DP1

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP1

Should Engineer A disclose to the local public agency that the signed and sealed drawings are materially incomplete before submitting them for federal review, or proceed with submission without disclosure on the grounds that schedule pressure and expected federal funding make disclosure unnecessary?

Engineer A, having delivered signed and sealed dam design drawings and specifications he knew to be materially incomplete, must decide whether to affirmatively disclose that incompleteness to the local public agency before or at the time of submission — recognizing that the agency lacked any in-house technical capacity to detect deficiencies independently, that schedule pressure from the contract deadline was the proximate cause of the incompleteness, and that he privately assumed federal funds would absorb any resulting cost overruns.

Formally notify the local public agency in writing, before submitting the documents for federal review, that the drawings and specifications are materially incomplete, identify the specific deficiencies, explain that schedule pressure prevented completion, and request either a deadline extension or explicit agency direction on how to proceed — declining to seal documents that cannot be certified as professionally adequate.

Submit the signed and sealed drawings on schedule without disclosing their incompleteness, on the basis that anticipated federal grant funds will cover any cost overruns and that the federal review process will serve as an independent check on document adequacy before competitive bidding proceeds.

Submit the drawings on schedule but annotate the seal or cover letter with a notation that certain design details remain to be developed, treating the submission as a design-development package rather than a complete construction document set, and relying on the federal reviewer to determine whether the documents are sufficient for bidding purposes.

Engineer A Dam Design Engineer