Single Project Professional Indemnity Insurance
Your Project
Peace of
Mind
Large construction and engineering projects involve many parties – architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants – each carrying professional obligations. When something goes wrong, the question of who is liable, and whether their insurer will respond, defines what happens next.
Annual PI policies cover the professional, not the project. They can be cancelled, renewed on different terms, or exhausted by unrelated claims elsewhere. For a project that spans years and concentrates professional risk in a single development, that’s an inadequate foundation.
SPPI covers the project – every party, every stage, from first design to end of the defects liability period.
What annual PI can’t protect
A project that spans years deserves cover that does the same.
On a complex project, annual PI policies held by individual parties create gaps – between parties, between policy periods, and between what the project requires and what each insurer agreed to cover. Those gaps are exactly where claims fall.
SPPI closes them. One policy. One set of terms. One insurer responding to claims across the full project team for the full duration of the project.
01
Policy cancellation mid-project
Annual PI can be cancelled or materially changed at renewal – leaving a project exposed partway through construction. SPPI is non-cancellable for the project lifecycle.
02
Limits eroded by other claims
A professional’s annual policy limit can be depleted by claims on unrelated projects. SPPI ringfences cover specifically for your project – other claims elsewhere can’t affect it.
03
Multi-insurer disputes
When multiple parties each hold their own PI policy, a claim triggers disputes between insurers about who is responsible. SPPI eliminates that entirely – one insurer, one policy, one response.
04
Latent defects post-completion
Design defects often emerge after handover. SPPI’s extended reporting period ensures claims arising post-completion are still covered – not left to whoever holds a current annual policy at the time.
“Annual PI covers the professional. SPPI covers the project. For a development that spans years and involves a full team, only one of those is fit for purpose.”
How SPPI protects your project
Our SPPI policy covers the full scope of professional liability arising from a single project – design errors, specification mistakes, engineering omissions, coordination failures, and cross-claims between parties – under one unified policy with one limit of indemnity.
Limits of up to R150 million are available. Cover can run for up to 60 months through the construction and defects liability period, with a further 36-month extension available. Premiums are agreed upfront and remain fixed – making it straightforward to budget and forecast from day one.
❌ Annual PI policies per party
Each party holds their own policy – terms, limits, and insurers vary across the team
Limits can be eroded by claims on unrelated projects before yours is complete
Policies can be cancelled or changed at renewal, leaving the project without cover
Claims trigger disputes between multiple insurers, delaying resolution and driving up costs
✔ WITH SSPI COVER
One policy covers all parties – employer, contractor, subcontractors, and consultants
Non-cancellable for the project lifecycle – no gaps, no renewal risk
Fixed premiums agreed upfront simplify budgeting across the project lifecycle
Cross-claims between parties are covered – disputes between insurers are eliminated
Four ways to structure your SPPI
SPPI policies are not uniform. Each structure allocates indemnity differently depending on who arranges the cover and which parties are named insureds. The right structure depends on your project’s contractual framework.
Principal Controlled Design & Construct
Arranged by the Developer/ Owner/ Employer. Covers all contracted parties – consultants, contractors, and suppliers – delivering professional services on the project. The broadest form of SPPI.
Turnkey Contractor Controlled
Purchased by the Turnkey Contractor. Covers all parties contracted to the Turnkey Contractor for professional services. The Developer/ Owner/ Employer is not a named insured under this structure.
Developer, Owner & Professionals Only
Covers only professionals directly contracted to the Developer/ Owner/ Employer. Contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors are excluded. The Developer/ Owner/ Employer is a named insured.
Professional Team Only
Purchased by the lead professional – typically the architect or engineer. Covers the professional team only. The Developer/ Owner/ Employer should be named as an insured, allowing them to call directly on the policy without first pursuing legal action against the team.
Built for the construction and built environment
SPPI is designed for any project where professional services – design, engineering, surveying, project management, or specialist consultancy – are delivered by a team, and where the project owner, developer, or financier needs certainty that cover will respond for the full project lifecycle.
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Project Owners & Developers
Gain control over the scope and limits of cover across your entire contracted team, aligned to your project’s specific risk profile.
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EPC & Design-Build Contractors
Where design responsibility is integrated with construction delivery, SPPI covers the full professional liability exposure of the combined role.
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Consulting Professionals
Architects, engineers, surveyors, project managers, and specialist consultants – all covered under a single, consistent policy for the project duration.
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Joint Ventures & Consortia
Complex and large-scale developments involving multiple collaborating entities get unified protection under one policy – regardless of how liability is allocated between parties.
SPPI should be secured before any design or construction activity commences – the earlier cover is in place, the more complete the protection across the project lifecycle.
Why Leppard
Over 30 years in professional indemnity
Our SPPI division brings together underwriting expertise and real-world engineering experience – a combination that shapes every policy we write and every claim we manage. We understand what projects look like from the inside, not just from a policy document.
Sector-specific underwriting
Leppard has over 30 years of Professional Indemnity expertise. Our SPPI team is led by Vanessa Kleber, a seasoned PI underwriter with deep experience in the built environment, supported by Izak Viljoen – a professional engineering technologist who brings hands-on project experience to every submission.
Plain language policies
Our policies are written to be understood. Clear language means all insured parties – not just lawyers – know what the policy covers, how claims are triggered, and what to do when something goes wrong on site.
Limits up to R100 million
Coverage options include an aggregate basis or aggregate plus one reinstatement – providing flexibility to match the project’s risk profile and the requirements of owners, lenders, and investors.
Prestige claims panel
When a claim is notified, it’s handled by a specialist claims team supported by a prestigious panel of attorneys – ensuring fast, expert response across all aspects of the policy and claims lifecycle.
Your project represents years of planning and significant investment. Protect it with cover that was built for it – not adapted from something else.
SPPI should be in place before any design or construction activity begins. Talk to our Single Projects PI team today to structure cover around your project.
