The Global Anticorruption Education and Training Project

In mid-2006, the development team to address corruption in the engineering/construction industry consisted of Bill Henry (who envisioned the need to fight corruption globally), Bob Crist, Art Fox, and Howard Schirmer. Later in 2006, this team engaged Jimmy Smith, director of the National Institute for Engineering Ethics (NIEE), Texas Tech University, to be the project director and executive producer of a movie and training materials, and Mike Sanio, ASCE director of international alliances, to manage the funds and provide a liaison to the ASCE Foundation. This enlarged team created the name Global Anti-Corruption Education and Training Initiative (ACET) at the suggestion of member Art Fox, and expanded its membership to include an international industry-wide group of individuals as coexecutive producers, technical advisors, training advisors, and script reviewers to assist in developing the ACET project. From the beginning, the project was strongly encouraged by ASCE’s Global Principles for Professional Conduct Committee (GPPC) and NIEE, but also benefited from the encouragement from many other engineering societies and groups worldwide. All who have been involved in the ACET project are recognized in the movie credits and the written training materials; these individuals and groups are listed along with their affiliations at the end of this article. Finally, a fund-raising team was created by ACET and the team consisted of Art Fox (as chair), Bill Henry, Howard Schirmer, Bob Crist, Jimmy Smith, and Mike Sanio. ACET engaged the ASCE Foundation to assist with this effort.

The ACET project involves designing, developing, and distributing a comprehensive education and training program devoted to the importance of individual integrity among all participants in the performance of engineering/construction projects. The materials being created for the program include a high-quality movie—entitled Ethicana a DVD, along with PowerPoint presentations, a teaching guide, and train-the-trainer materials. The intended audience includes owners, engineers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and lenders involved in the production of engineering and construction projects. The program is also designed to be useful for engineering students.

The primary reason for producing products that stress individual integrity is that a number of resources are available that provide professional and ethical guidance to engineering and construction firms, societies, and other organizations. Such guidance addresses what “groups” should and should not do to combat corruption. However, many, if not most, corrupt actions begin with poor decisions made by individuals. Thus, the objective of the entire project is to develop products for promoting greater ethical decision-making and moral courage among engineers and those who work with engineers. The project addresses why members of the engineering/construction industry should act ethically.

An initial grant from the United Engineering Foundation (UEF) was received to launch and partially support this project. A very generous challenge grant was then provided by the Fluor Foundation. The UEF subsequently increased their contribution to match that of Fluor and numerous other U.S. firms and organizations joined in with generous contributions. Fluor Chairman and CEO Alan Boeckmann agreed to be honorary chair of the ACET initiative. Several international firms also have endorsed and are generous sponsors of the ACET project. The Asian Development Bank was especially helpful in providing footage and stock photos portraying poverty worldwide; furthermore they agreed to produce 5,000 copies of the DVD, which will contain the training materials, for distribution worldwide. The ACET fund-raising team has raised the needed funds and the products should be distributed by the time this issue of the journal goes to press. Global funding sources come from the domestic and international engineering community including corporations, foundations, consulting firms, societies, agencies, two universities, and individuals.

The centerpiece of the products being produced is the $42\text{-}\text{minute}$ movie Ethicana, a drama as opposed to a documentary, which is similar to the NIEE movie International Edition of Incident at Morales. Ethicana will be subtitled in 28 languages plus English for the hearing impaired. Additional education and training products include PowerPoint presentations and a train-the-trainer kit. These products portray a variety of difficult decisions encountered by engineers, owners, agents, contractors, suppliers, and lenders who are involved in engineering and construction projects.

The education and training program focuses on corrupt activities that occur in both the procurement and performance of engineering and construction work, such as pressures (and expectations) to provide excessive gifts and gratuities, improper political contributions or excessive entertainment, bribery, kickbacks, extortion, blackmail, and falsification of documents. Emphasis has been placed on the disastrous effects of corrupt activities on the individual engineer, technical and nontechnical individuals, the profession, the integrity of the project, and most importantly, on humanity. The ACET project and products provide guidance to individual engineers concerning the elimination of fraud, bribery, and corruption in the engineering and construction industry by:Individuals involved in and completing this training program should have:

Ethicana premiered at the ASCE annual conference in Pittsburgh on November 6, 2008. By Spring 2009, the final cut (master) of Ethicana will have been produced, the 28 language subtitles added, and at least 5,000 copies produced and distributed. At the time this article is being written, it appears that Ethicana and all training materials will be included on a commercial 9-gigabyte DVD and will also be online at www.niee.org/Ethicana where they will be maintained, updated, and new materials will be presented.

The portrayal of disastrous effects of corruption on humanity will contribute to the advancement of the engineering profession by:

Worldwide distribution of the ACET materials will provide a springboard to stimulate discussion and communication among those involved in engineering or construction work who may also be involved in situations containing the possibility or expectation of corrupt individual behavior.

This collaborative initiative engaged U.S. and worldwide affiliates to join major corporations, the consulting engineering business community, the construction industry, equipment and material suppliers, major lenders, public and private owners, and the legal profession in the battle against worldwide corruption. The program was developed to complement and support the existing efforts of others, including the Asian Development Bank, Pan American Academy of Engineers (API), International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), Union PanAmericanna De Asociaciones De Ingenieros (UPADI), World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (WEF PACI), Transparency International, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and others.

ACET is considering expanding this educational/training effort to include effective follow-up materials and products to continue this honorable worldwide fight against corruption.

The following individuals and groups helped implement the ACET project:Global Sponsors (in order of size of sponsorship)Collaborating PartnersProject Manager: Michael R. Sanio, Director for International Alliances, American Society of Civil Engineers.Project Assistant: Patricia M. Harper, Deputy Director, Murdough Center and NIEE, Texas Tech University.Technical AdvisorsScript Reviewers and Other Support PersonnelSpecial ThanksProducer/Writer/Director