Construction Liability - BIBA calls for change

us to take up the debate and highlight the problem to Government to see if a

coordinated solution was available.

Paul : Craig, BIBA’s involvement has been instrumental in bringing the

problems in the wider PI market to the attention of senior government

ministers; where do we fit in to these clearly vital engagements?

Obviously, we have plenty of technical insight into the problems that our clients and

our insurance partners face, but never before has there really been a platform to lay

those problems out at the level we have been doing over the last two years or

so. Since getting involved, our focus has been to provide technical support to BIBA

to allow them to make the case on our clients’ and the wider professions’ behalf. I’d

certainly echo Alastair’s final point though: throughout the last few years, the aspect

driving us more than anything has been the need to do whatever small thing we can

to help those people living in dangerous buildings. Although the picture is far more

nuanced than the sound bites that we read in the press, we can’t and shouldn’t look

to get away from that central issue.

Paul : Alastair, so what is it exactly that BIBA and G&A have been doing?

On reflection, looking back to 2020, we didn’t appreciate the scale and complexity of

the issues we were trying to address. In the early days, we assumed that there was

likely to be some technical market issue at the heart of the problem and which was

capable of being remedied on a macro insurance level. As it has transpired, we

found quickly that we were grappling with some fairly fundamental aspects of the

way the construction market works and, in particular, how that market was failing

many construction professionals. The number of moving parts and the complexity of

the issues was immense.

We were not alone in underestimating the difficulties faced by the sector. Those

early days in 2020 were actually more about us explaining how the PI market worked

and the nature of the difficulties the professions were facing to our colleagues in

Government. Only following that significant education exercise to raise awareness,

and through working with G&A, other members and professional bodies and