The Oregon-Columbia Chapter, NECA, historically, has supported and continues to support the highest legal and ethical standards in construction for the benefit of its members, the industry and the consuming public. Illegal and unethical practices distort the fair and level playing field needed for entrepreneurial competition.

The position of the Association continues to include support for full and fair enforcement of federal antitrust statutes. The Association will take an active role to provide a set of accepted moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for individuals and contractor members.

The Association will also provide a communication plan to assist member-to-member discussion and provide a means of facilitation to resolve outstanding issues.

Further, the association will develop and promote programs which educate the electrical construction industry in the highest standards of legal and ethical business practice and in the value of maintaining those standards. NECA also encourages each of its member firms to adopt, promote and enforce its own code of ethical conduct based on industry standards.

The Oregon-Columbia Chapter, NECA The Association strongly urges members to have direct discussion with each other when there are issues of concern regarding the ethical standards and moral practice policies in order to better understand each other’s position.  It has been proven that when more information is gathered regarding a concern or a violation of the ethical standards and moral practices, the whole story will be revealed rather than what is rumored to have happened.

The Association will provide services that will encourage an open dialogue between members to fully exhaust all means of resolution of all issues.

FACILITATION

The Association will also provide a basis of facilitation for issues that cannot be resolved through the communication process by utilizing one of the following:

1. The Board of Directors of the Association to resolve issues
2. The Association Staff to resolve issues
3. The Ethical Task Force to resolve issues; and
4. Executive Committee (past presidents) to resolve issues

 The facilitation process will utilize an open meeting process to encourage full discussion on all issues to provide the merits of each case with emphasis on resolving and/or clarifying the issues between members.

[This Company] and its employees support the adoption and enforcement of an adequate electrical code for the protection of building owners and occupants.  

[This Company], in its construction work, complies fully with all provisions of locally-adopted building codes.

Standard of Installation

The customers of [This Company] deserve full value for their investment in our services.  All work performed by [This Company] will fully meet and comply with recognized standards for neat and workmanlike installation.

Timely Payment

Because unimpeded cash flow is critical to construction financing, [This Company] will meet its obligation for payment on invoices from subcontractors and suppliers on time in accordance with the payment schedule agreed upon in the contract documents.

Honoring Specifications

When a customer specifies a specific product or grade of product for installation, he expects the price will include that specified product or grade.  [This company] recognizes the right of the customer to receive the quality and type of installation for which he has contracted in the bid documents.

Open Competition

A system of free enterprise only works as long as competition is full and open.  Actions or agreements which work to subvert and undermine full and open competition are generally unethical and quite frequently can restrain trade and can be construed by enforcement agencies as violations of anti-trust statutes.  [This Company] supports the highest legal and ethical standards in its business dealings.  (This Company] and its employees will in no way and under no circumstances attempt to gain an unfair competitive advantage through illegal or unethical practices.

[This Company] supports full and fair enforcement of Federal anti-trust laws and has adopted this formal statement of policy rejecting any and all unethical or illegal activities which could be construed as limiting or unfairly subverting full and fair competition, including but no limited to the practices of:

• Complimentary Bidding and Collusion  – the practice of conspiracy between or among contractors to set bid prices and eliminate the competitive aspect from bidding in order to artificially determine the winner of bid competition and inflate contract prices.  Such practices are illegal criminal actions under antitrust laws regardless of the intent of the parties who engage in these activities.

 Bid Shopping and Bid Peddling – the practices of using one bid to extort a lower price from another contractor or waiting until the contract has been awarded to extort lower prices from bidding subcontractors (shopping) or the practice of a subcontractor contacting a prime contractor after bids are opened and/or the contract awarded and offering to undercut the price of the low bidder in order to obtain the job. 

Contractor Blacklisting –The practice of conspiracy between and among contractors to agree among themselves or to attempt to convince others not to do business or limit or in any way restrict business with selected other contractors for any reason.  Such action serves to illegally restrain trade and are violations of antitrust law.

Product Boycotts – the practice of conspiracy between or among contractors to limit or restrict trade in any product or with any particular manufacturer.  Again, such actions are violations of antitrust law.

Employee Relations

[This Company] and its employees will uphold all company employee policies and/or handbooks and deal fairly and equally with all employees in enforcement of said policies, regardless of the employee’s position as management or covered by a collective bargaining agreement.  [This Company] will follow the appropriate collective bargaining agreements for the markets that they work in and not misuse articles or language for which it is not intended.

Recruitment

[This Company] will not knowingly recruit personnel (management or union) from fellow competitors in the industry for the purpose of gaining access to customers and/or clients of their competitors.

Supplier Relations

[This Company] will not utilize the practice of using one bid to extort a lower price from competing suppliers.

Warranting the Work

[This Company] believes that ethical conduct includes providing the customer with full value for his construction dollar.  [This Company] warrants its work and all materials not covered specifically by manufacturers’ warranties for a period of ___________ from the date the customer accepts the installation or obtains beneficial use of the premises.

Substance Abuse

Use of alcohol or illegal drugs in a construction environment is a major cause of occupational injury and death as well as a factor in decreasing productivity and construction quality.  It is the policy of [This Company] that no employee use of alcohol or illegal drugs in this office or on the job site will be permitted or condoned.  Violation of this policy is grounds for immediate dismissal of the individual(s) involved. [This Company] will adopt, and fully implement the Oregon-Columbia Chapter, NECA and Local Union 48 IBEW Drug Free Workplace Program.