The Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists has adopted the following guidelines for the review of another professional’s work. These guidelines provide the parties involved with a professional standard of care and behavior to follow while discharging their duties.

1. Individuals engaged in the review of another professional’s work product(s) shall give notice to the environmental or design professional that they have been engaged to review the proposal. Such notice shall be given as soon as practical after being retained, and may be written or oral.
2. As a courtesy, the designer should make available copies of any public documents requested by the reviewer and be reasonably available to answer questions pertinent to the proposal. Documents should be provided in a timely manner. The reviewer requesting the documents should compensate the designer for reasonable reproduction costs.
3. Individuals or firms providing reviewing services should consider their client’s expectations, and inform them that review comments will be directed at minimizing or avoiding adverse impacts to resources. They should explain that the primary focus of the review is to ascertain compliance with the applicable regulations and with any guidelines of professional practice that may be adopted by appropriate professional associations; and also to assess consistency with professionally accepted analytic and data collection methods and with existing, published research findings.
4. Any critique of the design or supporting documentation shall address the plans or data and not disparage the environmental or design professional or firm. All correspondence, either oral or written, shall be courteous and respectful. As a courtesy, and with the client’s permission, the reviewer should provide a copy of their review to the environmental or design professional, especially if the review is to be submitted and discussed at a public meeting. The review should be made available in a reasonable and timely manner prior to such meeting. This will allow the environmental or design professional to adequately respond to the findings and/or recommendations, or to seek clarification from the reviewer.
5. The preparation of all analyses, plans or reports shall be intellectually honest.

Drafted January 6, 2005.
Adopted by the Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists February 24, 2005.