ABSTRACT
In their working lives, most engineers encounter many of the kinds of contracts affecting the public at large, as well as specific contracts not directly affecting the public. Specialized contracts that do directly affect most engineers include employment agreements (which are similar to consulting agreements), engineering and construction contracts, and government contracts (the latter at all levels, federal, state, and local). The goal of this chapter is to survey these specialized forms of contracts. Most employers have a portfolio of proprietary information including but not limited to trade secrets. Engineering consultants are normally required to preassign their inventions made in the course of their consulting. The Federal Acquisition Regulations System (FAR) is established for the codification and publication of uniform policies and procedures for acquisition by all executive agencies. It consists of the FAR, which is the primary document, and agency acquisition regulations that implement or supplement the FAR.
