Design liability
Claims that a design or specification caused loss, including rectification costs.
Engineer Professional Indemnity
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Engineer Professional Indemnity
Professional indemnity for engineering practices.
Engineering claims have the longest tail of any profession. A design signed off today can produce a claim a decade later, which makes continuity and run-off central rather than optional.
What is it?
Engineering practices span structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical and environmental disciplines, providing design, certification, inspection and project management on projects that frequently specify minimum cover.
What does engineer professional indemnity cover?
Certification
Exposure attached to signing off or certifying work.
Site attendance
Public liability arising from inspections and site presence, usually alongside PI.
What affects the cost?
- Discipline and project types
- Fee income and largest project value
- Whether you certify or sign off
- Contract limits specified by principals
- Claims history
Worth raising on the call
- Long-tail liability makes run-off cover a real consideration at retirement.
- Certification materially increases exposure and is assessed separately.
- Project contracts often set both the limit and the period required.
Claims we are commonly asked about
Slab designed to the wrong classification
A residential slab is designed on a soil classification that does not match the site, and cracking appears two years after handover. Claims like this generally examine the geotechnical report, the design brief and who was responsible for verifying site conditions before the design was issued.
Retaining wall moves after rain
A retaining wall designed by the practice moves after prolonged rain because the subsoil drainage detail was not built as specified. The contest is usually design versus construction, so contemporaneous site records, inspection notes and marked-up drawings tend to decide the outcome.
Certification of an existing structure
An engineer certifies an existing mezzanine for a new storage use and a loading issue is identified later during a workplace inspection. Certification exposure is assessed separately from design work because the engineer is relied on for a conclusion rather than for a drawing.
Worth confirming in the wording
- Worth confirming whether liability assumed under contract is covered, since uncapped indemnities, fitness for purpose warranties and liquidated damages clauses commonly go beyond what a professional indemnity wording will follow.
- Worth confirming how the policy treats combustible cladding and specified building products, because exclusions in this area are common and can apply to whole projects rather than to individual claims.
- Worth confirming whether design and construct, novated and contractor-led engagements are inside the declared scope, as the risk profile and the party you owe a duty to change under each arrangement.
Common questions
Does my policy cover work I did before I took it out?
Generally only back to the retroactive date shown on the schedule, since a claims-made policy responds to claims made now about work done after that date. If you have held continuous cover, the retroactive date usually reaches back to when you first took out professional indemnity, which is why breaks in cover are costly.
How long should I keep cover after I retire?
Engineering claims have a long tail, and limitation periods vary by state with building actions in several jurisdictions running around ten years from completion. Run-off cover is commonly arranged for a period of years after you stop practising, and the right duration depends on the type of work and the jurisdictions you practised in.
My client wants $10 million cover. Do I need that much?
Contracts and principal-side requirements often set the limit, and the practical figure is usually driven by the largest project value rather than by fee income. It is worth noting that the limit is commonly inclusive of defence costs, so a limit that looks adequate against the claim can be eroded by the cost of defending it.
Does professional indemnity pay to fix my own work?
The cost of redoing your own services is commonly limited or outside the wording, while resulting damage to the client's property is more usually contemplated. Rectification cover is one of the more variable areas between insurers, so it is worth comparing that specific clause rather than only the limit and the premium.
General information only. Cover, limits and exclusions depend on the PDS, TMD, eligibility, underwriting and the policy terms. See professional indemnity insurance for the wider picture.
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