Architectural Practice and Professional Conduct
Part III tests practice, not just design: whether you can be appointed, paid, and disciplined lawfully. Expect questions on engagement terms, fee stages, conflicts of interest, certification duties and the Institute's code of conduct.
The appointment decides most disputes
Every practice question starts with the engagement. It should be in writing and state the services and exclusions, the deliverables at each stage, the fee basis (percentage of cost, lump sum, or time charge), payment stages and the consequences of late payment, the client's obligations (information, decisions, approvals, site access), copyright and the licence to use drawings, suspension and termination, liability and insurance, and dispute resolution. Undefined scope is the most common cause of fee disputes.
Duties you cannot contract out of
You owe the client skill and care; you also owe independent judgement when you certify payment or completion. You must not accept commissions, discounts or gifts from contractors or suppliers on a project, must not disclose client information, must not advertise misleadingly or tout, and must not take over another architect's commission without notifying them and seeing their fee position settled.
Worked example
A contractor offers the architect 2% of the contract sum "for the introduction", and the client emails that it is fine. Reasoning: the payment is a secret profit from a party whose work the architect must value and certify; client consent does not remove the conflict, because the consent is not informed of the effect on valuations. Decline in writing, disclose the offer to the client, and step out of tender evaluation if you recommended that contractor.
Traps
Verbal appointments; certifying from the contractor's claim without measurement; withholding a certificate to recover fees; assuming a client's waiver cures a conflict.