How to present your practice to PI underwriters — the renewal pack template
A working template for UK regulated firms preparing a professional indemnity renewal. Section-by-section prompts, an example filled-in extract, and a downloadable version you can adapt to your practice.
Reviewed by Matthew Bartlett, Director, Apex Insurance Brokers Limited · Published 16 July 2026
Why a proper renewal pack matters
Professional indemnity underwriters price on the story as much as the numbers. Two firms with identical fee income, identical headcount and identical claims records can receive materially different terms depending on how the risk is presented. The pack that lands on an underwriter’s desk is the firm’s only chance to explain who they are, what they do, and why they are a sensible risk to write.
Firms that treat the renewal pack as a compliance exercise — last year’s document with the dates changed — tend to receive last year’s treatment. Firms that use the renewal as an opportunity to give the underwriter a considered, current picture of the practice tend to see the difference reflected in the questions asked, the rating applied and, at times, the appetite of markets who would otherwise decline.
The Insurance Act 2015 requires a fair presentation of the risk for commercial customers. That is a legal duty, not a marketing exercise. But nothing in the Act stops a firm from presenting the material facts in a way that helps the underwriter reach a considered view. A good pack does both: it satisfies the disclosure duty and it tells the story.
The template below is the structure Apex uses when preparing renewal presentations for its clients. It is provided here so that firms can run the same discipline internally, whether or not Apex places the risk.
What underwriters actually look for
Ten sections make up a considered renewal pack. Not every section will apply to every firm, and some will be longer or shorter depending on the practice, but the underwriter will expect to see each of them addressed.
Firm overview — legal structure, headcount by role, principals and senior people, regulatory status (SRA / ARB / RICS / ICAEW / FCA / ICE-IStructE / BCS as applicable), year of establishment, offices.
Fee-income breakdown — current year and forecast, split by service line and by client type. Underwriters price by discipline mix; a practice that is 80% conveyancing prices differently from one that is 80% commercial property advice.
Territorial exposure — UK, EU, US and rest-of-world percentages. Any US-facing work needs a clear description of the scope and the client base. Some markets decline US exposure altogether.
Client base concentration — any single client accounting for more than 15% of fee income, any public-sector work, any listed-corporate or PLC clients, any regulated financial-services clients. Concentration risk affects both the rating and the aggregate-limit discussion.
Notification and claims history — five years, presented as an honest narrative. Each notification: date, brief description, current status, reserves if any, and — crucially — what the firm changed in response. A notification without a remediation story reads as an unresolved risk.
Risk-management processes — engagement letters, peer review, file review, complaints handling, supervision of junior staff, use of standard forms and templates, any external quality mark (Lexcel, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials).
Regulatory correspondence — any current or recent contact from the SRA, ARB, RICS, ICAEW, ICAS, FCA, or other supervisory body. This includes routine matters (thematic reviews) as well as anything more serious. Underwriters find out about these things; better that they hear it from the firm.
Material changes year-on-year — new service lines, new senior hires, new locations, acquired practices, staff who have left with a book of work, changes to the partnership or corporate structure, changes to the outsourcing arrangements.
Aggregate limit review — current limit, requested limit, rationale. Firms whose fee income has grown materially, or who have taken on higher-value work, need to revisit the limit rather than simply renewing at the same level. Underwriters expect to see the reasoning.
Wording preferences — any specific extensions the firm values (mitigation costs, aggregation, cyber write-back where relevant, run-off provisions, defence-costs treatment) and any wording the firm is not willing to give up. Setting this out early helps the broker focus the market approach.
The template — adapt to your practice
Below is the template in a form you can copy, adapt and complete. The example text is drawn from an architects’ practice, but the structure applies to any regulated firm. Replace the example content with your own.
1. Firm overview
Set out the legal form, when the firm was established, headcount, principals, regulatory registrations, and offices. Keep to a page.
Example — architects’ practiceMeadowfield Architects LLP was established in 2011 and is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales. The practice has 14 staff based at a single office in Manchester: three members (all architects registered with the ARB), five architects, two Part 2 assistants, two technologists, one office manager and one administrator. The practice is registered with the ARB and is a Chartered Practice of the RIBA.
2. Fee-income breakdown
Give current-year actual and forecast, split by service line and by client type. Percentages are usually more useful than raw figures.
Example — service-line splitResidential (private): 42%. Residential (developer): 18%. Commercial (offices and retail): 22%. Education (independent schools): 12%. Public-sector (local authority framework): 6%. Fee income for the year to 31 March 2026 was in line with the prior year; the forecast for the year to 31 March 2027 is a modest increase driven by two commercial appointments secured in Q1.
3. Territorial exposure
UK, EU, US and RoW percentages. Any US-facing work needs a clear description of the scope.
Example100% UK. The practice does not undertake any work outside the UK and has no US-domiciled clients.
4. Client base concentration
Any client over 15% of income? Public-sector work? Listed-corporate clients? Regulated financial-services clients?
ExampleThe largest single client (a regional developer with whom the practice has worked since 2016) accounts for 14% of current-year fee income. No other client exceeds 8%. Six per cent of the book is public-sector work under a local-authority framework. The practice has no listed-corporate or regulated financial-services clients.
5. Notification and claims history
Five years, presented as a narrative. Each notification: date, description, status, reserves, and what the firm changed in response.
ExampleOne notification in the past five years. In February 2024 the practice notified a circumstance relating to a boundary-line discrepancy on a residential extension. The matter was resolved by discussion between the parties without a formal claim and the notification was closed by insurers in November 2024. In response, the practice revised its site-survey checklist to require independent verification of registered-title extents on any project involving a party-wall condition. No open notifications or claims.
ExampleAll appointments use the RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract 2020, with practice-specific amendments reviewed annually. Peer review is required on all projects with a construction value above £500,000, documented on file. The practice operates a written complaints procedure, holds ISO 9001 certification, and requires all staff to complete annual CPD in line with ARB and RIBA obligations. Cyber Essentials certified since 2022.
7. Regulatory correspondence
Anything from the ARB, RIBA, or another supervisory body in the past five years.
ExampleNo ARB or RIBA disciplinary matters. The practice participated in the ARB’s 2024 thematic review of CPD compliance; no follow-up action was required.
8. Material changes year-on-year
New services, senior hires, offices, structural changes, staff departures with a book of work.
ExampleTwo changes since the last renewal. In September 2025 the practice appointed a new senior architect with 12 years’ experience in the education sector, which supports the growth in independent-school work. In January 2026 the practice began offering Principal Designer duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 for higher-risk residential projects; this is now reflected in the fee-income split.
9. Aggregate limit review
Current limit, requested limit, rationale.
ExampleCurrent limit £2,000,000 any one claim and in the aggregate. The practice requests the same limit at renewal. The largest current project has a construction value of £3,200,000; the practice considers the current limit adequate for the current book but would be open to discussing higher limits should the pipeline of higher-value work continue to grow.
10. Wording preferences
Specific extensions valued; wordings the firm is unwilling to give up.
ExampleThe practice values mitigation-costs cover, defence costs in addition to the limit of indemnity, and a favourable aggregation clause. Cyber write-back is preferred given the practice’s cloud-based project delivery. The practice is unwilling to accept an exclusion for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022 for its residential work.
How Apex uses this
Apex uses the same discipline when placing every renewal on behalf of a client. The pack the underwriter receives is worked up with the firm over the weeks running up to renewal, not assembled at the last moment. Where a firm has not previously worked to this structure, Apex will typically walk through it with the principal on a call, capture the answers, and prepare the document for review before it goes to market.
The free template here is a step towards firms running the same discipline internally. A firm that arrives at any broker — Apex or another — with a considered pack is easier to place. Underwriters remember well-prepared submissions, and that memory tends to come back at the next renewal.
Download the Word version
A print-ready version you can save as a Word document or PDF and adapt to your practice.
How far in advance should we start the renewal pack?
For most UK regulated firms, starting the pack ten to twelve weeks before the renewal date gives underwriters the time they need to review, ask questions and quote. Firms with more complex profiles or a claims history typically benefit from starting earlier.
Do we need to disclose every incident, even ones we do not think are claims?
Yes. Circumstances that could reasonably give rise to a claim are usually notifiable under the policy conditions. The Insurance Act 2015 also requires a fair presentation of the risk at renewal for commercial customers. If in doubt, disclose.
Is a longer pack always better?
No. Underwriters prefer clarity over volume. A concise, well-structured pack that answers the questions in the template tends to work better than a lengthy narrative that buries the material information.
Who should sign off the pack before it goes to insurers?
A principal or the senior person responsible for compliance should sign off the pack. The fair-presentation duty rests with the insured, so the firm needs to be comfortable that the content is accurate and complete.
Can we use last year’s pack as a starting point?
Yes, and most firms do. Update the numbers, refresh the narrative on material changes, and re-check any regulatory correspondence or notifications. Copying last year’s pack unchanged is a common cause of avoidable questions from underwriters.
Does Apex prepare this pack for its clients?
Apex works with each client on the presentation as part of the renewal process. The template on this page is provided so that firms can run the same discipline internally, whether or not they place their PI through Apex.
If you would like Apex to prepare the pack with you, or to review a draft you have already put together, we’re on 0117 325 0027 or start a proposal online.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm reference number 724952. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. Trading address: QCS, 53 Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol BS1 4HQ. This template is provided for information; it is not a substitute for a full renewal assessment by a regulated broker.
0117 325 0027