The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

Overview

As a professional engineer, you will likely be called upon to write (or at least review) contracts at some point in your career. If you intend to bid on a project, purchase equipment or hire a sub-contractor, a contract will be required. Except for the simplest of transactions, almost all agreements to provide a product or a service for commercial, industrial, or government work will require some type of contract. Thus, it is imperative that you understand the fundamentals of writing contracts - even if you have a huge legal department at your disposal.

In this course, you will learn the major elements of a contract. You will also learn how to protect your interests or the interests of your employer when writing a contract.

You must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen (15) questions at the end of the course to obtain PDH credits.

This course cannot be taken to fulfill your continuing education requirements in the state of New York since the course does not fall under the category of "Areas of Practice" or "Law/Ethics".

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · History of contracts
  · Essential elements of a contract
  · Writing a contract in language that will be more readily enforceable in the event of litigation
  · The definition of "deliverables"
  · The benefits of contracting-out work
  · Early completion incentives and late completion penalties
  · Acts of God and exclusionary clauses
  · Considerations when outsourcing work to a foreign country
  · Cancellation, concealed conditions and contingency clauses
  · The differences between litigation, arbitration and mediation
  · Conflicts of interest

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

This course cannot be taken to fulfill your continuing education requirements in the state of New York since the course does not fall under the category of "Areas of Practice" or "Law/Ethics".

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.

Please Note: Continuing Education credits for this course are awarded as PDH (Professional Development Hour Credits).