What JBCC is
The Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC) describes itself as representative of building owners and developers, professional consultants, and general and specialist contractors. It publishes building contracts, implementation forms and guides. Its website refers, among other documents, to the JBCC 2018 Building Agreements, to the Principal Building Agreement version 6.2 and to 2024 editions that were announced in July 2024.
Because JBCC has published more than one edition and more than one type of agreement, the first question to answer is which one you signed.
Do not assume the requirements
This site does not reproduce JBCC wording, and nothing here should be read as quoting a JBCC clause. Our aim is to help you ask better questions of your own documents.
Questions to put to your professional team
Contract data is usually prepared by the employer’s professional team before tender, and the person who completed it can often explain what was intended. If an entry is unclear, ask before you price. Useful questions include:
For the employer’s agent or consultants
- Which insurances does the contract data require, and who arranges each one?
- Is the works insurance to be taken out in joint names, and with whom?
- What minimum limit of indemnity applies to liability cover, and does it apply per event or in total?
- Are there insurances that the employer will arrange, and will evidence be shared?
- When must evidence of insurance be provided, and in what form?
- How should subcontractors be treated in the insurance arrangements?
- Is there any special-risk, professional or latent-defects requirement in the particular conditions?
Where to look in your JBCC documents
| Item | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Which agreement and edition | The title and edition on the front of your agreement, and any amendments. |
| Insurance conditions | The clauses that deal with insurance, indemnity and the contractor’s and employer’s risks. |
| Contract data entries | Entries stating which cover is required, who arranges it and for what amount or percentage. |
| Who arranges the works insurance | Whether the contractor or the employer must insure the works, and whether it is done in joint names. |
| Liability insurance | The minimum limit of indemnity, and any other requirements stated. |
| Other insurances | Any further covers the contract data requires, such as for plant, or for specific risks. |
| Evidence and timing | What proof must be provided, to whom, and by when. |
| Subcontractors | How subcontractors are treated, and whether their insurance must be shown. |
| Defects and latent defects | How long liability continues after completion, and how that is handled. See latent defects explained. |
| Guarantees and security | Whether performance security, retention or advance payments are required and in what form. |
A practical approach
Identify your agreement and edition
Confirm which JBCC document applies and whether it was amended.
Extract the insurance entries
List each required cover, the responsible party, the amount or basis, the period and the evidence.
Compare with your existing policies
Check whether current policies meet each requirement, including who is named as insured.
Send the list to us
We will help you see what is being asked for and what needs to be arranged.
Diarise changes
Track extensions of time and variations, which may require policy changes.
Related contract forms
Not every project is a JBCC project. Civil contracts commonly use other forms. See NEC, FIDIC and GCC insurance considerations for an overview, and insurance after winning a tender for the steps to take once you have an award.
Common questions
Do all JBCC agreements deal with insurance the same way?
No. JBCC has published more than one type of agreement and more than one edition, and each has its own provisions. Identify yours before you rely on any summary.
Who normally completes the contract data?
That is set out in the agreement itself. If you are unsure which entries you are responsible for, ask the employer’s agent or your own adviser to explain them.
What if the contract data and my existing policy do not match?
Tell us. A mismatch in the sum insured, period or insured parties can be fixed more easily before work starts than after a loss.
Does JBCC cover plant or only the works?
That depends on the agreement and the entries made in it. Read the insurance provisions for your own document, and ask us about plant separately.
Have a JBCC contract to review?
Send us the insurance clauses and contract data entries. We will help you work out what is required.
Send Your Contract RequirementsAn enquiry does not put cover in place. Cover is subject to underwriting and policy terms.
Sources and further reading
- JBCC: Joint Building Contracts Committee (opens in a new tab) — publisher of the JBCC agreements and advisory notes (checked 12 October 2026)
Related reading
- NEC, FIDIC and GCC insurance considerationsAn overview of insurance considerations under NEC, FIDIC and GCC contracts, why requirements are not identical across forms, and how to check your own contract.
- 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.
- Contractors All RiskCover for the works under construction, such as roadworks, drainage, pipelines and structures, subject to policy terms.
- Building contractorsContract works, adjoining property, materials and subcontractors on building projects.