Insurance for builders and contractors
Builders, civil contractors, developers and trades carry risk that changes with every contract. The cover has to follow the project: from site set-up, through the build, to the defects period after handover.
The works, the plant and the people around them
Contractors All Risk
Contract works, materials on site and in transit, temporary works and the plant you own or hire. Annual policies for a steady pipeline, single project policies for the one-off job.
Contractors All Risk coverPublic & Products Liability
Injury and property damage claims from the public, principals and neighbouring sites, including the products liability that follows the work you have completed.
Liability coverProfessional Indemnity
For design and construct contracts, and for any builder whose staff certify, specify or sign off. Covers claims that the design was wrong, separately from claims that the build was.
Professional Indemnity coverThe contract sets the cover, and it is usually signed first
The most common gap we see is a policy placed before anyone read the contract.
Contract conditions
Principals and head contractors set the limits, the insured parties and the cross liability terms. If the policy was placed before the contract was read, the two rarely match.
Hired-in plant
Hire agreements make you responsible for the machine from pick-up to return, including while it sits on site over a weekend. Hired-in plant has to be added to the policy and the values kept current.
After handover
Liability for completed work continues through the defects period and beyond. Products liability and, for design work, professional indemnity need to stay in place after the last invoice.
A subcontractor's worker hurt, and a contract that pushed it upstream
An illustrative example of how Ardent can make the difference in a time of need.
A subcontractor's employee fell from a platform. The head contract made the builder responsible for the site, and the subcontractor's own liability cover had lapsed a month earlier.
The builder's policy carried the principal's indemnity extension and covered work performed by subcontractors, which we had put in place after reading the head contract at placement.
The claim was met under the builder's policy. The head contract was not breached and the job kept running.
Responds under Public & Products Liability
This is an illustrative example. Every claim is assessed by the insurer on its own facts and under the terms of the policy.
What insurers expect to see
Construction policies are rated on turnover, contract size and the work you declare. We go through the declarations with you each year so the cover matches the pipeline.
- Contract values and the turnover declared to the insurer match the pipeline
- Owned plant listed with current values, and the hired-in plant limit set to the largest machine you use
- Contract conditions read before the policy is placed, including any principal indemnity and cross liability clauses
- Subcontractors insured in their own right, with certificates kept on file
- Workers compensation in place in every state you work in
- Professional indemnity where you design as well as build
Our Construction experts
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
Mining, aviation, construction, retail and property
Steve has 40 years in insurance, most of it in construction and civil engineering, with underground mining, aviation, national retail and property development alongside. He is one of Ardent's founders, works from inside a client's business and keeps those relationships for the long term.
QPIB · Dip. Fin. Serv. (Ins Broking) · Dip. Integrated Risk Management · ANZIIF (Snr Assoc) CIP
Risk management and program design
Stephen co-founded Ardent and has 17 years in insurance, with clients from sole traders to multinational corporates. He works through the risks a business faces and helps decide what to avoid, reduce, retain or insure, balancing cover against cost. He has served on the committee of NIBA's NSW Mentoring Program.
Cyber, property, motor fleet and technology
Kye has two and a half years in insurance broking, after working in retail management, and is studying for his diploma in insurance broking. He looks after a general book of clients, with a focus on cyber, property, motor fleet and technology. Clients find him thorough, efficient and understanding.
What a client says about Ardent
Stephen from Ardent made switching our insurance incredibly easy. He took the time to understand our needs and guided us through every step with clarity and care. We really appreciated his responsiveness and professionalism—would happily recommend.