GIS Consultant Errors & Omissions/Professional Liability Insurance?

Question

Hi all,

For the GIS consultants out there, which insurance company do you use for Errors & Omissions/Professional Liability insurance? I am working with a local insurance agent to obtain my insurance so I can consult but they said my application was declined by all but one company whose quote came back at $2,217 per year which seems high. My agent said my application was declined because, according to the underwriters, “everyone has the capability to perform GIS work in-house so there is no need for my services.” Ha! 🙂

Thank you in advance for any information you are able to provide.

Courtney360 · Answer

Thanks everyone for your input. I am going through a different agent now and we'll see what he comes up with. I will post the results once I have them as I feel this info will be relevant to someone in the future. Thanks again.

ThomasHoman · Answer

Hi @Courtney360

It's amazing how little others know about us so I am not surprised at your response. Kudos for reaching out and looking to position yourself as a professional. The hard part of the underwriters is that GIS is truly an umbrella type of platform - it touches any and everything that has any spatial relevance and therein is the problem. An error in a watershed analysis is of different magnitude than an Indoors project where a wall is placed wrong.

While I cannot offer you the name of an agent, my suggestion would be to reach out to other fields that are close to the field where you intend to work. If you are going to do outdoor work involving contour generation you might try and connect with independent land surveyors. If you are doing indoor work maybe look for a solo architect.

In the end, the insurance coverage is going to come down to their perceived risk for the product(s) you create so you need to help the insurers understand where market similarities are relevant. $200 per month might not be bad at all since you have nothing to compare it to.

Respectfully,

Tom

BrandonA_CDPH · Answer

@Courtney360 - First of all, if "everyone has the capability", why are there so many companies looking for GIS consultants? 😄But, besides that...

My wife is a handmade goods artist. Not sure if it provides the kind of coverage you need, but she uses ACT (Artist and Craft Show Liability Insurance | ACT Insurance). They have really reasonable rates for general liability insurance for "makers" (and, if you ever want to produce map art and show it - they provide additional insureds for shows).

I have a gov job right now but have been exploring the consulting field. I am curious to hear more about what others,like yourself, have found in the insurance space.