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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Michael,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’ve been toying with the idea of
doing some side work in the GIS arena as a sole-proprietor or an S-Corp. In
either case, if I move forward with this, I would carry some basic business
insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Having said that, I can tell you I found
it difficult to find a professional liability insurer that understood the GIS
world and was willing to insure that type of work. I think “typical”
business insurance would be easier to come by.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I can also tell you that insurance
requirements are certainly an extra burden for the sub-consultant. I have been
in situations where I negotiated with a sub on the insurance coverage for a
particular project. (In this case I accepted lower coverage limits.) I have
also been in a situation where my company turned down work as a sub because of heavy
insurance requirements. As Bobb mentioned, the sub has to pass the cost of that
coverage along to the client. You can get a sub with insurance coverage, but
you will pay for it. The more coverage you ask for, the more you will pay.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Good question.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Landon</span></font></b></strong><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.osgeo.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Bob Basques<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Monday, August 31, 2009
10:33 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> OSGeo Discussions<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [OSGeo-Discuss]
Insurance for contractors?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>Michael,</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>I've run into this problem for years, and the simple answer
is, if you can afford the bother and cost of getting insurance to cover your
works and the resulting products, just get it, it really helps with everything
across the whole project spectrum.</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>Now, having said that, I've only recently gotten Insurance and
this was from the bidders end, as in bidding on a project, the project dictated
some fairly heavyhanded (IMO) insurance requirements that we needed to provide,
and in the end, the cost was just charged back as a reduction in hours
available for working. There was really no way around it in the end.</span></font>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>While I'm basically against adding in any unneeded extras,
there are times when it's just easier to have the insurance available.
I won't lie to you though, it was a rather rigorous task to get the
insurnce into place, but it's typically only a one time deal and it's all setup
for the next time too.</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>Anote here, there are also options for getting insurance on a
project by project basis, but the bidder will need to have an insurance agent
in their pocket to be able to execute something in short order when needed.</span></font>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Comic Sans MS"'>bobb</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><br>
<br>
>>> "Michael P. Gerlek" <mpg@lizardtech.com> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div style='border:none;border-left:solid #050505 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 5.0pt;
margin-left:11.25pt'>
<p style='background:#F3F3F3'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>In the past I've hired some people for contract or
consultant work (both open source projects and more general stuff) -- generally
these people have been independent, one-man shops found by word of mouth and
reputation, as opposed to hiring someone from an agency.<br>
<br>
I'm getting pushback now from the administrative side of my company saying that
any contractor I hire needs to have proof of insurance. I understand
the legal reasons for this, but I'm wondering how many of you out there
actually have business/contractors insurance? Do companies you work
for insist on it, or not? And how many of you are formally set up as
LLCs or sole proprietorships or such?<br>
<br>
[while this is likely a US-centric issue from the hiring side, I'm interested
in international responses too since I've hired some foreigners as well over
the years]<br>
<br>
-mpg<br>
<br>
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