Start with these three things
The insurance clauses
The contract’s insurance clauses, contract data or schedule, or a summary of the covers, limits and excesses it requires.
A description of the work
What you are building, where, for whom and by when, with any higher-risk activities.
The contract value
Including variations and any materials supplied by the employer.
With those, a broker can begin to understand the project, and can tell you what else is needed.
Documents by type of cover
| Cover | Information and documents |
|---|---|
| Contractors All Risk | Contract extract, scope, location, value, programme, defects period, method statements for specialist work, subcontractor list, site security. |
| Public liability | Business description, activities, turnover or contract value, location, work near services or the public, subcontractors, contract limit requirement. |
| Plant | Plant register, values, serial numbers, finance details, operating locations, security, operator information. |
| Hired-in plant | Hire agreement, types and values of equipment hired, annual hire spend, hire periods. |
| Goods in transit | Goods moved, values per vehicle, annual volume, vehicles and routes, security. |
| Professional indemnity | Services provided, qualifications, contracts with design responsibility, fee income, appointment of designers. |
| Guarantees | Guarantee wording and amount, contract extract, financial statements, track record, business and director details. |
Information about your business
Usually requested across covers
- Business name, registration details and the nature of your activities.
- Years in operation and relevant experience.
- Annual turnover, or the estimated annual value of contracts.
- Employee numbers and how labour is engaged.
- Subcontractors used and their insurance.
- Details of current policies, including the insurer, cover and expiry.
- Claims history for the last few years, with dates, causes and amounts.
How to prepare documents well
- Save documents as PDFs with clear names, such as the project name and document type.
- Send complete extracts of contract clauses rather than excerpts out of context.
- Highlight the insurance clauses and the contract data entries.
- Keep a dated list of what you have sent.
- Update the broker if the scope, value or programme changes.
What if something is missing?
Missing documents do not prevent you from starting. Tell us what you do not have and we will tell you what is essential and what can follow. A claims history, for example, can be summarised from memory at first and confirmed later. A contract extract is more important, because it states the covers required.
You can start an enquiry with the quote form, where the questions adapt to the cover you want.
A covering note you can adapt
If you are emailing documents, a short covering note saves a round of questions. It does not need to be formal. These are the points worth covering, in roughly this order:
- Who you are, the company name and your role.
- What you want to insure: the project, plant, liability, or help choosing.
- One or two sentences on the work, its location and the programme.
- The contract value, or your best estimate.
- The deadline: when the contract requires evidence of insurance, or when you need a quotation.
- A list of what is attached, with the insurance clauses identified by page or section.
- The best way and time to reach you.
Keep a copy of what you send. If anything changes before cover is confirmed, such as the start date, scope or value, tell us straight away so that the insurer is working from the right information.
Common questions
Do I have to send documents to get a quote?
No. A short description of the work and the contract’s insurance clauses are enough to start. We will tell you what else is needed.
Is it safe to send contract documents?
Share only what is needed, and check that you are free to share it, because contracts can contain information about third parties. Our privacy policy explains how information is used.
What if I only have a draft contract?
A draft is still useful, as long as you tell us it is a draft. Insurance requirements can change before signing, so update us when the final version is agreed.
How should I describe my claims history?
Give dates, a short description and amounts for claims in the last few years. A summary from memory is fine to start, and you can confirm details later.
Ready to send your details?
Start with the contract’s insurance requirements and a short description of the work. We will tell you what else we need.
Get a QuoteAn enquiry does not put cover in place. Cover is subject to underwriting and policy terms.
Related reading
- Construction insurance checklist for contractorsA construction insurance checklist for a broker conversation: project details, contract requirements, covers, plant, subcontractors and comparing quotations.
- Insurance after winning a tender: what to prepareWhat to do about insurance after a contract award: reading the contract’s insurance clauses, listing required covers and evidence, timing, and what to send your broker.
- What affects the cost of Contractors All Risk insuranceWhat affects Contractors All Risk pricing: contract value, type of work, duration, location, excess and claims history. We publish no premium rates.
- What affects the cost of plant insuranceWhat affects plant insurance cost for contractors: valuation, equipment type and age, usage, location, security, operators, excess and claims record. No premium rates.