Professional Indemnity
Design & Construct
Insurance

Traditionally Professional Indemnity has been for those professionals providing advice only services such accountants, engineers, architects.

However, a move in both the chain of responsibility and the way builders work on a day to day basis has seen a large shift in this area over the past 10+ years with many builders now either directly or indirectly being involved with advice or services which potentially could put them in the firing line for claims arising from your advice or professional services, causing financial loss or other damages to third parties.

Key areas pf exposure:

Design failure
Failure to warn
Inadequate / incorrect advice, design, specification
Inadequate supervision / project management
Inappropriate / incorrect certification
Poor work documentation or communication

What Can Be Covered
Do for You?

We understand even with your best intentions, mistakes are made either directly by you or your team or by a third party involved in the project no matter how distant from your own activities.

A lot like Be Covered who are a specialist construction insurance brokers, Professional Indemnity Design and Construct is a specialist insurance product requiring a specialist to make sure the policy is built specifically to your individual needs.

Some points to consider when putting your policy together:

Are all your current as well as previous business activities covered?
Has your premium been correctly rated based on the involvement you have in the professional services chain for your projects?
Do the limits reflect any current and past contacts and adequate for any upcoming contracts you hope to win?
Are there any conditions or flat-out exclusions around your activities or the types of building works you work on?
Are all building materials you have previously or currently worked with covered and all products you are likely to work with in the future covered? – Yes, not all products are always covered!

Increasingly contacts for construction require entities working on the project to maintain their own Professional Indemnity Design and Construct insurance policies.

It is important to note while you may believe you have little to no Professional Indemnity Design and Construct exposure, usually under contract you are required to have Professional Indemnity Design and Construct insurance and there is always an element of second-hand Liability when working alongside other professionals on a project even if you did not engage them yourself.

Whether you are working from:

Novated contracts
Complete Design and Construct contacts with your own in-house team
Plans are provided to you by a third party you have no responsibility for the professional services
Construction only

There is usually always an element of exposure but the scale of exposure is different depending how you work. It is vital your insurer understands this and your broker can work with insurers to obtain both the correct cover and correct price based on the work you are actually doing and your actual Professional Indemnity Design and Construct insurance exposure.

Common Questions Answered

What does Professional Indemnity Design & Construct insurance cover against?

PI D&C insurance covers you against claims for financial loss, personal injury, or property damage resulting from professional advice, design errors, or specification issues—whether done in-house or by subcontractors. It also protects against vicarious liability, meaning you're covered even if the mistake was made by someone you engaged, like an engineer, architect, or draftsperson.

Who is Professional Indemnity Design & Construct for?

You don’t need to offer design services yourself to need this cover. If you're involved in construction and working from your client’s or a subcontractor’s plans, you can still be found vicariously liable and require PI Design & Construct insurance.

I’m a small builder—do I still need this cover?

Yes. Even as a small builder, you can be held liable for design or specification errors—especially if you work from client-supplied plans or subcontract professional services. Professional Indemnity Design & Construct cover is rated based on your professional services and turnover, so premiums are typically lower for smaller businesses with lower risk exposure.

What’s the difference between Professional Indemnity only and Design & Construct cover?

Standard Professional Indemnity I policies often exclude or restrict cover for any physical construction work. Professional Indemnity Design & Construct policies are tailored to cover both your office-based professional services—whether performed in-house or subcontracted—and the Professional Indemnity exposures you face from on-site manual work, giving you broader protection.

I subcontract out all my professional services, do I still need PI Design & Construct?

Yes. Even if your subcontractors hold their own Professional Indemnity cover, you can still be held vicariously liable for their errors or omissions under your contract. A Professional Indemnity Design & Construct policy protects you if something goes wrong with the design—even if it wasn’t done in-house but you still have to defend yourself incurring legal cost and possible damages.

We Have the Building Industry Covered

Specialist Construction & Building
Insurance Broker

At Be Covered, we are a building and construction specialist that truly understands that every business is unique in regards to the way you work, the contracts you enter and projects the projects you take on. To ensure your business is in safe hands, contact your building and construction specialist at Be Covered.

Professional Indemnity Design & ConstructInsurance