Hutch completes its construction coverage suite

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As Australian construction firms battle cost pressures and regulatory changes, one underwriter is redesigning insurance products from the ground up

WITH THE November launch of its PI Design & Construct and PI Trades wordings, Hutch Underwriting’s expanded product suite now offers comprehensive digital packages for brokers’ whole span of clients – builders, trades and design professionals. Dominique Vagi, Hutch’s chief underwriting officer and co-founder, says Hutch is focused on removing the friction from complex insurance. Backed by Lloyd’s and other insurers, Hutch combines technology, technical underwriting and claims expertise to better service brokers’ needs. “With even simple clients having increasingly complex needs, we’re focused on making brokers’ lives easier with comprehensive packages they can quickly tailor to their clients’ requirements,” says Vagi.

Hutch Underwriting is a digital underwriting agency built for brokers. Specialising in construction and trades, property and financial lines, Hutch delivers faster quotes, smarter underwriting and fewer headaches through Ebix Sunrise Exchange and SCTP. With products backed by Lloyd’s and other insurers, Hutch combines clear wordings with genuine underwriting expertise, helping brokers find the clear way to better cover. Based in Sydney and supported by an in-house claims team, Hutch continues to design products that simplify the complex and give brokers confidence from quote to claim.

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NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020: PI insurance

The NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 requires registered design and building practitioners to hold adequate professional indemnity insurance. Key obligations include:

registration for design, principal design and building practitioners

“Technology should make brokers’ lives easier, not replace relationships. Platforms give brokers the convenience they want, but our underwriters still sit behind every quote”

Dominique Vagi, Hutch Underwriting

Hutch launched its innovative digital Annual Construction product on Sunrise Exchange two and a half years ago and has gone from strength to strength ever since. “Brokers tell us they love the speed – it’s just five minutes to tailor a comprehensive quote across Material Damage, Liabs [liability insurance] and Cyber, and the Sunrise Exchange integration means once bound, there’s essentially no admin,” says Vagi. It’s targeted at residential and commercial builders with up to $50 million in turnover and projects valued at up to $10 million. Automation means most established businesses with under $10 million in turnover will go straight through, while brokers can declare projects and self-serve certificates of currency, quote and bind through Sunrise, and still access the underwriting team when needed. Renewals are streamlined, with declared projects pre-populated for review. The wording allows brokers to place multiple sites under one policy with consistent terms, including DE4 (Defective Design Exclusion 4) cover as standard for physical damage arising from defective design, materials or workmanship. The product also includes innovative automatic Cyber liability and social engineering cover, as well as optional Public and Products Liability covers.

Hutch repeated its formula with its Trade Pack product, solving an issue Vagi refers to as the “five quotes for one client” problem. “Previously, brokers had two bad options for trades clients – either placing multiple standalone policies, with all the admin that entails, or shoehorning them into a package with non-specific coverage. “Trade Pack solves that with specific practical coverage that’s modular and fast,” says Vagi. “It offers liability, tools, tax audit, mobile plant, cyber and personal accident options in one quote with limits that reflect how trades actually operate.”

Trade Pack targets businesses with a turnover of up to $5 million and contractor payments of up to $500,000. Automation means most risks will go straight through, while underwriters remain available for complex referrals. Self-service certificates and the ability to note interested parties keep jobs moving. “The goal was to simplify the admin and broaden out the coverage, so that even if a small client needs multiple covers it can still be placed in five minutes.”

Also launched on 14 November, Hutch’s PI Design & Construct wording is for registered builders who have design responsibilities and any other obligations under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020. Backed by Lloyd’s, it addresses exposures around design, documentation and supervision that traditional policies often exclude.

“Brokers can now manage their entire construction client base within one ecosystem – from trade businesses to large builders and design professionals. That breadth of expertise is what sets Hutch apart”

Dominique Vagi, Hutch Underwriting

Hutch’s PI for Architects & Engineers combined liability wording gives consultants and technical professionals a clear, consistent structure for both professional indemnity and public liability. It addresses design-related risks, project documentation and advisory services, with optional extensions tailored to complex project environments. Together with the new PI for Trades and D&C wordings, it completes Hutch’s financial lines framework for the construction sector.

digital construction site with glowing building structure and cranes, showcasing advanced technology and innovation in architecture and engineering

Trade Pack: one fast quote instead of five

PI for Architects & Engineers: clarity for design professionals

Published 01 Dec 2025

compliance declarations for regulated designs and building work

maintenance of professional indemnity cover that aligns with scope of practice

The reforms aim to improve building quality, accountability and consumer confidence.

Source: NSW Fair Trading, Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020

Hutch insurance package tailored for tradies

Source: Hutch Underwriting Trade Pack Product Fact Sheet (May 2025)

Included as standard:

Broadform Public & Products Liability (up to $20m)

Optional cover for:

General Property – Tools, Stock, Office Equipment, Leased Premises Fixtures and Fittings, Glass

Tax Audit up to $100,000

Cyber up to $25,000

Individual Personal Accident & Illness up to Prime Benefit $150,000, and Weekly Benefit up to $1,500 for up to 104 weeks

Mobile Plant up to $250,000

Registered Mobile Plant Liability up to $20m

Annual Construction: digital, fast and DE4 included

Hutch’s new professional indemnity (PI) wording for tradespeople, launched on 14 November, responds to a growing requirement for advice, reports and design-related documentation, particularly under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 in NSW. Most general liability policies don’t respond to these exposures. Hutch’s wording addresses professional services such as advice, reports or specifications without straying into full design-and-construct territory. It includes clear guidance on limits, retroactivity and optional extensions, allowing brokers to quote within minutes on Sunrise. “This wording removes ambiguity by spelling out where professional liability begins and ends,” says Vagi. “No jargon. Just practical, balanced cover brokers can explain in one sentence.”

PI for Trades: bridging the compliance gap

PI for Design & Construct: purpose-built

The wording provides clarity on novated contracts, proportionate liability and subcontractor arrangements, helping brokers place compliant cover without lengthy referrals. Available digitally through Sunrise, it’s the only design and construct PI product of its kind, offering instant online quoting and binding.

As more brokers adopt the Steadfast Client Trading Platform (SCTP) and Sunrise, Hutch maintains a balance between efficiency and relationships. “Technology should make brokers’ lives easier, not replace relationships,” says Vagi. “Platforms give brokers the convenience they want, but our underwriters still sit behind every quote.” Hutch’s product development starts with broker conversations, not spreadsheets. “Underwriters spend their days talking to brokers, discussing where there are

Technology plus underwriters, not technology instead of underwriters

opportunities to enhance wordings, where a referral took too long. That feedback shapes the next iteration.”

These launches mark a significant step for Hutch’s construction and trades and financial lines portfolios. “Brokers can now manage their entire construction client base within one ecosystem – from trade businesses to large builders and design professionals,” says Vagi. “That breadth of expertise is what sets Hutch apart.” Vagi adds that personalised training and continuing professional development accredited sessions will continue to play a significant role. “Helping brokers understand how these wordings fit together means they can give clearer advice to their clients. That shared investment in knowledge keeps the industry moving.”

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