This Code of Practice applies to all consultants providing services for which clients are billed. The purpose of this code of professional conduct (the ‘Code’) is to identify those professional obligations that serve to protect the client in particular, as well as the reputation of the profession of Management Consultants (the ‘Profession”).
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PROFESSION
Civis consultants shall develop their skills and knowledge beyond the fundamentals of the common body of knowledge in organizational development (OD), particularly in their area(s) of preferred practice, to a level that is consistent with the needs of their clients and comparable to the services provided by other consultants in the same field.
Civis consultants shall strive to discipline themselves to maintain the high standards of professional and ethical practice reflected in this Code.
In addition to being responsible for their own advice and actions, Civis consultants shall ensure that any and all consultants working under their leadership on consulting assignments, understand and comply with this Code. These management consultants include peers, employees and/or subcontracted associates.
Civis consultants shall ensure that their physical and emotional state is consistent with the requirements of client work, particularly when developing or providing professional advice.
Civis consultants shall ensure that all their business affairs as consultants and otherwise shall comply with all applicable legislation and laws, as well as this Code.
Civis consultants shall ensure that their activities will not conflict or be seen to conflict with their integrity, objectivity, or independence.
Civis consultants shall ensure that their physical and emotional state is consistent with the requirements of client work, particularly when developing or providing professional advice.
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE CLIENT
Subject to compliance with applicable legislation and this Code, Civis Consultants shall recognize the interests of the client organization overall as paramount in every assignment.
Civis consultants shall not promote services, accept engagements, conduct workor provide advice to clients that is in any way to the Civis consultant’s advantage while to the client’s, or the public’s disadvantage.
Civis consultants shall not accept or conduct work that is in the interest of any individual or group within the client organization if the work would, in any way, be detrimental or not serve the best interests of the overall organization.
Civis consultants shall always provide objective and independent advice. Civis consultants must not allow their objectivity and independence to be influenced by any individual or group either within or external to the client organization.
Civis consultants shall not guarantee specific quantitative results that are beyond their direct control.
Civis consultants shall respond to client requests for quantification of intended benefits or results, or for risk sharing approaches, where the total fees for the Civis consultants will be related to the benefits or results realized, by specifying as a minimum:
- The client’s responsibilities related to the intended benefits or results
- Identifying the risks and assumptions associated with realizing the intended benefits or results
- Identifying the measures to be used; and
- Clearly communicating these elements to the client
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Civis consultants shall confirm in writing the terms of reference for an assignment.
Written terms of reference shall confirm:
- Assignment Objectives, steps/milestones, and deliverables in the proposed work plan
- Timeline of steps, milestones, deliverables and completion date
- Names and role of each consultant proposed
- Clearly communicating these elements to the client
- Billing arrangements, including how all expenses, disbursements and applicable taxes will be handled.
Civis consultants shall confirm in writing the budget and billing arrangements related to professional fees, expenses, disbursements, and applicable taxes.
Should the terms of reference change during the course of the assignment, Civis consultants shall ensure that any corresponding impact on fees, expenses, disbursements, taxes, or billing arrangements are communicated to the client and agreed to in writing.
Civis consultants shall not permit for budget or time management purposes, a reduction in consulting time or in senior consulting involvement in an assignment if, as a result, the quality of service will be below that described in the terms of reference.
Civis consultants shall not undertake assignments of a scale or magnitude where the proposed fee arrangements are such that they represent a substantial business risk for the client.
Civis consultants shall not accept assignments with their clients’ competitors or with other organizations where the assignments would conflict with the interests of their clients’ without the permission of all of the parties involved.
Subject to any confidentiality obligations to a client, Civis consultants shall disclose to a client or prospective client any personal, professional, or other business interests that may jeopardize the client’s confidence in their integrity or objectivity or their capacity to provide independence.
Civis consultants shall follow the instructions of a client within applicable legislation, laws and this Code, with regard to the client’s interests. If this is not possible, Civis consultants shall withdraw from the assignment.
Civis consultants shall not recruit to their own firm, or refer to other firms, any employee with whom the Civis consultant is working as part of an assignment for a client unless the client has been informed and has granted consent in advance.
Civis consultants shall not disclose any confidential client information without the specific consent of the client and shall, if exposed to any personal information of a third party, comply with the privacy policies of the client at all times.
Civis consultants shall store confidential client information and third party personal information in accordance with the policies of the client and, in any event, in such a fashion that through diligence and normally accepted administrative practices, it is possible to safeguard the information at all times.
Civis consultants must treat any and all information obtained from a client as confidential unless otherwise directed by the client, but in no circumstances shall the Civis consultants disclose information to another party that is protected by applicable legislation and laws.
Upon terminating an assignment, Civis consultants shall offer to return to the client any and all material pertaining to the engagement and any third party personal information obtained from the client.
If confidential client information that has been obtained by a Civis consultants or if any third party personal information obtained from the client is, at any point in time, exposed to individuals beyond the Civis consultants direct authority to control, the Civis consultants shall inform the client immediately and take appropriate action to protect the client’s interests.
Civis consultants shall encourage clients to classify sensitive information and if at all possible, shall refrain from taking possession of sensitive information.
Civis consultants shall keep the client informed as to the location and condition of storage of any and all information that has been deemed to be confidential or contains third party personal information.
Civis consultants shall refrain from making public statements that may directly or indirectly lead to the disclosure of confidential client information or third party personal information obtained from the client.
The rules pertaining to confidential client information shall not apply to compliance with a validly issued and enforceable subpoena and summons as long as disclosure of the information is not in violation of applicable legislation and laws.
Because the client-consultant dynamic degrades over time into an employer-employee dynamic, Civis consultants shall not accept assignments extending over 24 months. Any exception to this rule shall be reviewed for an objective assessment of the tangible value of such extended assignment forthe client, for Civis consultants, and for Civis.
Civis consultants shall not allow circumstances leading to dependence by Civis consultants on the client, nor by the client on Civis consultants. If Civis consultants identifies such circumstances associated to his/her assignment(s), or perceives risks of dependency, the Civis consultants shall inform the client immediately and take appropriate action to protect both client and consultants’ interests.
In advance of undertaking assignments, Civis consultants shall ensure that they do not accept any terms or conditions that may affect their ability to conduct the assignments in a fair, independent, and objective manner. The Discovery phase leading consulting assignments is essential to protecting such objectivity.
When events or circumstances arise that affect a Civis consultants’ objectivity or perceived objectivity, the Civis consultants shall either:
- Discuss and attempt to rectify the matter with the client immediately; or
- Withdraw from the assignment.
