Professional Ethics in Construction and Engineering

9 Ethical Selection and Appointment Processes for the Construction Industry

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.

Dalai Lama

9.1 Introduction to the Chapter

This chapter will highlight the importance for construction professionals of the ethical processes around selection and appointment of their contracting partners. With reference to the quotation above, if processes and procedure leading to contract award do not have the right level of transparency and sense of impartiality, then this can have very damaging repercussions. Having the right main contractors on board is arguably one of the most important aspects for construction professionals. Accordingly, this chapter will articulate some of the issues that construction professionals need to be aware of when commencing their selection processes. This is intended as a means of bringing rigour and transparency to existing processes and ensuring that a staged approach to the appointment of project teams is not compromised. Furthermore, it will examine the perceived problems that construction professionals face in selecting the right contracting partners, especially in the case of two-stage tender procurement. It also provides a historical perspective on this overarching ethical dilemma for construction professionals, with particularly reference to government reports.

This chapter is focused predominantly on a research study by Sean Taylor (2017), which established what information and ethical ...