Glossary

ACS

AI Compliance Score

A 0–10 score produced by the C1 Scanner. Assesses a tool across seven liability layers with fixed weights: L1 Responsible Charge (22%), L2 AI Governance (20%), L3 Code Edition Control (16%), L4 BIM & ISO 19650 (14%), L5 Cybersecurity (12%), L6 Worker Safety (10%), L7 Vendor Transparency (6%). See FAQ for the full definition.

FitScore

FitScore = ACS × 0.50 + LayerAlignment × 0.30 + MaturityMatch × 0.20. Combines the tool's compliance score with how well its profile matches the project (LayerAlignment) and how well the firm can govern it (MaturityMatch). A tool with 8.0 ACS may still have a low FitScore if the firm is not ready to govern it safely. See FAQ.

DCS

Decision Confidence Score

The second-line metric on every C1 tool review — quantifies confidence in the compliance assessment (as distinct from the compliance score itself).

The Decision Confidence Score (DCS) is the second-line metric on every C1 tool review. ACS scores compliance fit; DCS scores how confident we are in that compliance assessment. The two metrics are complementary: ACS = "How compliant is this tool?", DCS = "How confident should I be in that compliance assessment?"

Methodology · §2.6

Bands: ≥88 GREEN · 68–87 AMBER · <68 RED. See Methodology §2.6.

Go / No-Go

Coarse procurement signal

Three-state signal derived from ACS score: Approved (ACS ≥ 7.5), Conditional (≥ 6.0), Insufficient for Stamped Work (< 6.0). The coarsest procurement signal; complements the finer-grained Stamp-Safe classification. The red band used to read "Do Not Use"; renamed 2026-07 to scope the verdict honestly — it's about stamped work, not the tool's fitness for any use.

Stamp-Safe

Three-state classification

A three-state classification: Stamp-Supporting, Conditional, or Not Stamp-Safe. Under v3.4 the qualifier is ACS ≥ 8.8 AND Decision Confidence = GREEN AND Liability Transfer Test (Q21b) passes — all three conditions conjunctive. See FAQ and Methodology §2.7.

Q21b

Liability Transfer Test

A specific assessment question that checks whether a tool's public Terms of Service, EULA, or Acceptable Use Policy contains language that disclaims liability or transfers risk to the user. A tier score of 2 or below triggers a red warning banner. See FAQ.

CES

Compliance Exposure Score

Higher = more compliance exposure (inverted scale).

((10−ACS)×0.50) + (min(critical_flags,3)×1.00) + ((10−L1_score)×0.20) + (ins_gap×0.10) (ins_gap: 0=all met, 2=one gap, 4=multiple gaps). Higher = more compliance exposure. Inverted scale.

Methodology · §4.7 (CES formula)

DRS

Delivery Risk Score

Higher = more delivery risk (inverted scale).

((10−LayerAlignment)×0.40) + ((10−firm.d7_supply_chain)×0.30) + (phase_risk×0.30) (d7 defaults to 5.0 if no FMP). Higher = more delivery risk. Inverted scale.

Methodology · §4.7 (DRS formula)

CPS

Competitive Position Score

Higher = stronger competitive fit (normal scale).

(FitScore×0.50) + (MaturityMatch×0.30) + (max(0,(ACS−5)/5)×10×0.20) (Cap at 10.0. No FMP: use MaturityMatch=5.0 (neutral) per §2.77 RESOLVED framing.) Higher = stronger competitive fit. Normal scale.

Methodology · §4.7 (CPS formula)

Binary checks run before FitScore is displayed. If a tool fails any hard filter, the composite score is computed and stored but not surfaced — the result shows Do Not Procure instead. See FAQ for the source definition and Quality Policy §3.6 for the hard-filter discipline commitment.

HF1

Jurisdiction licensure

Tool must be licensed to operate in the project's US state (via licensure_states). Fails when the project state is not covered.

HF2

Discipline scope

Tool's licensure_disciplines must intersect the project disciplines. Fails when scope disjoint (e.g. arch-only tool on a struct_pe project).

HF3

E&O insurance coverage

Vendor's Errors & Omissions coverage must meet the project's risk-tier threshold. Elevated risk demands ≥ $5M; Standard demands ≥ $2M.

HF4

GL coverage

Vendor's General Liability coverage must meet the project's risk-tier threshold. Elevated risk demands ≥ $10M; Standard demands ≥ $5M.

HF5

DBE requirements (public projects)

For public-sector projects, vendor must meet Disadvantaged Business Enterprise subcontractor-capacity requirements. Skipped on private-sector projects.

DBE

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

A federal / public-project subcontractor-capacity requirement. Feeds HF5 on public-sector projects.

The seven layers the ACS score composes across, with fixed weights. L1 is the most heavily weighted layer and the one that drives the Stamp-Safe classification.

L1

Responsible Charge · 22%

The licensed professional's ability to place responsible charge on the tool's outputs — the load-bearing layer for Stamp-Safe classification.

L2

AI Governance · 20%

Vendor's AI-specific governance posture — policies, incident response, model-update discipline.

L3

Code Edition Control · 16%

How the tool tracks and honors the applicable code editions (IBC, ASCE, ACI, AISC, NEC, etc.) across jurisdictions.

L4

BIM & ISO 19650 · 14%

BIM interoperability and ISO 19650 information-management alignment.

L5

Cybersecurity · 12%

Vendor's cybersecurity posture — SOC 2, encryption, incident history.

L6

Worker Safety · 10%

Where applicable, how the tool addresses jobsite / worker safety (OSHA-adjacent scope, primarily for construction-side AI).

L7

Vendor Transparency · 6%

Vendor documentation completeness, ToS clarity, model-provenance disclosure.

The 40-question firm self-assessment across seven dimensions. Output is a Firm Maturity Profile (FMP) — feeds MaturityMatch in FitScore. See FAQ for full walkthrough.

FMP

Firm Maturity Profile

The output of the Digital Maturity Assessment. Drives the MaturityMatch component of FitScore + the Firm Audit Report's coverage-gap arithmetic.

D1

Data Maturity

Data governance, architecture, quality-assurance discipline.

D2

BIM & Digital Infrastructure

BIM adoption, CDE use, BEP template, IFC exports, digital twin capability.

D2b

ISO 19650 sub-dimension

A focused block on CDE + delivery + approval-state discipline.

D3

AI Readiness

Firm's AI-adoption posture and controls.

D4

Process & Governance

Governance discipline. Gated by the D4.5 ceiling rule (below).

D4.5

Reviewer Designation Ceiling

If the firm does not have a named person responsible for reviewing AI-assisted outputs before a licensed-professional stamp is applied (D4.5 = No), the D4 dimension score is hard-capped at 4.9 (Developing band) regardless of other answers. Reflects the NSPE responsible charge requirement. See FAQ.

D5

Talent & Capability

Firm's talent readiness for AI-assisted work.

D6

Adoption & Scaling

How the firm operationalizes and scales AI adoption.

D7

Supply Chain Digital Alignment

Sub-consultant + vendor digital-maturity alignment.

The AECO Shield methodology kernel has four architectural layers.

C1

ACS Scanner

The compliance-scoring layer. Produces ACS + Stamp-Safe + Go/No-Go for each AI tool.

C2

FMP Maturity

The firm-maturity layer. Produces the FMP from the 40-question Digital Maturity Assessment.

C3

Project Context

The project-fit layer. Combines C1 + C2 inputs against a specific project context to produce FitScore + hard-filter gating.

C4

Execution Layer

The evidence-artifact layer. Produces project audit reports, sign-off receipts, project registers, and shadow-AI reports.

PE

Professional Engineer

A licensed engineer authorized to place responsible charge on stamped deliverables in their jurisdiction and discipline.

AIA

American Institute of Architects

Professional membership organization for licensed architects; used as a profession-track identifier alongside PE / CCM / LS.

CCM

Certified Construction Manager

Credentialed construction manager, one of the four profession tracks the methodology supports.

LS

Licensed Surveyor

Licensed land surveyor, one of the four profession tracks the methodology supports.

AEC

Architecture, Engineering, Construction

The industry the platform is scoped to.

BIM

Building Information Modeling

The digital modeling discipline underlying most modern AEC workflows. Feeds the L4 layer + the D2 maturity dimension.

ISO 19650

International standard for information management using BIM. Feeds the D2b sub-dimension of the Digital Maturity Assessment.

NSPE

National Society of Professional Engineers

Referenced as the doctrinal source for the responsible-charge requirement that a licensed professional must independently verify AI-assisted outputs before stamping.

Terms surfaced on the Firm Audit Report and Defensibility badge. Methodology quotes below are reproduced verbatim from the ACS Methodology §9 (portfolio rollup and dollar exposure appendix).

maxCES

Worst-project CES rollup

The single most-exposed project's CES on the firm portfolio — the tail-signal that drives the Defensibility badge's color.

Per v3.4 existing methodology: surfaces also report per-project CES, band distribution, worst-project CES (MAX rollup as tail-signal flag), and coverage window timestamps.

Methodology · §9 (tertiary signals)

FGPI

Firm Governance Prioritization Index

Composite governance-prioritization indicator combining Signal 1 and Signal 2. Not a valuation, not an exposure estimate.

A secondary Firm Governance Prioritization Index (FGPI) may be reported AS AN INDEX (not an exposure estimate), with explicit labeling:
FGPI = Coverage Adequacy + Expected Liability

Methodology · §9.2 (FGPI composite)

Surfaces consuming this methodology MUST NOT report only the FGPI without also surfacing Signal 1 and Signal 2 separately. Surfaces that report a single "exposure" number that conflates the two signals violate methodology intent.

Methodology · §9.2 (dual-signal reporting rule)

Signal 1

Coverage Adequacy (deterministic)

Signal 1 — Coverage Adequacy (deterministic): A contractual obligation fact. The dollar gap between aggregate E&O coverage requirements across active projects and the firm's E&O policy capacity. This is a balance-sheet quantity that exists today regardless of whether any claim materializes.

Methodology · §9.2 (dual-signal architecture)

Signal 2

Portfolio Expected Liability (probabilistic)

Signal 2 — Portfolio Expected Liability (probabilistic): An annualized expected loss estimate based on firm portfolio characteristics and AI governance posture. This is a long-run average forecast, NOT a present-value obligation.

Methodology · §9.2 (dual-signal architecture)

E&O

Errors & Omissions insurance

Professional-liability insurance carried by a vendor. The coverage amount feeds HF3 (hard filter) and Signal 1 (coverage adequacy) computation.

GL

General Liability insurance

General-liability insurance carried by a vendor. The coverage amount feeds HF4 (hard filter).