A well-established manufacturing business operating in a high-risk sector was preparing for a management buy-out, backed by private equity. The existing management team were acquiring the company from the founding family. Having an established relationship with the PE firm, Bartlett was asked to confidentially assist with due diligence.

Our review identified significant weaknesses:

• Policies renewed at different times throughout the year, meaning economies of scale couldn’t be leveraged and creating an unnecessary administrative burden.
• Key covers placed with fringe markets on sub-optimal wordings
• Gaps and misalignment between policies
• Inconsistent business descriptions across the programme, exposing the business to risks around disclosure.
• Understated declared asset values, exposing the business to underinsurance risk
• Total premium spend of c.£700,000 that appeared excessive relative to the risk

We also discovered a serious historic employee injury that had led to HSE prosecution – further complicating the company’s market position.

The insurance programme was fragmented, inefficient and carried reputational issues in the market.

Bartlett was formally appointed on completion of the MBO. We began with detailed risk surveys across all trading locations to build a clear, technical understanding of the business. Professional reinstatement valuations were commissioned for buildings and plant.

We agreed a single renewal date with the leadership team and aligned all policies to co-terminate, creating a structured four-month window to reposition the programme properly. On approaching the market, we encountered resistance. Several underwriters were reluctant to engage, citing previous poor experiences and the pending HSE prosecution. The company’s reputation had suffered.

Generating competition would require more than a simple re-marketing exercise. It required rebuilding credibility and repositioning the risk. We presented a full risk profile to insurers with consistent disclosures, robust valuations and a clear narrative of how risk was managed by the new ownership and leadership.

At the same time, we reviewed the cost structure of the programme. We removed commission entirely, agreed a transparent fee arrangement and demonstrated to insurers that the risk was now professionally managed.

Our detailed approach and in-depth survey reports allowed us to generate interest from other insurers and create competitive tension with the incumbent underwriter.

At first renewal we secured:

• Double-digit rate reductions were achieved
• Total savings exceeded £200,000
• Cover quality and alignment materially improved
• The cost structure became transparent and fee-based

Savings were not driven by market conditions alone, but by restoring underwriter confidence and correcting structural inefficiencies.

Over the following year, Bartlett worked closely with several tier 1 insurers to further reposition the company within the insurance market. The change in ownership, leadership and broker — combined with demonstrable improvements in risk presentation -shifted perception.

At the 2026 renewal:

• Two underwriters who had previously declined to quote entered the programme
• Much of the portfolio transitioned to a Tier 1 insurer
• Cover was strengthened further
• An additional £100,000+ saving was achieved

What began as a challenged risk became a structured, credible and competitive insurance programme – aligned with the company’s new ownership and long-term strategy.