The Member will serve its customers and treat its competitors, subcontractors and suppliers with respect, honesty and integrity.
The Member will only undertake contracts for projects for which it has the technical competence, knowledge and experience.
The Member will not accept contracts for which it is not qualified or knows that it will not reasonably be able to complete or adhere to.
The Member will assign staff to projects in accordance with their qualifications, and commensurate with the demands and requirements of the services to be provided under the contract.
The Member will provide materials and services in a manner consistent with the established and accepted standards of the construction industry and with the laws and regulations that govern it, including the use of standard industry documents wherever feasible.
The Member will make all reasonable efforts to perform its contracts with competence, reasonable care, and diligence.
The Member will endeavour to avoid conflicts of interest, both corporate and individual. Where a corporate conflict exists, the Member will disclose such conflict to its customer or prospective customer.
The Member will educate its staff about personal conflicts of interest and will establish internal procedures for recognizing and disclosing conflicts.
The Member will ensure that the safety of its employees, the employees of others on the job site, and the public at large, is given the highest priority in all aspects of the Member’s activities, on and off the job site.
The Member will provide its employees with the proper training and education required to enable them to meet the Member’s obligations pursuant to WorkSafeBC, as well as all other health and safety legislation and established best practices within the Member’s designated industry, as well as the construction industry.
The Member will endeavour to promote sustainable building practices and environmental considerations in all its operations and in the services it provides to its clients and customers.
The Member will endeavour to provide its employees with the proper training and education required to enable the company to meet the stated goals of a more sustainable built environment and more environmentally friendly business practices.
The Member will treat its service providers and suppliers equitably and avoid any activity that could reasonably be construed as *bid shopping, a **reverse bid auction or ***bid peddling.
The Member will advise service providers, subtrades and suppliers, as soon as it is reasonable, after bid closing, as to whether their bid was successful, and will award contracts with dispatch to the successful bidder at the bid price. The Member will do their best to provide clear direction and prompt payment for service provided.
The Member will comply with the letter and spirit of laws relating to working conditions, including but not limited to, all applicable employment standards legislation, health and safety legislation, and human rights legislation.
The Member will not knowingly violate any lawful rights of its employees and will remain committed to providing its employees with a safe work environment, free of harassment and discrimination.
The Member will ensure that all financial information provided to its business partners, lending institutions, bonding agents, insurance providers, and the general public is, to the best of its knowledge, an accurate and true representation of the Member’s financial status.
The Member will ensure that all public statements and disclosures that it makes are truthful and accurate.
The Member will protect the proprietary interests of its customers.
The Member will not knowingly violate any law or Regulation, in the operation of its business.
The Member will refrain from conduct or behaviour that promotes its own self-interest at the expense of the construction industry and will uphold the standards of the construction industry with honour, dignity, and integrity.
The Member will maintain internal procedures under which its failure to conform to the above practices and expectations will be handled. The Member will ensure that all of its employees, contractors and agents are familiar with and understand this Code of Ethics.
If an employee becomes aware of a circumstance in which the Member or another employee of the Member fails to conform to the above standards, they should immediately report such circumstances to the Member, and the Member will initiate an investigation of, and otherwise resolve, the reported issue.
*For the purposes of this document, bid shopping is defined as any conduct whereby the one soliciting bids uses the bids submitted to it as a negotiating tool either expressly or in a more clandestine way, before the contract has been awarded, with a view to obtaining a better price or other contractual advantage from that particular bidder or any of the others.
**For the purposes of this document, a reverse bid auction is defined as a form of bid shopping in which the one soliciting bids is privy to the bid information prior to the bid closing and uses that information to encourage bidders to resubmit lower-priced bids by advising them of their ranking or relative position to the other submitted bids during the bidding process.
***For the purposes of this document, bid peddling is defined as any conduct whereby a bidder, in an attempt to secure a contract, offers to lower its previously bid price in order to undercut known bid prices from other bidders.
At SICA, our commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism is unwavering. Our Code of Ethical Conduct is designed to guide and support our members, ensuring that all interactions are characterized by fairness, respect, and transparency. We are dedicated to fostering a community where ethical behaviour is the norm, and we provide the resources and support necessary for our members to adhere to these principles. By promoting accountability and ethical practices, SICA ensures that its members can confidently navigate their professional responsibilities and contribute to a trustworthy and honourable industry.
