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Advice from the experts

Our Construction Credentials in brief

Brunel arrange Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance for more than 1 in 5 of RIBA Architects
Brunel is one of three preferred brokers making up the Association for Consultancy and Engineering’s (ACE) Broker Panel established for the provision of Professional Indemnity Insurance to ACE members.
Brunel is recommended broking partner of the Institute of Clerk of Works.

How did we achieve this?

Fast, informal, reassuring and informed client service – we believe in creating a dialogue with our clients and have the expertise to explain the issues so that our clients can make educated decisions.
Understanding that our client’s time is valuable – we aim to make the insurance process as efficient and painless as possible.
By being an independent and specialist PI broker – we use the open market to create bespoke propositions for firms of all sizes, based on a proper understanding of your business, your needs, and your own choices.
Client services provided via our own in-house specialist teams – we have our own broking, claims, contract review and risk management teams, who are properly joined up.

This means our clients benefit from full market review, competitive pricing and access to more appropriate wordings for their risk.

Architects working on plans on paper and on a laptop

Construction professionals could be most at risk

As insurers get to grips with the technological changes facing construction professionals, it is the architect who faces most potential impact in relation to PI issues. Technologies such as BIM remain new to the PI industry and can create risk gaps and unknown exposures to insurers which can in turn leave the architect vulnerable in terms of their PI cover. Some aspects of new technology will undoubtedly result in better risk management but they could also create greater exposures for design teams, project managers and project co-ordinators. It is not until a good number of claims are made and defended that the insurance market will really understand the changes to risk profile within the architectural profession resulting from the adoption of the latest generation of technological design tools.

Sustainable design also creates new and potentially unconsidered risks, especially in the use of new materials, adoption of sustainability assessment standards such as BREEAM and consideration of environmental issues such as flooding resulting from climate change. An advantage of the disciplines adopted in a good sustainability model is that they transfer positively to other areas of business management as well as risk management. Brunel, as a member of Climate Wise have an understanding that a clear sustainability policy is now a vital ingredient for architects when tendering for and winning business from end user clients, or where requirements are cascading down the supply chain.

With increasing pressure on the use of brownfield sites aspects such as pollution cover should not be ignored. Some insurers exclude this cover, or only provide limited cover – “sudden & unforeseen” only for example.

Construction professional’s contractual risk is also increasing with more onerous contractual obligations and reassurances regularly being sought, driven in part by more onerous guarantees being applied further up the chain. This is despite that such strict terms are not fully PI insurance supported. You should be alert to the dangers contained in your contracts, and we can help you in identifying and mitigating uninsured contractual risk.

Choosing the right insurer is essential, particularly when many insurers have started to change their appetite for architects PI. New insurers to the class may not be familiar with the associated risks whereas those with long standing experience are looking at rating increases due to heightened claims activity. It is therefore essential that a broker with experience is employed who can offer facilities with a broad scope of cover and with insurers committed to the profession. Brunel is that broker.

Advice from the experts

Our Construction Credentials in brief

How did we achieve this?

Construction professionals could be most at risk

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