Contract Review
As your broker, we can assist you in reviewing the insurance requirements, traps and pitfalls contained in many contracts, preferably before you sign them. This may include:
- contracts to lease premises
- contracts to purchase goods or services
- contracts to provide goods or services
- labour hire agreements
- tenancy agreements
- other lease or hire agreements
Most contracts that you are asked to sign have likely been drawn up by the other party and therefore will probably be written to favour of that other party.
Whilst we are not in the business of providing legal advice, and we strongly recommend you do seek legal advice from your legal service provider, we are however licenced and qualified to provide professional insurance advice. We can provide you with valuable input on the scope of cover your current insurance program has and what needs to be done to comply with the insurance requirements of the contract.
Some contracts have conditions in them that are practically impossible to have agreed by insurers and consequently if you sign such contracts they could jeopardise or even invalidate your insurance. We also draw your attention to the dangers of contractual indemnity and hold harmless clauses which, if unaddressed, could have a devastating effect on your business.
We assist thousands of our clients to review contracts and can often assist them by highlighting contract clauses that should be changed or deleted and/or negotiate with their insurers to provide extensions or endorsements suitable to meet those contractual requirements. If any changes are required to the actual contract wording then we always recommend these be done via a qualified legal practice.
Please contact your EBM Account Manager before you sign your next contract. If you have already signed contracts your Account Manager can advise you and possibly help address some exposures, however it is a lot more difficult after the contract is signed.