In order to make sure our Association remains a safe and enjoyable place to work, we have disciplinary regulations in place for members who do not adhere to our Code of Professional Conduct. Our Code of Professional Conduct outlines the procedures to follow throughout your membership with us.

Screening

All members who have been reported to the Association with cause for complaint will be subject to an initial screening to assess the situation which has been brought forward. The Association will acknowledge the formal complaint and call upon for further information and evidence regarding the incident.

Investigation

The next stage of the disciplinary procedure requires the formal investigation of the member(s) involved. An Investigation Panel will be called upon to discuss the matter in a private fashion via meetings, telephone or video conferencing. If the Investigation Panel is unable to make a dutiful decision within the case due to insignificant evidence, it will be referred back to the initiator who can seek further evidence or dismiss the complaint entirely. If prima facie evidence of Misconduct is found, the next stage of the process will take place and the case will be passed to the Professional Conduct Committee.

Professional Conduct Committee

The Professional Conduct Committee of the Association of Planning Engineers will be required to evaluate the case in hand after the Investigation Panel has collated all relevant information to present the misconduct. The members of this committee are required to be different to those who were in the investigating panel. The committee will then decide upon a progression to hearing or dismissal.

Should the case progress to a hearing, the next convenient time will be allocated for the hearing as soon as one calendar month has passed. The hearing will call upon the chief member of the Investigation Panel in order to present the argument. Then, the member accused of misconduct will have a chance to state their counter-argument, introduce their witnesses and cross-examine the case. After the case has drawn to a close, the Professional Conduct Committee will retain their decision until it is put in writing.

The decision of the committee will then be delivered to the member concerned in writing. If the defended is found guilty of misconduct and direct disobedience of the rules set out in the membership, then the evidence and recommendations will be passed to the Council. Contrarily, if it is deemed that the defending member failed to meet the standards of the Association, but didn’t directly disobey the membership rules, they will be referred to the President of the Association for a decision as to their future within the APE.

Council Decision

This is the final decision stage within the defendant’s case. The Council will be made up of senior and experienced members within the Association and they will determine the outcome of the member. They can decide appropriate penalty, dismissal or fines if they find the member:

• to have directly disobeyed the rules stated in the Code of Professional Conduct,
• to have unprofessionally completed a task which s/he has the insufficient skills to do so (which may or may not have caused injury and/or damage), or
• publicly disrespected or acted against the integrity and professional image of the Association itself.

The council will then decide upon the suitable penalties for the concerned member. These penalties can include, but are not limited to, financial repercussions, termination of membership, suspension of membership, publication of the individuals name or any other punishment deemed suitable, but not more severe, than that recommended by the Professional Conduct Committee. The member can, after one calendar month since sentencing, request an appeal process against the Professional Conduct Committee.

Any individual receiving termination of their membership must immediately return their certificate and any other materials affiliated with APE. The individual will have the postnominals revoked and they must no longer use any logos or titles regarding the APE.