- ACS
- AI Compliance Score. The 7-layer weighted rubric output from C1, range 0.0–10.0. Produced by 22 questions distributed across L1 Responsible Charge (22%), L2 AI Governance (20%), L3 Code Edition (16%), L4 BIM/ISO 19650 (14%), L5 Cybersecurity (12%), L6 Safety/OSHA (10%), L7 Transparency (6%).
- DCS
- Decision Confidence Score. Color-coded verdict derived from ACS — GREEN (≥88%), AMBER (68–87%), RED (<68%). Anchored to v3.4 multi-framework convergent reasoning (ISO/IEC 42001:2023 + NIST AI RMF 1.0 + FDA SaMD).
- FitScore
- Per-comparison procurement output from C3. FitScore = ACS×0.50 + LayerAlignment×0.30 + MaturityMatch×0.20. Used to rank up to 8 tools against a specific project context.
- Q21b
- Liability Transfer Test. The 22nd question in the C1 rubric (numbered 21b for historical reasons). Requires multi-AI verification (3-of-3 consensus) before a tool can be marked defensible. Designed to catch tools that score well on hygiene but fail on actual liability transfer.
- HF1–HF5
- Hard Filters. Five conditions that produce instant disqualification regardless of ACS score. HF1 · Licensure jurisdiction — tool must be licensed in the project’s state. HF2 · Licensure discipline — tool must cover the project’s required disciplines. HF3 · E&O insurance — tool’s E&O coverage must meet the project’s minimum for its risk sensitivity. HF4 · GL insurance — tool’s General Liability coverage must meet the project minimum. HF5 · DBE — on public projects with DBE requirements, the tool’s DBE subcontractor capacity must meet the threshold. Any critical fail blocks the FitScore for the affected project class before procurement.
- Responsible Charge
- The licensed professional whose name and seal appear on the work product. Under most state board rules, the responsible charge individual carries personal liability for the work, including AI-assisted work, for the life of the engagement and beyond.
- Stamp-Safe
- A three-state classification of a tool's stampability, derived from canonical scoring inputs (ACS + Q21b).Stamp-Supporting — ACS ≥ 8.8 AND Q21b tier ≥ 3. A Licensed Professional can place responsible charge on outputs.Conditional — AMBER ACS, or GREEN ACS with Q21b tier < 3. Usable with documented governance conditions.Not Stamp-Safe — RED ACS or Q21b Tier 1. Output cannot enter stamped deliverables without significant additional governance.Visible per tool in the public Registry. Derivation is numeric + evidence-grounded (src/lib/registry/stamp-safe.ts); the render surface additionally gates on DCS state per v3.4 §2.7.5.
- E&O
- Errors & Omissions insurance. Professional liability insurance carried by licensed AEC professionals to protect against claims of negligent advice or errors in their professional services. Sometimes called professional indemnity insurance.
- Shadow AI
- AI tool usage occurring within a firm without firm-level registration, scoring, or governance. The C4 module surfaces shadow AI via a user-submitted reporting form — practitioners self-report unregistered tool use, and reports flag tools not in the firm's registered Tool Register. No automated detection, no API-call or SaaS-auth event monitoring.
- Methodology Version
- Every Shield output is stamped with the methodology version that produced it (currently v3.4). When the methodology updates, prior scores remain valid in their original form. This is what makes the audit trail survive multi-year scrutiny.