Document Title	BDDE Code of Conduct
Document Number	BDDE-COC-001
Version	2.0
Effective Date	01 January 2026
Document Owner	Bangladesh Development & Design Engineers
Primary Policy Contact	Abu Joher Tanin — joher@bddesign-engineers.com — +8801670542458

1. Purpose and Scope

This Code establishes the minimum standards of conduct for BDDE activities, including engineering design, surveys, studies, inspections, BIM and drafting, project management, tender support, procurement assistance, statutory support, site supervision, Energy audit support and all related professional services.

The Code is intended to protect employees, clients, the public, communities, business partners, confidential information, the environment and BDDE's professional reputation.

2. Management and Individual Responsibilities

• Management shall lead by example, communicate this Code, provide reasonable guidance and address suspected breaches promptly and fairly.
• Every covered person shall read, understand and comply with this Code, ask for guidance when uncertain and report suspected misconduct or unsafe conditions.
• No manager or client representative may instruct any person to violate law, professional duty, contract, safety requirements or this Code.
• Performance targets, cost pressure, schedule pressure or commercial opportunity do not justify unethical, unsafe, misleading or unlawful conduct.

3. Compliance with Laws, Regulations and International Controls

• Comply with all applicable national and local laws, regulations, permits, professional requirements, reporting obligations and contractual commitments in every country and location where BDDE operates.
• Observe applicable requirements concerning trade sanctions, export controls, import controls, data protection, privacy, competition and antitrust, taxation, labour, health and safety, environment and anti-money-laundering controls.
• Respect client site rules, access controls, security arrangements, responsible-sourcing requirements and information-security procedures communicated to BDDE.
• Promptly disclose actual or suspected legal or regulatory non-compliance to authorized BDDE management and cooperate with legitimate investigations and corrective actions.

4. Business Integrity

4.1 Anti-bribery, anti-corruption, extortion and embezzlement

BDDE has zero tolerance for bribery, corruption, kickbacks, secret commissions, facilitation payments, extortion, embezzlement or any other improper advantage. No person acting for BDDE may directly or indirectly offer, promise, authorize, give, request or accept anything of value to improperly influence a business, technical, procurement or official decision.

• Payments to agents, intermediaries, consultants and subcontractors must be legitimate, proportionate, documented and supported by actual services.
• Interactions with government officials and public bodies must be lawful, transparent and accurately recorded.
• Any demand for an improper payment must be refused and reported immediately, unless an immediate threat to personal safety requires emergency action; the incident must then be reported as soon as safely possible.

4.2 Gifts, hospitality and business entertainment

Gifts, meals, travel, hospitality or entertainment may be offered or accepted only when modest, infrequent, lawful, transparent, properly approved and solely intended to maintain legitimate business relationships. They must never be used, or appear to be used, to influence a decision. Cash, cash equivalents, personal commissions, lavish benefits and concealed benefits are prohibited. Client-specific rules always apply.

4.3 Conflicts of interest

Personnel must avoid situations in which personal, financial, family, political or outside-business interests conflict, or appear to conflict, with BDDE or client interests. All actual, potential or perceived conflicts must be disclosed promptly for review and management.

• Any ownership or beneficial interest involving a business owned or controlled by a government official or a representative of a political party must be declared.
• No person may use their position, confidential information, client relationship or company opportunity for improper personal benefit.

4.4 Fair competition and legitimate market information

BDDE competes fairly and does not engage in bid rigging, collusion, price fixing, market allocation, anticompetitive coordination, misuse of competitor information or misleading claims. Competitive information must be obtained only by legitimate means and used only for lawful purposes. Commercially sensitive or confidential competitor information that is not in the public domain must not be sought, received, used or disclosed improperly.

4.5 Accurate records, money laundering and insider trading

All business and commercial dealings must be transparent and accurately recorded. Timesheets, invoices, expense claims, design registers, inspection reports, test results, progress records, qualifications, CVs, certificates, project references and financial transactions must truthfully reflect the underlying activity.

• False entries, undisclosed accounts, altered evidence, fictitious services, concealed payments and misleading omissions are prohibited.
• BDDE personnel shall not participate in, assist or attempt money laundering, terrorist financing or concealment of criminal proceeds.
• No person may trade securities or advise others to trade using material non-public information obtained through BDDE or a client relationship.

5. Professional Engineering and Consultancy Conduct

5.1 Competence and due care

• Accept and perform assignments only when BDDE has, or can lawfully obtain, the required competence, resources, authorization and supervision.
• Apply appropriate laws, codes, standards, specifications, design criteria, calculations, software controls, checking procedures and professional judgement.
• Seek specialist review where a matter is outside an individual's competence or presents significant technical, safety, environmental, commercial or regulatory risk.

5.2 Safety, quality and fitness for intended use

Services and deliverables shall meet the specifications, quality requirements and safety criteria stated in the relevant contract, design basis, codes, standards and project documents, so that they are suitable and safe for their intended use.

• Give proper priority to life safety, occupational safety, public welfare, environmental protection, reliability, maintainability and intended performance.
• Identify design assumptions, limitations, interfaces, exclusions and residual risks clearly.
• Use documented checking, review, approval, revision and issue-control processes appropriate to the service.
• Do not sign, seal, approve or issue work that has not been adequately prepared and reviewed by competent, authorized personnel.
• Immediately escalate significant errors, omissions, unsafe conditions or misleading technical information; concealment is prohibited.

5.3 Independence and objective advice

Technical conclusions, evaluations and recommendations must be evidence-based, objective and free from improper influence. Material assumptions, uncertainties, limitations and competing interests must be disclosed. Professional judgement must not be altered merely to satisfy commercial, political or personal pressure.

5.4 Document, software and change control

• Use approved templates, document numbers, revision status, transmittals and distribution controls where required.
• Maintain traceability of key inputs, calculations, approvals, comments, decisions and changes.
• Remove superseded documents from active use and protect records against unauthorized alteration, destruction or loss.
• Do not use unlicensed software, unauthorized design tools, manipulated outputs or unverified data for project deliverables.

6. Confidentiality, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Information Security

• Safeguard confidential information, know-how, intellectual property, personal data and commercially or technically sensitive information received from clients, employees, suppliers and other parties.
• Information that is not in the public domain shall be used only for its intended and authorized purpose and disclosed only to approved recipients with a legitimate need to know.
• Respect copyright, patents, trademarks, design rights, software licences, contractual ownership provisions and client property rights.
• Handle personal information with respect for privacy and all applicable data-protection requirements.
• Use secure passwords, approved storage and transmission methods and reasonable safeguards against phishing, malware, unauthorized access, cyberattack and data loss.
• Do not publish client information, photographs, drawings, models, site details or project references on social media or in marketing materials without authorization.
• Report suspected data loss, unauthorized disclosure or cyber incident immediately. Confidentiality obligations continue after employment, engagement or project completion.

7. Fair Employment, Human Rights and Respectful Workplace

7.1 Legal and contractual employment rights

BDDE shall respect the legal and contractual rights of permanent, temporary and casual Employees. Employees shall know and receive copies of their terms and conditions of employment in a form they can understand.

7.2 Wages, benefits, leave and working hours

• Total compensation, including wages, overtime pay, benefits and paid leave, shall meet or exceed applicable legal minimum standards or appropriate prevailing industry standards, whichever is higher.
• Terms established by legally binding collective bargaining agreements shall be implemented and respected where applicable.
• Regular and overtime working hours shall not exceed legal limits. Overtime shall be voluntary, except only where lawfully permitted emergency arrangements apply.

7.3 Dignity, equality and non-discrimination

All individuals shall be treated with respect and dignity. Employment decisions, including recruitment, compensation, training, advancement, discipline, termination and retirement, shall be based on merit, competence, performance and legitimate business requirements.

Unlawful discrimination is prohibited, including discrimination based on race, age, role, sex, gender, gender identity, colour, ethnicity, religion, country or place of origin, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, dependants, disability, social class, union membership, political opinion or any other status protected by law.

7.4 Harassment, abuse and intimidation

Physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, humiliation, abuse, intimidation, threats, violence, retaliation and other degrading conduct are prohibited at offices, project sites, client premises, travel, events and digital workplaces.

7.5 Child labor and young workers

No person below 18 years of age, the applicable legal minimum working age or the mandatory schooling age — whichever is higher — may be employed. Employees under 18 shall not perform work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous or harmful, or that interferes with their education.

7.6 Forced labour, slavery and human trafficking

Forced, bonded, indentured, trafficked, prison or involuntary labour, slavery, physical or mental coercion and human trafficking are prohibited. Identity documents shall not be retained, freedom of movement shall not be unlawfully restricted and recruitment fees or deceptive recruitment practices that create debt or coercion are prohibited.

7.7 Freedom of association and collective bargaining

BDDE shall respect lawful rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Employees shall not be intimidated, discriminated against or harassed for lawfully joining, not joining or participating in a Employee organization or representative body.

8. Health, Safety and Well-Being

BDDE shall provide and promote a healthy and safe workplace designed to prevent accidents, injury and ill health arising from work or from BDDE operations.

• Plan and perform work in accordance with applicable risk assessments, permit systems, personal protective equipment requirements, site inductions, emergency procedures and safe-work instructions.
• Stop or suspend work where there is a reasonable belief of imminent danger and report the condition promptly.
• Report incidents, near misses, unsafe acts and unsafe conditions truthfully and participate in corrective action.
• Never work while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs or any condition that makes the work unsafe.
• During design and review, consider construction, operation, maintenance, access, ergonomics, emergency response and foreseeable misuse.

9. Environment, Property, Land and Community Rights

9.1 Environmental responsibility

• Comply with environmental laws, permits, client controls and requirements relating to waste, hazardous materials, discharges, emissions and pollution prevention.
• Where relevant, consider energy and water efficiency, material selection, waste minimization, climate resilience, biodiversity, emissions and life-cycle performance.
• Environmental data, monitoring results and incidents must never be falsified, manipulated or concealed.

9.2 Property, land and community rights

Respect the property and land rights of individuals, indigenous peoples and local communities. Negotiations concerning property or land use, access, acquisition, transfer or resettlement shall follow applicable law and the principles of transparent contracting, disclosure and free, prior and informed consent where applicable. Coercion, intimidation, unlawful displacement and knowingly benefiting from improper land acquisition are prohibited.

10. Third Parties and Responsible Sourcing

• Subcontractors, consultants, agents, representatives and other third parties engaged by BDDE are expected to meet standards consistent with this Code.
• Selection shall consider competence, integrity, labour practices, human rights, safety, environmental performance, legal compliance, capability and commercial reasonableness.
• Perform proportionate due diligence before engaging higher-risk third parties and use written scopes, responsibilities, commercial terms and confidentiality obligations where appropriate.
• No third party may be used to perform an act that BDDE personnel are prohibited from performing directly.
• Credible misconduct or non-compliance shall be addressed through investigation, corrective action, suspension, removal or termination as appropriate.

11. Raising Concerns, Points of Contact and Non-Retaliation

Anyone who becomes aware of a possible breach of this Code, law, contract, professional duty, safety requirement or ethical standard is expected to raise the concern promptly. Reports should be made in good faith and include as much factual information as reasonably available.

Confidentiality and non-retaliation. BDDE will handle concerns discreetly, investigate proportionately and protect confidentiality to the extent practicable and lawful. Retaliation against anyone who raises a genuine concern, refuses improper or unsafe conduct, seeks guidance or participates in an investigation is prohibited.

12. Implementation, Training, Monitoring and Consequences

• Managers shall communicate this Code, set an appropriate example and respond to questions or concerns without delay.
• Personnel may be required to complete relevant ethics, anti-bribery, information-security, human-rights, HSE or professional training and acknowledge compliance with this Code.
• BDDE may conduct proportionate checks, audits or reviews to assess implementation and compliance.
• Violations may result in corrective action, retraining, removal from an assignment, disciplinary measures, termination of employment or contract, recovery of losses and referral to authorities where required.
• This Code shall be reviewed periodically and revised when legal, client, operational or organizational changes require an update.