Your site or purchasing team asks for a production supplier's insurance certificate. A document arrives, and the production coordinator marks the requirement complete. But has the right person assessed it against the actual engagement, or has someone simply confirmed that an attachment exists?
Treat receipt and review as separate steps. A buyer can organise the relevant information and identify obvious questions without deciding what an insurance policy covers. That assessment belongs with the organisation's authorised insurance, risk or legal adviser, with clarification from the supplier's broker or insurer where appropriate.
Start with your requirement, not a generic list
Ask the people responsible for procurement and site access what evidence they require for the proposed work. Obtain the actual instruction or contract requirement, including who is authorised to interpret it. Requirements from another supplier or location may not be the right starting point.
Give the reviewer a concise description of the proposed production: locations, activities, dates and the organisations involved. If a requested addition changes that description, make it visible. The reviewer needs the engagement being considered, not just a generic label such as “video services”.
This guide does not prescribe insurance types, minimum amounts or compulsory cover for a particular business. Business.gov.au's insurance guidance outlines different insurance categories and routes to professional advice. Use a qualified adviser for the requirements of your circumstances rather than importing a number from an unrelated project.
Understand what document you have received
QBE describes a certificate of currency as evidence of an insurance policy, with details such as the insured name, policy period and cover type. Those fields provide a starting point for checking that the document relates to the proposed supplier and period.
They are not a reason for an unqualified coordinator to declare that every proposed activity is covered. Identify the document, issuing party and relevant dates, then let the authorised reviewer decide what it establishes and whether more information is needed.
Policy wording and supporting documents are separate sources of detail. For example, QBE's policy-document guidance provides routes to wordings and Product Disclosure Statements, including through brokers. Ask the reviewer what material is appropriate for the actual question; do not collect an entire insurance file merely because it is available.
Check the match before seeking interpretation
Compare the supplier identity in the proposed agreement with the entity shown in the evidence. If the names differ, ask the relevant parties to explain the relationship. Do not decide that a trading name, related company or subcontractor is automatically included or excluded.
Record the policy period and the planned production dates. If the work may extend beyond the dates shown, flag the dependency. A future renewal should remain a follow-up item until the required evidence has been supplied and assessed; the coordinator should not presume its outcome.
Also identify whether the scope described to the reviewer is still current. An additional activity or location may need another question. The purpose is to keep the assessment connected to the work, not to interpret technical policy wording yourself.
Use a requirement-to-evidence register
Create a row for each genuine requirement. The register can refer to documents in your approved system without duplicating sensitive records in the filming plan.
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Requirement and source | Actual purchasing, site or contract instruction |
| Proposed engagement | Supplier entity, relevant work and production period |
| Evidence received | Document type, issuing party, date and secure reference |
| Identity and date questions | Any mismatch or period requiring clarification |
| Specialist question | What the coordinator cannot establish from the document |
| Qualified reviewer | Person authorised to assess the evidence against the requirement |
| Decision and limitation | Accepted for the stated purpose, further evidence required or unresolved |
| Next trigger | Renewal, changed scope or another event requiring reassessment |
Avoid a broad “fully insured” entry. Record the actual review decision and its scope. If the reviewer has only assessed one stated requirement, do not turn that into assurance about every possible incident, future activity or subcontractor arrangement.
Worked example: the certificate and the shoot cover different periods
This example is fictional and does not describe Live Images' insurance or any policy response.
A company is considering a project film that includes a later return visit. The supplier supplies a certificate showing a current policy period, but the planned return visit falls after the end date shown. The coordinator initially assumes renewal will make the dates align.
Using the register, the coordinator instead flags the later visit and asks the authorised reviewer what evidence is needed and when. The production decision records that condition, with a named owner for obtaining and reviewing the relevant document before the affected work is treated as ready.
The example does not establish that the supplier is uninsured or that a future claim would be accepted or refused. It shows a document limitation that needs a proper answer rather than an optimistic tick box.
Keep insurance review separate from other assurances
Insurance evidence does not replace checking the supplier's relevant work, agreeing the production scope or following the site's own arrangements. Keep those decisions identifiable so one approval does not become a substitute for another.
If the evidence raises a concern, describe it precisely to the supplier and the authorised reviewer. Ask for clarification or the appropriate document through established channels. Do not attempt to negotiate policy wording, certify cover or promise that an incident will be compensated on the basis of this worksheet.
When discussing a Live Images construction film, provide the project location, proposed activities, timing and your organisation's actual evidence requirements. Ask how the required information can be supplied for review before commitment. No particular insurance policy, limit or certification is asserted here on Live Images' behalf.
Prepared with AI assistance for Live Images. Planning guidance is general; suitability and production scope must be agreed for your project.