Project manager reviewing plans on site representing professional indemnity insurance for project managers

Project Manager PI Insurance

Professional Indemnity cover for project managers - protection for the programming, cost, coordination and contract-administration advice your clients rely on.

$20M+

Limits Available

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THE SHORT ANSWER

Project manager PI insurance is Professional Indemnity cover for the programming, cost, coordination and contract-administration advice your clients act on. It responds when a client alleges your project management work was negligent and caused them financial loss - covering programme delays, cost-plan errors, coordination failures, contract-administration mistakes and the legal defence costs that follow, including for claims that are ultimately unproven.

Project management advice sits in a category insurers treat carefully, because an error can flow into a delay or overrun far larger than your fee - if you've been declined, we map the specialist markets that write mixed advice-and-delivery roles.

Your clients act on your programme, budget and coordination. When something slips, Professional Indemnity insurance protects you from claims that your advice caused the loss.

Contract Requirement

PI is commonly required by client contracts, government panels and head-contractor agreements. We arrange cover that meets the limit your contracts call for.

Advice-Led Exposure

Your exposure sits in the advice: programmes, cost plans, sequencing and coordination. A single error can flow into a delay or overrun far larger than your fee.

WHY TANK INSURANCE

Why project managers work with us

Project management PI sits in a category insurers treat carefully, because the advice can drive losses many times the fee. We work with insurers who understand project delivery risk, tailor the wording to what you actually do, and arrange the limits your contracts require.

Project team reviewing a construction programme representing project manager professional liability

01

Project Delivery Risk

We work with insurers who understand programming, cost management, superintendence and coordination - and the claims that arise from them.

02

Contract-Ready Limits

Government panels and head contractors set the limit you must hold. We arrange $5M, $10M, $20M or higher where your contracts require it.

03

Wording That Fits Your Role

Construction, infrastructure, fit-out or IT project management each carry different exposures. We tailor the cover to your actual services.

04

Hard-to-Place Support

Mixed advice-and-delivery roles can be tricky to write. If you have been declined, we map the specialist markets that will.

PROFESSIONAL RISKS

Risks project managers face

Your professional liability sits in the decisions and advice that shape a project's time, cost and coordination.

Programme and scheduling errors causing project delays
Budget or cost-plan errors leading to overruns
Scope and specification coordination failures
Contract administration and superintendent mistakes
Failing to identify a consultant's or contractor's error
Procurement, tender or contract advice errors
Progress reporting or certification mistakes
Negligent advice on feasibility, methodology or sequencing

POLICY SCOPE

What Project Manager PI Insurance Covers

Professional Indemnity for project managers is designed to respond to claims arising from your project management advice and services.

Construction project under management representing project manager PI coverage
Construction project under management representing project manager PI coverage

Usually Covered

Negligent project management advice or services
Programme, scheduling and delay-related claims
Cost-plan and budget-estimate errors
Coordination and contract-administration mistakes
Legal defence costs, including for unproven claims
Contract-required limits for commercial and government work

Not Typically Covered

Intentional wrongdoing or fraud
Property damage or bodily injury (Public Liability covers this)
The liabilities of the consultants and contractors you engage
Known issues not disclosed to the insurer
Contractual guarantees beyond reasonable professional duty
Fines or penalties

This is a general guide only. What is and isn't covered depends on the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions of your specific policy.

PI OR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT?

The right cover follows your scope of works

Project management PI responds to your advice. The moment your role extends into the construction itself, a different policy does the heavy lifting. We look at where your responsibility actually sits on a project before we place anything - getting that line right is what stops a gap opening up later.

Client-Side Project Management

Professional Indemnity

If you are purely managing the project on the client's side - programming, cost control, superintendence and coordination - Professional Indemnity is the cover. It responds to claims that your advice or management caused a financial loss.

  • Advice, programming and coordination
  • Contract administration and superintendence
  • No direct responsibility for the physical build

Involved In Or Responsible For The Build

Design and Construct

If at any point you become involved in the construction itself, or take on responsibility for it, a Design and Construct policy is usually the better fit. It responds to the construct as well, not just the advice, so you are not left with a gap between your PI and the physical works.

  • Design responsibility carried into delivery
  • Involvement in, or responsibility for, the build
  • Cover that responds to the works, not only the advice

Not sure which side of the line you sit on? That judgement is exactly what we work through with you. Tell us what you actually do on a project and we will structure the cover - PI, Design and Construct, or both - around it. Talk to a broker.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATION

Project management scenarios

These examples represent the types of situations Professional Indemnity is designed to address for project managers.

01

A programme error delays practical completion and the principal pursues a delay claim.

02

A cost plan understates the budget and the client alleges the overrun flowed from the advice.

03

A coordination gap between consultants leads to rework and a dispute over who is responsible.

04

A superintendent's certification or instruction under the contract is challenged.

05

Tender or procurement advice is alleged to have caused the client a financial loss.

06

A reporting omission means a risk is not escalated and the client claims resulting loss.

01

A programme error delays practical completion and the principal pursues a delay claim.

02

A cost plan understates the budget and the client alleges the overrun flowed from the advice.

03

A coordination gap between consultants leads to rework and a dispute over who is responsible.

04

A superintendent's certification or instruction under the contract is challenged.

05

Tender or procurement advice is alleged to have caused the client a financial loss.

06

A reporting omission means a risk is not escalated and the client claims resulting loss.

CASE STUDIES

Project managers we've placed

Real project management placements from our PI book - each taken to multiple insurers, including markets that referred or declined, before we found the right one. Follow any case for the full story.

Premiums and outcomes described are specific to each client and indicative only. Your own terms will depend on your circumstances and the insurer.

QUESTIONS

Project Manager PI - Frequently Asked Questions

If you provide project management advice or services for a fee - programming, cost management, superintendence, procurement or coordination - you carry professional liability for that advice. PI insurance responds when a client alleges your work caused them financial loss. It is also frequently required by client contracts and head-contractor agreements.
It responds to claims that your project management services were negligent and caused financial loss - for example programme delays, cost-plan errors, coordination failures, contract administration mistakes or reporting omissions - subject to the policy terms. It also funds legal defence costs, including for claims that are ultimately unproven.
The right limit depends on the value of the projects you manage and what your contracts require, not just your fee income. Project managers on larger commercial, government or infrastructure work often need $5M, $10M or higher - see our guide to high-limit PI.
There is no single national requirement, but PI is very commonly mandated by client contracts, government panels and head-contractor agreements, and by some industry memberships. In practice, commercial tenders and government panels routinely require it, so project managers generally need PI to win and keep that work.
Your policy covers your liability for your own professional services, including your coordination role. It does not insure other parties - the consultants and contractors you engage should carry their own PI and liability cover. We can help you understand where your responsibility starts and stops.
The risks overlap but are not identical - a construction manager typically carries more on-site delivery and trade exposure, while a project manager's exposure centres on advice, programming and coordination. We tailor the wording to what you actually do. See our construction manager PI page if that fits you better.
Then PI on its own may not be the right structure. If you are purely managing the project from the client's side, Professional Indemnity responds to your advice. But if at any point you become involved in the construction itself, or take on responsibility for it, a Design and Construct policy is usually the better fit, because it responds to the construct as well as the advice. We look at your actual scope of works before recommending cover.

RELATED COVER & GUIDES

Related professional indemnity cover

Speak with a broker who arranges PI for project managers across construction, infrastructure and IT.

Talk to a Specialist Broker

PI Insurance for Project Managers

From single commercial fit-outs to government infrastructure programmes, we arrange Professional Indemnity that matches your role and the limits your contracts require.

Last updated: 17/06/2026

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