Project Insurance Claims and Risk Transfer Course

Course Introduction

Project insurance claims and risk transfer are essential components of effective project risk management, helping organizations protect financial resources, manage contractual exposure, and recover from unexpected losses. Projects across construction, infrastructure, engineering, energy, manufacturing, and other sectors may face physical damage, delays, third-party liabilities, professional errors, equipment breakdowns, and other insurable events. This course equips participants with the knowledge and practical techniques required to identify insurable exposures, select appropriate insurance arrangements, manage policy obligations, and pursue claims efficiently while maintaining alignment with project objectives and commercial commitments.

Successful insurance planning begins with understanding the relationship between project risks, contractual responsibilities, policy coverage, exclusions, deductibles, and financial consequences. A policy may appear comprehensive yet contain limitations that affect the recovery of a particular loss, while poorly drafted contractual provisions can leave an organization exposed to liabilities it cannot transfer effectively. Participants examine how insurance requirements should be developed from project-specific risk assessments, procurement strategies, delivery models, and stakeholder obligations. Emphasis is placed on identifying coverage gaps before work begins and ensuring that risk transfer arrangements are commercially appropriate, clearly documented, and consistent with actual project exposure.

The course provides a structured approach to managing insurance claims from the initial incident through notification, evidence preservation, loss assessment, insurer engagement, negotiation, settlement, and final recovery. Participants explore the importance of prompt reporting, accurate incident records, contemporaneous documentation, independent technical assessments, financial substantiation, and compliance with policy conditions. They also learn how to distinguish insured losses from uninsured costs, identify potential recovery opportunities, and avoid common mistakes that can delay settlement or weaken a claim. Practical attention is given to coordinating project teams, insurers, brokers, adjusters, legal advisors, contractors, and finance personnel throughout the claims process.

Effective risk transfer requires more than purchasing insurance. Organizations must determine which risks should be retained, insured, allocated contractually, mitigated operationally, or shared among project participants. The course examines insurance procurement, indemnity provisions, liability allocation, subcontractor insurance, additional insured requirements where applicable, waivers of subrogation, and evidence of coverage. Participants assess how insurance arrangements interact with limitation-of-liability clauses, liquidated damages, warranties, force majeure provisions, and dispute resolution mechanisms. They also explore the implications of inconsistent policy wording, inadequate limits, overlapping coverage, uninsured deductibles, and contractual commitments that exceed available insurance protection.

Participants will develop practical skills for evaluating claims involving property damage, construction defects where covered, equipment losses, third-party bodily injury or property damage, professional liability, business interruption, and project delay-related exposures subject to policy terms. The program addresses the distinction between physical damage and financial consequences, including the circumstances in which delay in start-up, advance loss of profits, business interruption, or other specialist coverages may respond. Participants also learn to analyze claim quantum, assess deductibles and sublimits, review adjuster findings, reconcile contractor and insurer positions, and maintain transparent records of recoveries, outstanding reserves, and unresolved coverage issues.

By completing this course, participants will be better prepared to coordinate insurance planning, evaluate risk transfer effectiveness, manage claims documentation, and improve communication between project, commercial, legal, finance, and risk management functions. They will gain a practical framework for reducing avoidable claim delays, strengthening policy compliance, improving recovery visibility, and learning from loss events. The resulting capabilities support more resilient project delivery, stronger contractual discipline, more informed insurance purchasing decisions, and improved protection of organizational assets and stakeholder interests throughout the project lifecycle.

Duration

5 days

Who Should Attend

• Project managers and project directors responsible for delivery risk, insurance coordination, contractual compliance, and project financial performance.

• Project risk managers and enterprise risk professionals involved in risk transfer strategies, insurance assessments, and exposure management.

• Insurance and claims managers overseeing policy placement, claims notification, documentation, negotiation, and settlement.

• Commercial managers and contract administrators responsible for insurance clauses, indemnities, liability allocation, and contractual risk provisions.

• Procurement and supply chain professionals involved in insurance requirements for suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, and service providers.

• Finance managers and project accountants responsible for loss quantification, claim reserves, recovery tracking, and financial reconciliation.

• Legal counsel and contract specialists advising on coverage disputes, contractual liabilities, recovery rights, and settlement agreements.

• Insurance brokers and risk advisors supporting project insurance placement, policy review, claims advocacy, and coverage optimization.

• Construction managers, engineering professionals, and site supervisors responsible for incident reporting, evidence preservation, and loss mitigation.

• Internal auditors and compliance professionals reviewing insurance governance, policy compliance, claim controls, and recovery procedures.

• Quantity surveyors, cost engineers, and project controls specialists supporting the valuation and substantiation of insured project losses.

• Asset managers and facilities professionals responsible for property protection, equipment insurance, and operational loss recovery.

• Claims adjusters and loss assessors seeking to strengthen their understanding of project delivery processes, contract interfaces, and claims documentation.

• Executives, project sponsors, and steering committee members overseeing material risk exposure, insurance adequacy, and financial recovery decisions.

Course Objectives

• Explain the principles of project insurance, risk transfer, risk retention, indemnification, and financial recovery across different project delivery models and industry environments.

• Identify project-specific insurable exposures by examining physical assets, construction activities, third-party liabilities, professional services, equipment, and operational dependencies.

• Evaluate insurance policies, schedules, endorsements, exclusions, deductibles, sublimits, conditions, and limits to determine the practical scope of available protection.

• Develop risk transfer strategies that align insurance arrangements with project risk assessments, contractual obligations, organizational risk appetite, and commercial priorities.

• Interpret contractual insurance and indemnity provisions to identify responsibility gaps, conflicting obligations, uninsured commitments, and potential recovery limitations.

• Manage the insurance claims lifecycle through timely notification, incident documentation, evidence preservation, loss assessment, insurer communication, and settlement monitoring.

• Prepare substantiated claims by organizing technical evidence, financial records, repair estimates, contractual documentation, and supporting calculations in a traceable format.

• Assess claim values, deductibles, policy limits, sublimits, depreciation, salvage, mitigation expenses, and other relevant adjustments in accordance with applicable policy wording.

• Coordinate project teams, brokers, insurers, adjusters, contractors, legal advisors, and finance personnel to resolve information gaps and support efficient claims decisions.

• Establish insurance governance and continuous improvement procedures that strengthen coverage adequacy, claims performance, recovery reporting, and organizational resilience.

Comprehensive Course Outline

Module 1: Foundations of Project Insurance and Risk Transfer

• Explain the role of insurance in project risk management, including financial protection, liability management, recovery planning, and continuity of project delivery.

• Distinguish between risk avoidance, mitigation, contractual transfer, insurance transfer, risk sharing, and retention through deductibles or uninsured exposures.

• Examine how project scope, location, construction methods, delivery arrangements, asset values, and stakeholder responsibilities influence insurance requirements.

• Establish the responsibilities of project teams, risk managers, brokers, insurers, claims professionals, and legal advisors throughout the insurance lifecycle.

Module 2: Project Risk Identification and Insurance Needs Assessment

• Identify insurable exposures associated with construction works, permanent assets, temporary facilities, equipment, materials, personnel, and third-party property.

• Assess potential losses arising from fire, flood, accidental damage, theft, equipment breakdown, transit incidents, and other relevant insured perils.

• Evaluate third-party liability, professional negligence, environmental exposure, business interruption, and project delay risks according to the project's characteristics.

• Develop an insurance needs assessment that connects identified exposures with potential coverage, risk mitigation measures, and residual uninsured liabilities.

Module 3: Project Insurance Policies, Coverage, and Limitations

• Review the purpose and scope of construction all risks, erection all risks, property damage, public liability, professional indemnity, and other relevant project policies.

• Examine policy schedules, definitions, endorsements, exclusions, deductibles, sublimits, waiting periods, conditions precedent, and notification requirements.

• Assess specialist coverage for marine cargo, contractors' plant and equipment, delay in start-up, advance loss of profits, and business interruption where appropriate.

• Identify gaps caused by inadequate limits, overlapping policies, inconsistent wording, excluded activities, insufficient extensions, and changes in project scope.

Module 4: Contractual Risk Allocation and Insurance Requirements

• Interpret insurance, indemnity, hold-harmless, liability limitation, and waiver provisions to understand how project losses are allocated among contracting parties.

• Develop insurance schedules and contractual requirements that specify required policy types, coverage limits, policy periods, and acceptable evidence of insurance.

• Evaluate contractor and subcontractor insurance submissions to identify insufficient limits, exclusions, expired policies, and gaps in required coverage.

• Examine interactions between insurance obligations, warranties, delay damages, force majeure, professional responsibilities, and contractual dispute resolution provisions.

Module 5: Insurance Procurement, Placement, and Policy Administration

• Prepare insurance submission information covering project scope, contract value, construction methodology, location, risk controls, claims history, and relevant exposure details.

• Evaluate quotations and coverage alternatives by comparing limits, exclusions, deductibles, extensions, insurer requirements, premiums, and potential uninsured costs.

• Coordinate with brokers and insurers to clarify coverage wording, negotiate suitable endorsements, confirm insured parties, and document material assumptions.

• Establish controls for policy issuance, premium payment, renewal, endorsements, certificates, asset updates, and compliance with ongoing policy conditions.

Module 6: Claims Notification, Incident Management, and Evidence Preservation

• Establish procedures for immediate incident reporting, internal escalation, insurer notification, emergency response, and compliance with policy-specific time limits.

• Preserve photographs, inspection records, witness statements, damaged materials, maintenance logs, delivery notes, and other relevant contemporaneous evidence.

• Coordinate emergency repairs and loss mitigation activities while documenting decisions, incurred expenses, and any necessary actions taken before insurer inspection.

• Maintain a clear chronology of events, correspondence, decisions, and responsibilities to support claim traceability and reduce avoidable disputes.

Module 7: Claim Preparation, Loss Quantification, and Substantiation

• Assemble claim files containing policy information, incident reports, contracts, technical assessments, repair quotations, invoices, and supporting financial records.

• Quantify eligible physical damage, replacement costs, repair expenses, mitigation expenditure, and other potentially recoverable losses under applicable policy terms.

• Assess the effects of deductibles, sublimits, underinsurance, depreciation, salvage, betterment, and other adjustments on the potential claim recovery.

• Reconcile claim calculations with project accounts, cost reports, asset registers, contractor submissions, and supporting evidence to maintain financial accuracy.

Module 8: Insurer Engagement, Adjustment, Negotiation, and Settlement

• Understand the roles of insurers, loss adjusters, forensic accountants, engineers, brokers, legal advisors, and other specialists during claim investigation and adjustment.

• Respond to information requests with organized evidence, clear explanations, consistent financial calculations, and documented clarification of disputed facts.

• Evaluate differences between claimed losses, adjusted amounts, coverage positions, policy interpretations, and settlement proposals using evidence and contractual context.

• Monitor claim progress, unresolved coverage issues, settlement conditions, recovery timelines, and escalation options while preserving relevant contractual and legal rights.

Module 9: Complex Claims, Coverage Disputes, and Recovery Challenges

• Analyze complex losses involving multiple contractors, concurrent causes, design and construction interfaces, damaged equipment, and interdependent project activities.

• Examine coverage disputes involving exclusions, policy conditions, causation, late notification, valuation disagreements, and competing interpretations of policy wording.

• Evaluate the relationship between insured losses, contractual recovery, third-party liability, subrogation, contribution between insurers, and other potential recovery routes.

• Develop proportionate escalation and dispute management strategies with appropriate legal, technical, financial, and insurance advice for material claims.

Module 10: Insurance Governance, Performance Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement

• Establish insurance registers, claims trackers, renewal calendars, coverage summaries, responsibility matrices, and document controls for effective project oversight.

• Develop key performance indicators for notification timeliness, claim cycle duration, recovery rates, outstanding claim values, and unresolved coverage exposure.

• Conduct post-claim reviews to identify weaknesses in incident response, policy placement, contractor compliance, documentation, and loss prevention arrangements.

• Integrate lessons learned into future project risk assessments, procurement specifications, contract templates, insurance strategies, and organizational risk governance.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808

Training Venue 

The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.

Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808

Terms of Payment:

Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.