Indemnity Insurance

[malvolio]

OK, this is a newbie question, but I've just picked up my first contract for government, and they state I should have £1m PI, and the agency states I need to produce evidence of Employers and Public Liability.

I had assumed that my contract would be inside IR35, as what I understand is that I am working on-site 5 days a week and if you ignore the fact that I am working for my own limited company, I could probably be considered an employee of the client as the consultancy services I am providing could be provided by one of their own staff, if they could only be bothered to get them trained up.

I know I should get the contract looked at by a lawyer to confirm IR35 status, but if I do get Employer's liability, does that strengthen the case to work outside IR35?

FFS Get your contract checked - if they don't have the skills in house is hardly a reason for you to be caught, is it, since you are clearly supplying something they don't have. Unless you like paying 20% extra tax for no reason, of course.

To answer the question though, if it says you have to have it in the contract and you've signed it, you have to have it and be able to prove it. Something like the PCG deal with Randell Dorling using £100k personal cover and a shared risk for the rest will be sufficient. It has no bearing on IR35 one way or the other.

[BrowneIssue]

Something like the PCG deal with Randell Dorling using £100k personal cover and a shared risk for the rest will be sufficient.

But do check with the agent first. Elan, for example, refused to accept the PCG deal for me so I had to get a separate policy.

[Ardesco]

Pfft, if you have insurance you have insurance. Does thier contract say you need £XX insureance but you can't get your insurance from the PCG? None of thier bloody business. My company is insured and that is all that matters.

[BrowneIssue]

Pfft, if you have insurance you have insurance. Does thier contract say you need £XX insureance but you can't get your insurance from the PCG? None of thier bloody business. My company is insured and that is all that matters.

"I have queried our legal department about this insurance and unfortunately we do not accept this type of insurance."

That's because the PCG one is a form of group cover. Some clients / agencies won't accept group cover.

[Ardesco]

But my insurance (not the PCG part) is also group cover, it covers anybody that works for my company....

[malvolio]

"I have queried our legal department about this insurance and unfortunately we do not accept this type of insurance."

That's because the PCG one is a form of group cover. Some clients / agencies won't accept group cover.

The "PCG" one (actually the Randell Dorling one) is £100k of personal cover, with access to a shared pot of up to £1m. If your agency needs you to have more than £100k of personal cover (and then you have to ask why, since that's most likely way over the top unless you're building avionics systems or the like), then get it but charge the excess fees to them, since it's their business risk you are covering.