If you sell to councils, the NHS, central government or other UK public bodies, the invitation to tender usually asks for set limits of professional indemnity, public liability and employers' liability, and sometimes cyber. This page is for suppliers who need those certificates, not for authorities buying an insurance framework.
You typically need certificates that match the stated limits (often in the £1 million to £10 million range depending on the lot). Under the Procurement Act 2023 guidance on conditions of participation, contracting authorities must not require insurance relating to the performance of the contract to be in place before award. They can still ask for evidence that you can obtain those limits, and they routinely require the policies on award. Meshed is an FCA-regulated UK broker. Mesh'd Limited trading as Meshed is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 1033248. We place those commercial covers for limited companies, partnerships, and sole traders, including firms bidding on or winning work via Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. Broker fee is a flat 10%, with no admin add-ons.
Generic product explainers live on Professional Indemnity Insurance UK, Public Liability Insurance UK, Employers' Liability Insurance UK, and Cyber Insurance UK. This page is the procurement moment: bid evidence and award certificates. It is not tender insurance, and it is not a directory of insurance tenders.
Who this is for
UK limited companies, partnerships, and sole traders that bid for or win public work, including:
Find a Tender and Contracts Finder bidders and winners
Suppliers to councils, NHS bodies, and central government
SMEs asked for PI, PL, EL (and sometimes cyber) certificates at stated limits
Sole traders named on a public-sector bid who still need the same certificates
We work with limited companies, partnerships, and sole traders.
We are not placing cover for authorities retendering their own insurance, CCS/GCA insurance frameworks, or bid-writing for insurers.
Who we have helped
We place commercial covers for UK limited companies, partnerships, and sole traders bidding into the public sector: firms that need a broker letter at bid showing limits can be obtained, winners who must produce matching certificates on award, and suppliers who already hold EL because they employ staff and need PI/PL brought up to the ITT figure.
PI, PL, EL, and cyber (as the ITT states)
Read the ITT. Do not guess the limit from a blog.
Professional indemnity. Limits as specified for the lot. Use this page for the bid/award job; the product explainer is Professional Indemnity Insurance UK.
Public liability. Same: ITT limit, then Public Liability Insurance UK.
Employers' liability. The legal minimum if you employ is not always the tender limit. Lots often ask for £5 million or more. Detail sits on Employers' Liability Insurance UK.
Cyber / data. Common on digital and health lots. Cyber Insurance UK, not a second cyber URL.
Product liability, contract works, or motor only if that lot type needs them. Read the ITT. They are not extra ranking targets here.
Evidence. Authorities usually want a schedule or certificate, and sometimes wording. At bid that may be existing cover or confirmation you can obtain the limits. On award they want the policies in force at the stated limits.
Procurement Act 2023: before award versus on award
GOV.UK conditions of participation guidance (updated August 2026) is clear on insurance:
Contracting authorities are prohibited from requiring insurance relating to the performance of the contract to be in place before award, so SMEs are not forced to buy performance cover with no contract.
If a level of insurance will be required, the authority can still set a condition that you will have those contractual levels on contract commencement, and ask for evidence: certificates you already hold, or a letter from an insurer confirming they would offer the cover plus your commitment to take it out. In the letter case, the fact you have the insurance must be verified before award.
Legal requirements that exist outside the contract, notably employers' liability, may still be required as conditions of participation.
If you want the wider list of covers a UK company usually needs, that sits on What insurance does a UK business need.
What it costs
Premium follows the ITT limits, the work, claims, and headcount. A £1 million PI lot and a £10 million PI lot will not price the same. We will not publish a from-£X figure.
What you can control: sending the ITT insurance schedule, saying whether you employ anyone, and asking for bid-stage evidence rather than buying unused limits before you have an award.
How Meshed works
You send the entity (Ltd, partnership, or sole trader), the ITT insurance schedule, current certificates, and headcount.
We map bid evidence versus on-award certificates, including whether EL is already a legal duty.
We go to our panel and come back with options, and with wording a buyer can accept as evidence you can obtain the limits.
You bind when award requires it. We stay on for mid-term changes and renewal.
Straightforward SME limits are often quoted in minutes. High PI limits, cyber on health lots, or missing ITT schedules take longer. We will say that up front.
FAQs
Do I need the policies in place before I bid?
Not for performance insurance, under Procurement Act 2023 conditions of participation. Authorities must not require that cover to be in force before award. They can require evidence you can obtain the limits, and the policies on award. Employers' liability is different if you already employ staff.
Is this tender insurance?
No. That phrase is how Google describes authorities buying insurance, or bid-writers for insurers. This page is suppliers' PI, PL, EL and cyber certificates for public contracts.
What limits do I need?
Whatever the ITT states. Common public-sector lots sit somewhere between £1 million and £10 million. We will not invent a default.
I am a sole trader bidding for a council contract. Can you help?
Yes. We place cover for limited companies, partnerships, and sole traders.
Are you an insurer?
No. Meshed is a broker. Mesh'd Limited trading as Meshed is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 1033248.
How fast can we bind?
Bid-stage evidence for a straightforward SME can be same-week. Award-stage high limits, cyber on health data, or incomplete ITT extracts take longer.
Vincent Liu
Co-founder & CTO
