Commercial & Contract · Mandatory · Pre-Construction
Project Insurance Schedule and Register
The Project Insurance Schedule and Register documents all insurance requirements for a construction project and tracks verification of cover for all parties. It covers Employers' Liability, Contractors All Risk, Public Liability, Professional Indemnity, and Latent Defects Insurance, with a subcontractor insurance log tracking certificate verification, expiry dates, and renewal alerts.
Last reviewed: 29 March 2026 — This guide reflects UK law as of this date. Contract Law / EL(CI) Act 1969 remains current with no amendments enacted as of 29 March 2026. Next scheduled review: 29 March 2027.
| Legal basis | Contract Law + Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 |
| Employers' Liability (EL) | Minimum £5m cover, legally required for every employer — failure to hold EL insurance is a criminal offence |
| Contractor All Risks (CAR) | Covers physical loss or damage to the contract works, temporary works, materials, and plant during construction |
| Public Liability (PL) | Typically £5m–£10m cover for third-party bodily injury and property damage arising from the contractor's operations |
| Professional Indemnity (PI) | Required for contractors and subcontractors carrying out design work — covers claims arising from negligent design advice |
| Latent Defects Insurance (LDI) | 10–12 year structural guarantee covering inherent defects in the structure, foundation, and weatherproofing envelope discovered after completion |
1. Project Insurance Register — Knowing Every Party's Cover Is Adequate
A construction project involves multiple parties — employer, principal contractor, subcontractors, designers, and consultants — each with different insurance obligations under the contract and under statute. The Project Insurance Schedule and Register is the document that records what insurance each party is required to hold, what insurance they actually hold, and whether it has been verified as adequate. Missing or inadequate insurance discovered at claim time creates serious liability gaps that can result in uninsured losses running into millions of pounds.
Insurance verification must happen at two key points: at pre-qualification (before a subcontractor is approved for the project) and before work commences on site. Certificates of insurance must be checked against the contract requirements — correct insurer, adequate limit of indemnity, appropriate policy wording, valid policy period covering the full duration of works, and any required endorsements (e.g. JCT joint names, waiver of subrogation). Renewal dates must be tracked and re-verification carried out when policies are renewed during the project.
EL insurance must be in place from day one
Employers' Liability insurance must be in place from the first day any employee is on site. Failure to hold valid EL insurance is a criminal offence under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, with a fine of up to £2,500 per day of non-compliance. There is no grace period and no exception.
2. Key Content
The following table sets out the key content areas that should be covered in a Project Insurance Schedule and Register, with guidance on the information each section should record.
| Insurance type | What to record |
|---|---|
| Contract Works / CAR | Policy holder, insurer, policy number, limit of indemnity, excess, policy period, scope of cover (new works, existing structures, materials on and off site, temporary works), named insured parties, JCT joint names endorsement if required, and whether the policy is project-specific or annual. |
| Employers' Liability (EL) | Policy holder, insurer, policy number, limit of indemnity (minimum £5m statutory), policy period, and certificate of insurance reference. Every employer on the project — principal contractor and every subcontractor — must hold valid EL insurance. Certificates must be displayed or available on request. |
| Public / Third Party Liability (PL) | Policy holder, insurer, policy number, limit of indemnity (typically £5m–£10m), excess, policy period, and scope of cover including third-party bodily injury, third-party property damage, and products liability where applicable. |
| Professional Indemnity (PI) | Policy holder, insurer, policy number, limit of indemnity, excess, policy period, basis of cover (claims-made), and run-off period. Required for any party undertaking design work — architects, engineers, design-and-build contractors, and specialist subcontractors with design responsibility. |
| Latent Defects Insurance (LDI) | Insurer, policy number, cover period (typically 10–12 years from practical completion), scope of cover (structural defects, foundation, weatherproofing envelope), and named beneficiaries. LDI provides a structural guarantee that transfers with the building on sale. |
| Subcontractor insurance log | For each subcontractor: company name, EL certificate (insurer, policy number, limit, expiry), PL certificate (insurer, policy number, limit, expiry), PI certificate where design is undertaken, verified by (name and date), and renewal tracking. Maintain a live register with RAG status for expiry dates. |
3. Common Mistakes
Not checking subcontractor certificates before they start on site
Subcontractor insurance must be verified before the subcontractor mobilises to site — not after they have started work. If a subcontractor begins work without valid EL insurance and an employee is injured, the principal contractor faces potential vicarious liability and the subcontractor is committing a criminal offence. Certificates of insurance must be checked against the subcontract requirements for type of cover, limit of indemnity, and policy period. A verbal assurance that "insurance is in place" is not sufficient — the actual certificate must be reviewed and recorded on the insurance register.
Allowing insurance to lapse during the project
Insurance policies have renewal dates, and on a project lasting months or years, policies will expire and need to be renewed during the works. If renewal is not tracked and re-verification carried out, there may be periods during which a party is operating without valid insurance. The insurance register must include policy expiry dates and trigger a review process at least 28 days before each expiry. When a renewed certificate is received, it must be checked to confirm that the scope, limit, and terms remain adequate for the project requirements. A lapsed policy means an uninsured exposure — and on a construction site, the consequences of an uninsured loss can be catastrophic.
4. Frequently Asked Questions
Who takes out CAR insurance — the employer or the principal contractor?▾
It depends on the contract form and the insurance option selected. Under JCT SBC, there are three insurance options: Option A (new buildings — contractor insures the works in joint names), Option B (new buildings — employer insures the works in joint names), and Option C (existing structures — employer insures existing structures and contractor insures the new works). Under NEC4, the Insurance Table in the Contract Data specifies which party is responsible for each type of insurance. The key point is that the contract must clearly state who is responsible for insuring the works, and the insurance register must confirm that the responsible party has the correct cover in place before work commences.
Generate your Project Insurance Schedule and Register on Construction Suite
Construction Suite walks you through every required section with a guided Q&A — built to Contract Law / EL(CI) Act 1969 — and generates a professionally formatted document in minutes.
Get started freeThis guide is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, regulations change and individual project circumstances vary. Construction Suite is a trading name of Xzist Digital Ltd, registered in England and Wales.