Freelance insurance question

[Changingplace]

Anyone here freelance? I’m not currently but I’ve been offered a contract position and I’m considering taking it.

One query I have is the level of insurance they’re listing in the contract as required. It seems excessively high, but is this normal? I’m going to query this tomorrow but wondered if anyone had any experience of this.

Insurance Policies: professional indemnity insurance cover in an amount of not less than £[10 million] each and every claim, employer's liability insurance, product liability insurance and public liability insurance to cover such heads of liability as may arise under or in connection with this Agreement.

I'm not a freelancer but that sort of indemnity levels is what I see on large scale construction projects for main contractors. Obviously I don't know what you do though?

We have that level, it was required to work on PS IT contracts.
Its not really expensive though.

That’s what I thought, I’m an events/project/programme manager and this is the kind of level I’d expect from say an AV company I was bringing in to do an event build.

I’m not expecting to need to bring in third parties as part of the work, but even if I did I would ask for their insurance cover, not for it it to come under my own insurance.

Ah ok, do you happen to know which insurance companies are reputable for this kind of cover?

We are with Simply Business

Is it for public sector? They have a very high PI insurance requirement, IME.

I would push back on this; I've had it previously in contracts (freelance TV director), and like you would be expecting the activities I manage to come under the production insurance or any third parties to have their own insurance. Presumably the event/project has its own insurance in place? I just asked for them to remove it from the contract for this reason and they were fine with it. Most do insist on professional indemnity cover though.

I'm with hiscox insurance, that's fairy standard for contractors and procurement ask for it.

It's about £45 a month, we have other insurances and spend about £120 a month as a limited company.

No charity sector.

If its what they require then its what they require, its not usually negotiable.
Its tax deductable as a business expense anyway

Our insurance is at that level. Cost about £700 through simply business

I had that level as a freelance marketer (oversaw the odd event, grudgingly)

Fairly standard in my experience for large events to require it, but my specialism was machinery/plant, so that may be why - lots of potential for injury!

If the charity does work for a public sector body, they may apply the same requirements.

But anyway, also try Hiscox and Direct Line.

Sorry, just to add my post above was referring to the public/product liability requirements.