatories will:
Inform national quality assurance agencies in countries
where reviews are undertaken and, where appropriate,
seek information, guidance, and concurrence from these
agencies;
Communicate with rectors and other college and university
officials at institutions where they are conducting reviews;
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Assure that staff and evaluators are adequately
informed about higher education and quality
assurance in the countries in which they are
conducting reviews to preclude the appearance of
cultural insensitivity;
Communicate fully and clearly about costs and
currencies associated with a review.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Principle 3. Quality Assurance of Online and Webbased Instruction and programs
Washington Accord Signatories will:
Work as closely as possible with their institutional and
programmatic exporters of online and web-based
education to assure quality as offerings are made available
in a variety of countries, especially when the offerings
involve instructional strategies that are unfamiliar to the
host country;
Urge that these exporters review language, literacy and
study skills levels of the target audience for these offerings,
preparing separate or supplemental material to meet
special needs if appropriate.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Washington Accord
Principle 4. Responsibilities to Students and
Colleagues
Washington Accord Signatories will:
Work with the appropriate agencies in non-signatory
countries to provide the most comprehensive and accurate
information available about educational services and
programs to avoid the export of diplomas of questionable
quality offered for a fee;
Develop, in coordination with international colleagues, the
appropriate protocol to assist non-signatory countries in
reviewing educational imports from questionable
provenance.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Professional Dimension Questions

Why join Engineering Institution (s)?
Which one is more appropriate for you?
How much do you know about the Washington
Accord?
How do you prepare yourself to be a
Professional Engineer?

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Reasons for Engineers to Form Associations

To support their work and advance the reputation and

status of the profession

To make business contact

To learn from one another

To increase the influence of their discipline with

government and the public

Major Professional Engineering Associations In the

United States

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

(IEEE)

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

Ethics in Practice
A Practical Guide for Professional
Engineers

"A profession is no better than its

y do not have
individual members; if they
the professional attitude and live by the
profession,, they
y will
ethical rules of the p
have no profession.
Robinson & Muspratt, 1986

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

A hallmark
h ll
k off professionalism
f
i
li

Basic qualifying requirement

An edge in competition

Guidance to good practice

Ultimate benefit of the profession

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

A hallmark of professionalism
Professionalism implies ethical responsibilities
because society relies very much on engineers
engineers'
responsible exercise of their expertise to receive
po ta t se
services.
ces The
e spec
special
a knowledge
o edge tthat
at
important
confers considerable power and privileges to
engineers may as well create the conditions for abuse
and client vulnerability if the power is used
unethically or incompetently. Thus, an engineer
should abide by a high ethical standard so as to
maintain public confidence in his profession.

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

Basic qualifying requirement
Most professional associations and technical
societies for self-regulation
societies,
self regulation purpose,
purpose require their
members to commit themselves in ethical practice in
accordance
acco
da ce with
t tthe
e gu
guidelines
de es set out in a written
tte
code of ethics. If an engineer fails to comply with the
code, his registration with relevant professional body
may be revoked or suspended and without such a
qualification, he may be restricted from working for
certain engineering projects,
projects particularly those in the
public sector.

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

An edge in competition
A number of survey studies confirm that practicing
ethics is an edge
g in market competition.
p
There is an
average of 70% of consumers who consider the
ethical conduct of an individual or a company a major
bearing on their decision in selecting products or
services. That means clients often look for somebody
whom they can trust.
trust Implementing ethics in
professional practice is just the ticket to win customer
loyalty
y y and long-term
g
business relationships
p with
clients. Ethics and revenues are in fact inextricably
bound.

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

Guidance to g
good p
practice
Professional ethics are a set of standards above
the legal
g minimal requirement.
q
Underpinning
p
g the basic
values and related regulations in professional
practice, they can help engineers to arrive at the best
chosen course off action, especially when they are
facing ethical dilemmas where values can easily
become variables in the decision making process.
process
Without putting ethics in practice, an engineer is
easily
y open
p
to legal
g
sanctions and expulsion
p
or
suspension of his membership in professional bodies
due to violation of relevant laws and regulations.

Why are professional ethics important to engineers

Ultimate benefit of the profession
p
The engineering profession is under increased
public scrutiny nowadays.
nowadays The exposure of any
unethical acts by members of the profession may
devastatingly discredit engineers' professional status.
The prospect of the profession hinges on an
environment regulated by ethics and professional
di i li
discipline.
Wh
When
professional
f
i
l ethics
thi
are adequately
d
t l
enforced in engineering practice, it ultimately benefits
the entire profession by promoting its reputation,
reputation
credibility and respectability.

The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Rules of Conduct

Rule 1 Responsibility to the profession
A member of the Institution shall order his conduct so as to uphold the dignity,
standing and reputation of the profession

Rule 2 Responsibility to colleagues

A member of the Institution shall not maliciously or recklessly injure nor attempt
to injure whether directly or indirectly the professional reputation of another
engineer,
g
, and shall foster the mutual advancement of the p
profession

Rule 3 Responsibility to employers or clients

A member of the Institution shall discharge his duties to his employer or client
with integrity and in accordance with the highest standards of business ethics

Rule 4 Responsibility to the public

A member of the Institution in discharging his responsibilities to his employer and
the profession shall at all times be governed by the overriding interest of the
general public, in particular their environment, welfare, health and safety

How to avoid unreasonable exercise of discretion

Strengthen internal supervisory checks

Adopt
p independent
p
technical audit

Conduct peer review

How to avoid unreasonable exercise of discretion

Strengthen internal supervisory checks

Clearly define roles, responsibilities, accountabilities

and levels of authority of staff and incorporate
supervisory checks on their work
Visit the site regularly and conduct random spot checks
frequently to ensure work quality and to detect
irregularities
Implement intensive checks if suspicious signs of
irregularities are detected during random checks
Require subordinates to hand in regular reports on work
progress, project management, work quality control and
matters that are cost significant
Alert all staff that their work and decisions are subject to
monitoring and spot checks at any time

How to avoid unreasonable exercise of discretion

Adopt independent technical audit

Appoint an independent technical audit team to monitor

and evaluate technical judgments and decisions of
professional
f
i
l staff
t ff for
f compliance
li
purpose. Such
S h teams
t
may be employed from outside or composed of other
engineers
g
in the company
p y deployed
p y
to p
perform such a
function on an ad hoc basis

Ensure the effectiveness of such a professional audit

team by making it report directly to the Chief Executive
of the company or the audit committee of the project

How to avoid unreasonable exercise of discretion

Conduct peer review

Develop mechanism which allows professional staff to

counter-check and review their peers' work so as to
collect
ll t a second
d opinion
i i
on the
th validity
lidit off a technical
t h i l
assumption or professional judgment and the
properness
p
p
of exercising
g a discretion,, etc

How to prevent slippage in supervision

Strengthen site staff administration

Ensure p
proper
p
delegation
g
of supervisory
p
y
duties

How to prevent slippage in supervision

Strengthen site staff administration (1)

Define personnel management policies and operational

procedures and clearly communicate them to staff

Ensure an optimum number of subletting tiers to

facilitate site and project control

Segregate staff duties properly with appropriate checks

and balances

Implement job rotation, where possible, to prevent staff

from developing unnecessarily close relation with
contractors/suppliers etc.
contractors/suppliers,
etc that may impair their
objectivity and impartiality in performing duties

How to prevent slippage in supervision

Strengthen site staff administration (2)

Require site staff to inform professional staff

immediately when slippage occurs or when the work
progress is
i likely
lik l to
t be
b adversely
d
l affected
ff t d
Keep accurate site records regarding staff attendance,
overtime claims,, and other work records. All approved
pp
material samples and test samples should be properly
secured against tampering
Conduct frequent site visits and random spot checks.
checks
For those works which are not capable of checks or
measurement after job completion, prior checks should
be secured to ensure quality. All results should be
properly recorded for verification by senior staff

How to prevent slippage in supervision

Strengthen site staff administration (3)

Ensure that only staff with adequate experience and

qualifications are employed to perform specialist duties.
P
Provide
id appropriate
i t training
t i i
t staff,
to
t ff including
i l di
quality
lit
concepts, record-keeping, occupational safety, and anticorruption
p
legislation
g
Establish internal communication channels for staff to
air their problems and report malpractices

How to prevent slippage in supervision

Ensure proper delegation
g
of supervisory
y duties

Make sure you have delegated the authority to a person

who is sufficiently competent to carry out the associated
responsibility
Conduct periodic review on delegation of authority.
Don'tt reduce the frequency of site visits and random
Don
spot checks by yourself after the delegation of
supervisory duties to your subordinates

How to handle privileged information

Implement proper access control

Monitor release of information

Ensure proper management controls

How to handle privileged information

Implement proper access control

Classify information into different security groups based on

their risk exposure and degree of sensitivity. Classification
should
h ld be
b reviewed
i
d regularly
l l
Approve access rights on the basis of a practical application
of the need-to-know, need-to-do, and need-to-use principles
i.e. only those staff who have genuine need to use the
information during the course of duty can have access to the
classified information
Restrict access to computer information by using passwords
and the passwords should be changed regularly
Set up an audit trail system for computer systems for
identifying persons who have gained access to information in
order to facilitate future investigations and access control
monitoring

How to handle privileged information

Monitor release of information

Provide clear guidelines on how to safe keep and handle

release of classified information and on how to ensure
computer security
Monitor release of information according to the need-toknow need-to-do,
know,
need-to-do and need-to-use principles
Obtain the employer's and clients' authorization before
disclosing confidential information relating to them

How to handle privileged information

Ensure proper management
g
controls

Clearly communicate company's policy on preservation

of confidentiality to all levels of staff. Such policy should
be reviewed regularly to assess its effectiveness in risk
minimization
Alert staff of the serious consequences of
leaking/abusing proprietary information
Require staff to sign agreements not to leak or misuse
proprietary information during their employment and for
a specific period after they have left the company, if
necessary

How to avoid conflicts of interest

Avoid favouritism

Call for collective decision

Avoid conflicting roles

How to avoid conflicts of interest

Avoid favouritism

Treat all clients fairly. No preference should be given to

particular clients, including your relatives and friends
Don't provide advice or assistance in official dealings
based on confidential information communicated to you
by your employers or clients.
clients If there is such a request,
request
you should refuse it and explain that it is against the
codes of conduct imposed by your company and
professional bodies
Don't testify as an expert witness if the case involves a
conflict of your personal interest

How to avoid conflicts of interest

Call for collective decision

Involve more than one officer to handle and make

collective decisions for jobs vulnerable to malpractice,
such as procurement of materials/services, selection
and appointment of contractors/suppliers, tendering,
and supervision of contractors
contractors' work performance
Set up an ad hoc task group, if necessary, to make
collective decisions for different aspects of a major
project

How to avoid conflicts of interest

Avoid conflicting roles

Declare to your employer and your clients any financial interest in

any project, supplier, contractor or business, that are related to your
official duties
Avoid accepting lavish and frequent entertainment or engaging in
games
of
chance
such
as
gambling
with
clients/suppliers/contractors, that may place you in a position of
obligation to return a favour or lead to compromise of impartiality or
embarrassment in official dealings
Avoid acquiring any investment or financial interest which may lead
t a conflict
to
fli t off interest
i t
t with
ith your official
ffi i l duties.
d ti
Avoid borrowing money from suppliers, contractors or companies
with which you have official dealings
Don't take up paid or unpaid outside employment which may give rise
to any actual or potential conflicts of interest with your official duties.
If such conflicts cannot be avoided, you should first obtain the
consent from your employer

How to avoid unfair tendering

Call for competitive tender

Set up
p transparent
p
system
y
for appointing
pp
g
contractors

Set up counterchecking mechanism and

conduct random spot checks

Check contractors' performance record

How to avoid unfair tendering

Call for competitive tender

Adopt competitive tendering for better comparison of

prices and service quality and therefore make it difficult
to hide favouritism and corrupt motive.
motive
Evaluate tender price based on both price and non-price
factors to ensure that the procurement can result in the
best quality of project or services for the price paid, or
the lowest price for the specified acceptable quality

How to avoid unfair tendering

Set up transparent system for appointing contractors

Formulate systematic and consistent procedures, with

well defined financial and decision-making authorities.
Ad i i t ti guidelines
Administrative
id li
and
d contract
t
t document
d
t should
h ld
include appropriate warnings prohibiting bribery and the
requirement of declaring any potential conflict of interest
Develop a list of approved contractors/suppliers for
different works or supply of materials according to
prescribed
ib d criteria
it i and
d review
i
it regularly.
l l The
Th listing
li ti
criteria should be made known to all potential bidders in
the call for registration
g
Invite only the pre-qualified contractors/suppliers on the
approved list. Any addition or deletion should be
carefully scrutinized

How to avoid unfair tendering

Set up transparent system for appointing contractors

Make procurement requirements, rules and decisionmaking criteria readily accessible to all potential
suppliers/contractors. Any additional information must
be made available to all bidders concurrently
Set up a joint pre-tender meeting for bidders to enquire
and discuss any project issues if necessary
Ensure that the opening of bids is witnessed and
conducted independently and all decisions are properly
recorded
Set up an independent panel e.g. tender board for
selecting and approving tenders

How to avoid unfair tendering

Set up transparent system for appointing contractors

Select contractors/suppliers on the basis of their

qualifications, the merit of their offers and the predefined criteria in tender document
Keep tender documents and tenders' information
confidential before awarding contracts
Make sure arrangements for negotiated tenders are
made known to all tenders prior to the negotiation of
bidding
biddi

How to avoid unfair tendering

Set up
p counterchecking
g mechanism and conduct
random spot checks

Set up counter-checking
counter checking mechanisms,
mechanisms e.g.
e g involving
more than one officer in contract negotiation process,
procurement of materials, authorizing acceptance of
goods on delivery, etc.
Conduct frequent spot checks, including random
inspections of product quality,
quality quotations,
quotations receipts,
receipts
procurement records, etc.
Keep proper work records, e.g. quotations, contracts,
etc. for random verification by senior staff.

How to avoid unfair tendering

Check contractors' p
performance record

Monitor and evaluate contractors' performance regularly

and
a
d immediately
ed ate y a
after
te tthe
e e
end
d o
of tthe
e co
contracts
t acts a
and
d
ensure that the evaluation is properly recorded for
reference in future tender invitations.
Maintain periodical contacts with
ith suppliers
s ppliers or
contractors in order to provide a direct channel for them
to express
p
views or g
grievances. Such contacts would
better be initiated by senior staff.
Inform suppliers and contractors of the company's
policy to prohibit staff from engaging in corruption or
other malpractices

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