Aon | Professional Services Practice
2022 Aon Construction Professional Liability Conference
Aon’s Construction Professional Liability team will be hosting a two day in-person event on June 1st and 2nd, 2022 at The Chicago Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel.
The world is emerging from the pandemic, and as the sluggishness experienced over the last two years recedes, we can expect renewed optimism and an increased appetite in the construction industry.
In the United States this will likely be buoyed by the injection of $65 billion from the long-awaited Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Demand may outstrip supply in many areas, and much has been spoken about the skills shortages in the construction industry. One specific area where demand may indeed outstrip supply is sufficient insurance coverage for professional liability risks. Over the past 36 months the appetite of insurers for this unique risk has been in constant flux for both project and corporate renewable professional liability programs. The lack of capacity for new policies, and unwillingness to extend existing policies, will likely drive the need to rethink traditional risk and insurance strategies.
The theme of the conference is “solutions, not problems” as we will emphasize and explore alternatives rather than dwelling on current limitations.
Each panel will feature industry leaders in construction, design, and professional liability insurance. We expect lively, inciteful debates and discussions. We hope that you can join us, in-person, in Chicago on June 1st and 2nd, 2022 at The Chicago Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel.
June 1, 2022
Registration – 3:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception – 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
June 2, 2022
Breakfast | 8:00 a.m.
All attendees are welcome to join us for breakfast
Session One
What keeps you awake at night?
Risk managers within the construction field face difficult and diverse risks – one of which is the responsibility challenges surrounding professional services. All parties to a construction project recognize the importance of effective risk management, and the financial consequences that often flow from misjudgments and professional lapses relating to design services. This panel of experienced construction risk managers will discuss current issues of critical importance to design risks and how they might look to protect their firms from professional liability claims in the future.
Moderator:
Mark Peterson, Aon
Panelists:
Brigitte Roy, WSP
Ernie Edgar, Atkins
Tammy Pike, Kiewit
Session Two
Turbulent waters for design risk: project and corporate policies
This panel will consider what alternatives are available to designers and contractors in the project professional liability arena. The panel will examine such topics as; Are higher self-insured limits inevitable and if so, how are those risks equitably distributed, Is Rectification coverage sustainable? Are extensions to project policies viable in today’s market? And are Material Variation Endorsements helpful or a hindrance?
Moderator:
Ante Petricevic
Panelists:
Dawn Gournis, AXA XL
Ted Wickenhauser, McCarthy
David Hatem, Donovan Hatem
Lunch
All attendees are welcome to join us for lunch
Session Three
Owners perspective: Real life or simply fantasy
Do owners understand the protection professional liability offers them? Should owners control Material Variation Endorsements? Owners Protective Professional Indemnity a solution or just an additional cost? Should rectification and mitigation be excluded from project policies? Defense costs outside the professional liability policy limits?
Moderator:
Michael Earp
Panelists:
Jaap Vrolijk, Bechtel
Yukiko Kojima, Nossaman
Scott Nissen, Aon
Session Four
Geotech Risks: Whose land is it anyway?
Unidentified geological conditions are creating significant problems for engineers, architects and design-build contractors on both civil and building projects. Far too often differing site condition risks are being shifted via contract resulting in inequitable, and sometimes disastrous, results. This panel will analyze what you need to know to get “grounded” when submitting your bids, and how owners, contractors, and design professionals, may consider the incorporation of more equitable risk sharing provisions beyond reliance upon professional liability insurance.
Moderator:
Rodney Taylor and Terry Tennant, Aon
Panelists:
Louis Armstrong, Kleinfelder
Sam Rainey, McCullough P.C.
Juan Rodriguez, Ferrovial
Session Five
Collaborative procurement methods: Will they minimize professional liability claims?
This panel will ask the question: Is progressive design build a better professional liability risk? How can Integrated Project Delivery be insured if there is no negligence between the parties? Is Collaborative Project Delivery real? How are third parties protected? What type of information risk sharing is required for professional liability insurers to be able to underwrite these risks?
Moderator:
Andrew Steneri
Panelists:
Marty Andrejko, BHSI
Aaron Bunner, Cleveland Clinic
David Mender, IBI
Conference Close and Summary | 4:45 p.m.
If you have any questions about the Design and Construction team of the Professional Services Practice at Aon or would like more information about the 2022 Aon Construction Professional Liability Conference, please contact Mark J. Peterson or Michael Earp or Ante Petricevic
Mark J. Peterson
Managing Director and Design & Construction Firm Practice Leader
Omaha
Michael Earp
Architects & Engineers Practice Leader
Chicago
Ante Petricevic
Managing Director
Calgary
