A new international code of ethics to help regulate the activities of construction and property professionals in global markets – and build trust for clients and consumers – has been launched for consultation.
The draft code is backed by 63 worldwide institutions in the built environment and infrastructure sectors, including the CIOB, which have all pledged to enforce the finalised code among members.
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The group is known as the International Ethics Standard Coalition, and was instigated in 2014 by the RICS. Its first meeting of a founding group of 16 institutions was held in office space donated by the United Nations in November 2014.
The group includes representatives from Russia, China, France, the US, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia and Canada, as well as 10 institutions from the UK.
IES chair Peter Bolton King told Construction Manager that the RICS saw the need for a global standard to raise core standards among all property professionals, but realised it couldn’t deliver such a code on its own.
“There’s currently nothing to engender public trust in the industry in its widest form,” he said. “The medical, legal and accountancy professions all have global international standards, but property and construction doesn’t. And around the world, you can find numerous examples of unethical standards in the sector.
“These days, you can’t operate by saying, ‘this is how you do it’, you’ve got to be in it for the public interest, and that means working as an industry, with institutions cooperating and collaborating – the institutions have got to come together.”
“The medical, legal and accountancy professions all have global international standards, but property and construction doesn’t. And around the world, you can find numerous examples of unethical standards in the sector.”
Peter Bolton King, RICS
Chris Blythe, chief executive of the CIOB, said: “Ethics is central to being a professional. Construction is a challenging environment, and that will only increase as national players and agendas mix together on the international stage.
“It is crucial that profesional ethics are implemented throughout the supply chain, particularly in markets that are susceptible to differing standards. By joining the IES and developing a collaborative and consistent approach to ethics we can ensure that with greater standardisation professionalism across the globe will be raised.”
Each of the 63 institutions has elected a Trustee of the IES, with the board of trustees in turn selecting an independent committee to draft the new international standard. This group of 12 individuals includes professors of business ethics from Brazil, Germany and China.
The consultation on the 10-point code is open to anyone with an in interest in the property and construction sectors worldwide, including members of the 63 institutions, universities, government departments and clients and end-users.
After the three-month consultation ends, the responses will be collated by the committee and the code redrafted accordingly. The revised standard will then be considered by the coalition, which can then adopt it or embark on a further round of consultation.
Bolton King explained: “Once we have the standard, each of the 63 member institutions will sign it and apply it in their own organisation. The RICS will move on from our current ethics code, and the new one will become mandatory.”
But other institutions, he explained, could adopt the new code by adding a reference to it in their current codes – it’s understood that the CIOB will take this approach.
Bolton King added that the next step might then be for professional bodies to enforce the code along supply chains. “The supply chain is a major thing that needs to be discussed going forward. Do you demand that everyone in the supply chain also meets these ethical standards?”
A press release says: “Property and the built environment play a huge role in our lives as well as being a major contributor to the economy worldwide. Ethics guides the behaviour of property professionals and builds trust in the profession. Producing one set of International Ethics Standards for real estate and related professions will help to bring greater transparency and consistency to global property markets.”
