Being a professional constructor requires a strong commitment to ethical practices in construction management. Cultivating a sense of ethics allows constructors to fulfill their obligations to owners, the public, and other stakeholders in the industry.

Given the critical nature of ethics in our field, AIC organizes an annual ethics competition that brings together colleges and universities from across the U.S. to participate. This event helps students advance their practical understanding of ethics to gain a deeper appreciation for how ethics plays out in the real world.

We provide students an opportunity to evaluate a construction ethics case study, use the AIC Code of Ethics in their analysis, and argue the appropriate ethical response to the situation. Now, let us reveal the winners of the 2025 AIC Collegiate Ethics Competition.

Winners of the 2025 AIC Ethics Competition

Each year, our judges select the overall school winner, an Oral Presentation winner, and a Written Response winner. We also choose an individual winner from the pool of participating schools. Here are this year’s top performers.

Overall Winning School

This year, the University of North Florida (UNF) took home the overall award. This was their second year in a row to take home our top prize. Congratulations to the students from Jacksonville, Florida, for representing their Construction Management degree program with excellence once again.

Oral Response Winners

– First place: University of North Florida. The UNF team won the written response category for the third year in a row. What consistency! It was also their fourth consecutive Top 2 finish. Congratulations to the Ospreys on the achievement.

– Second place: California Polytechnic University (Cal Poly). The 2023 overall winners, Cal Poly, came back strong in 2025 with an excellent showing in the oral presentation portion of the exam.

Written Response Winners

– First place: University of North Florida also won the written response portion, which was a big factor in their overall victory. The UNF team tied for first last year, but took home top honors this year.

– Second place: Cal Poly. The students from San Luis Obispo, California moved up to second place this year, landing in the Top 3 for the third consecutive year.

Individual Award

This year, we would like to recognize Grace Hetland from Cal Poly as the best presenter during the oral response portion of this year’s competition. Grace demonstrated excellent verbal communication skills in responding to this year’s ethical prompt.

Thank You to Our Judges

We would like AIC Board members and AIC members for investing their time and energy into this year’s competition. The following individuals served as judges and overseers of the competition:

• Gregg Bradshaw, FAIC, CPC (Current President of AIC; Member of the Constructor Certification Commission Board of Directors; AIC Fellow)
• Geno Hogan, FAIC, CPC (Former AIC President; CCC Board of Advisors; AIC Fellow)
• Murray Papendorf, MBA, FAIC, CPC (AIC Board Member; Treasurer of AIC / CCC; AIC Fellow)
• Easy Foster, AIC, CPC, RTSBA, LEED AP BD+C (AIC Board Member; AIC Fellow)
• Hugh Cronin, AIC, CPC, LEED AP, PMP (AIC Board Member; AIC Fellow)
• Terri Hoffman (AIC Board Member)
• Mark Hall, FAIC, CPC (AIC Board Member; AIC Fellow)
• Bradley Monson (AIC Board Member)
• Douaa Eldiraoui (AIC Member)
• Ted Chamberlin (former AIC Board Member; AIC Fellow)

Now, let’s review the ethical prompt each participating school was asked to address during the competition.

Construction Ethics Case Study: This Year’s Ethical Prompt

This year’s ethical prompt focused on a dispute between parties involving the construction of a new sports facility. We asked the participants to study the construction ethics case study given to them and present their written and oral responses.

A construction management firm was contracted to build an athletic facility with a budget of $100 million. The contract required the firm to secure a minimum of three bonded subcontractor proposals for each bid package. However, the firm struggled to get enough bids due to their practice of “shopping” proposals. To appear compliant, they obtained fabricated bids and exceeded the budget by 10%. They also altered construction materials without consulting the architect to save costs.

Despite the initial appearances of a successful project, significant issues arose six months after completion. Moisture damage to the flooring and millwork was discovered and traced back to inferior piping installed at the firm’s instruction. The firm attempted to file a claim against the plumbing subcontractor’s warranty, but the insurance investigation revealed their involvement in the material change. This led to legal action against multiple parties involved.

Ultimately, the cost of repairs and replacements exceeded $4 million. The situation highlighted ethical breaches related to bid manipulation, unauthorized material substitutions, and failure to secure proper warranties. Adhering to ethical codes regarding transparency, fair bidding practices, and responsible construction management could have prevented these issues.

We asked the participants to review, analyse, and recommend which AIC Code of Ethics were involved in the situation and how action complying with the Code of Ethics could have prevented issues from occurring.

Get Involved in Next Year’s AIC Ethics Competition

We appreciate everyone who participated in the 2025 AIC ethics competition. We hope that each student and the participating construction professionals left the competition with a greater appreciation for ethics in construction to support their professional endeavors.

– We invite you to learn more about how to get involved in next year’s AIC Collegiate Ethics Competition. Complete the form on this website page to let us know that your school is interested in participating in the 2026 competition. We look forward to meeting your next team!