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ACE Advantage® Architects and Engineers Professional Liability

The challenges facing today’s Design Professional are more numerous than ever: broadening contractual requirements, expanding theories of liability, new developments in design technologies, increased emphasis on sustainability and the rising, sometimes unrealistic, expectations of clients are just a few. In addition to threatening a design professional’s financial stability, litigation damages the reputations that design professionals work tirelessly to build. ACE Advantage® Architects and Engineers Professional Liability provides coverage for traditional design professional disciplines for numerous perils including professional negligence, pollution incidents, personal injury, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Federal Fair Housing Act (FFHA), Occupational Safety and Health Acts (OSHA), and other exposures.

Benefits:

  • Claims and underwriting expertise
  • Regional offices provide customers with countrywide access to underwriters knowledgeable about local issues
  • Flexible underwriting approach
  • The financial strength of ACE

Coverage:

  • Supplemental coverages for pre-claims assistance: ADA, FFHA and OSHA fines sanctions or penalties; and insured expense and loss of earning reimbursement
  • Broad professional services definition
  • Blanket additional insured status for all clients of named insured under (CPL)
  • Innocent insureds coverage
  • Joint venture coverage
  • Predecessor firm coverage
  • Automatic subsidiary coverage up to 90 days
  • Punitive damages with most favorable venue
  • Claims mediation credit up to $25,000
  • Supplemental coverage for Insured expense reimbursement $300 per/day
  • No lead or asbestos exclusion

Limits

Up to $15 million

Client Profile

  • Architecture
  • Land Surveyors
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Construction Managers
  • Interior Designers
  • Land Planners
  • Space Planners
  • Technical Consultants
  • Various Engineering Disciplines

Claims Examples

  • An architectural firm provided complete design and construction oversight services for the construction of a new city hall building. The project ran $24 million over budget and the city brought suit against the design and construction teams alleging design errors and deficiencies accounting for $8 million in specified damages. The case was settled for $5.6 million.
  • A civil engineer provided design and construction oversight of an Interstate expansion project in Northern California. During the construction, an auto accident occurred in the construction zone resulting in three deaths and two traumatic injuries. The surviving parties brought suit against the civil engineer alleging the firm failed to recommend adequate signage in the construction zone creating unsafe driving conditions. The claim was settled for $1 million.
  • A land surveyor provided surveying and staking services for a residential housing development project. The firm used inaccurate reference points when shooting the survey which resulted in errors during the staking of the site. The errors were not discovered until the site had been graded. The owner of the project brought suit alleging professional negligence. The case was settled for $1.3 million.
  • A HVAC engineer provided design and installation services for the construction of a new high school. Design errors created mold issues in the pool/gymnasium wing that resulted in student and faculty respiratory ailments. Suit was brought against the engineer and the case was settled for $3.8 million.

 

The claim scenarios described here are hypothetical and are offered solely to illustrate the types of situations that may result in claims. These scenarios are not based on actual claims and should not be compared to an actual claim. The precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to the terms and conditions of the policies as issued. Whether or to what extent a particular loss is covered depends on the facts and circumstances of the loss, the terms and conditions of the policy as issued and applicable law.