E & O Insurance and Contracts for PV Designer

[Eng822]

As a PE, I have been designing pressure vessels for some time now at my current employer. I want to start testing the waters and do some work on the side for myself. I’m looking for advice from anyone who has come before me on this kind of endeavor. Just to be clear I want to start small on vessel that solely fit within the rules of Sec. VIII D1. I have design vessel by analysis using part 5 of D2 however I really can't justify a license for the required software until I am ready to go all in. COMPRESS offers a month to month license and I have been getting very familiar with their interface add on for Solidworks and Inventor. I am able to produce a complete design package for a simple vessel (including drawings) faster than ever which has me wondering why I am not working for myself when I see what my company is charging for something I can do over the weekend.

With that said I am trying to compile quotes for professional liability insurance. This has proven to be more difficult than I thought. Does anyone with a similar circumstance have an agent or company they can recommend? I tried to go through ASME but their partner company was not too keen on me taking on clients from the oil and gas industry. It could also be that I do not have a specific client list or prior history as a self-employed consultant. Also, I am finding out that a big part of getting good insurance premiums is to document, document, and document. Therefore, any advice that can help me draft a legal binding document between myself and a potential client would also be very helpful.


Thanks for your time.