Berkley Design Professional
Berkley Design Professional provides professional liability insurance, risk management education, and claims management exclusively to architecture and engineering firms across the United States, distributed through appointed retail brokers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersMonterey, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Berkley Design Professional does
Berkley Design Professional (BDP) is a specialty professional liability insurer that underwrites, prices, and services coverage exclusively for design professionals — architects and engineers across structural, mechanical, geotechnical, electrical, interior, and environmental disciplines. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Monterey, California, BDP operates as a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, itself a subsidiary of W.R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 holding company whose insurance subsidiaries carry A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best and A+ (Strong) from S&P. The company distributes exclusively through a network of appointed retail brokers that specialize in representing architecture and engineering firms, and generates revenue through annual professional liability insurance premiums billed on a subscription/recurring basis.
BDP's product portfolio centers on BDP Prime (primary professional liability), BDP Excess (follow-form excess), BDP Express (expedited coverage with the BDP Express Portal for agency self-service), and the BDP Risk ecosystem — an award-winning learning management system built on Docebo that delivers 150+ articles, 30+ tools and templates, and 17+ on-demand courses, with continuing education accreditation through AIA and RCEP. The BDP Risk Early Access Program offers quoted prospects pre-binding course access and a 15% premium credit upon completion, which the company ties to a stated 7x higher conversion rate, 90%+ retention, and up to a 26% reduction in claim frequency for live participants. The Online Broker Academy, launched in July 2024, extends the same content infrastructure to appointed agent training.
The business model is a curated, vertically specialized underwriting franchise: annual professional liability premiums flow through appointed brokers, with risk management education acting as a differentiation and retention layer. BDP runs a six-office US footprint (Monterey, Irvine, New York City, Glastonbury CT, Chicago, Roswell GA) and a 51-100 employee base led by a senior team with 20-30 years of A&E professional liability experience. Claims data spanning April 2013 through June 2025 is used to underwrite and refine education content, but no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the input.
Berkley Design Professional firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Berkley Design Professional
- Legal name
- Berkley Design Professional
- Website
- https://berkleydp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Berkley Design Professional provides professional liability insurance, risk management education, and claims management exclusively to architecture and engineering firms across the United States, distributed through appointed retail brokers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Berkley Design Professional industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Liability Insurance
- NAICS
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional Umbrella / Excess (E&O/D&O Wrap) (FSAJANAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD)
Keywords
Where Berkley Design Professional is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Monterey
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Berkley Design Professional business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Liability Insurance Premiums: Berkley Design Professional generates revenue through professional liability insurance premiums charged to architects and engineers. The company is a surplus lines insurer in California. Insurance policies are sold through appointed retail brokers. Premium credits are offered to policyholders who complete risk management education programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Professional liability insurance for architects and engineers with optional add-ons including project limits, run-off 3-year policy, and separate defense limits. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Berkley Design Professional product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Berkley Design Professional underwrites and distributes professional liability insurance products (BDP Prime, BDP Excess, BDP Express) for architects, engineers, and other design professionals. The firm complements its insurance policies with the BDP Risk learning management system, broker training through the Online Broker Academy, and an appointed-broker distribution model focused on the A&E industry.
Product overview
Berkley Design Professional offers a comprehensive suite of professional liability insurance products and risk management services for architects and engineers. The product portfolio centers on BDP Prime (primary coverage), BDP Excess (follow-form excess), BDP Express (expedited coverage), and BDP Express Portal (self-service management). Complementary to the insurance offerings is the BDP Risk ecosystem, which includes the award-winning BDP Risk LMS (powered by Docebo) providing eLearning courses, tools, and templates, the BDP Risk Early Access Program offering premium credits for pre-binding course completion, and the Online Broker Academy training platform for agency partners. These interconnected products provide end-to-end coverage, risk education, and broker training services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BDP Risk: State-of-the-art Learning Management System providing risk and practice management education for architects and engineers, offering courses, tools, templates, and premium credits for policyholders
- Online Broker Academy
Products and services
- BDP Prime
Quantifiable outcome
- A&E firms participating in education programs show up to 26% drop in claim frequency
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Berkley Design Professional
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Berkley Design Professional technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Berkley Design Professional partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Berkley Design Professional competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Beazley: Specialty insurer with a Professional Lines portfolio including architects & engineers professional liability. Competes in the same broker-distributed, claims-made E&O market as BDP but with a wider international franchise.
- AXA XL (Division of AXA): Large specialty insurer with a dedicated Design Professional professional liability practice covering architects and engineers. Competes on capacity, global reach, and broader professional lines portfolio.
- Liberty International Underwriters (Liberty Mutual): Specialty division of Liberty Mutual writing professional liability for architects, engineers, and construction professionals. Larger portfolio player with broader geographic and product reach than BDP.
- Travelers (Construction & Design Professional): Major US property-casualty insurer offering professional liability coverage to architects and engineers as part of its broader Construction practice. Brings scale, agency relationships, and admitted-market reach that BDP does not match.
- Markel: Specialty insurer writing professional and design E&O through both admitted and excess/surplus channels. Competes for architect and engineer accounts with broader specialty lines and direct broker relationships.
- AIG (Professional Liability): Major global insurer with a sizable Design Professionals / Architects & Engineers professional liability practice. Competes on capacity, brand recognition, and global footprint with multi-line offerings.
- Hiscox: Specialty insurer with a US Professional Liability practice that includes design-professional E&O. Targets small-to-mid-market professional services firms with broker distribution, overlapping with BDP's channel and customer profile.
Others
- RPS (Risk Placement Services): Wholesale insurance broker and managing general agency with a dedicated Design Professionals practice placing A&E professional liability. Comparable distribution-side competitor that places business with carriers like BDP and its peers.
Direct peers
- Victor Insurance Managers (formerly Victor O. Schinnerer & Co.): The most established direct competitor in A&E professional liability, serving architects and engineers with primary, excess, and project-specific E&O coverage. Operates similarly to BDP through appointed brokers with a focus on design-firm risk management.
- Design Professionals Insurance Company (DPIC): A specialized E&O carrier dedicated to design professionals including architects and engineers. Closest direct comparable in target customer, product structure (claims-made professional liability), and channel (broker distribution).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Berkley Design Professional social profiles
Digital presenceBerkley Design Professional financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Berkley Design Professional leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Berkley Design Professional funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Berkley Design Professional M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Berkley Design Professional
What does Berkley Design Professional do?
Berkley Design Professional underwrites and distributes professional liability insurance products (BDP Prime, BDP Excess, BDP Express) for architects, engineers, and other design professionals. The firm complements its insurance policies with the BDP Risk learning management system, broker training through the Online Broker Academy, and an appointed-broker distribution model focused on the A&E industry.
Is Berkley Design Professional a public or private company?
Berkley Design Professional is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Berkley Design Professional founded?
Berkley Design Professional was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Berkley Design Professional based?
Berkley Design Professional is headquartered in Monterey, United States, in the North America region.
How does Berkley Design Professional make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Liability Insurance Premiums.
Who are Berkley Design Professional's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Beazley, AXA XL (Division of AXA), Liberty International Underwriters (Liberty Mutual), Travelers (Construction & Design Professional), Markel, AIG (Professional Liability) and Hiscox. RPS (Risk Placement Services) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Victor Insurance Managers (formerly Victor O. Schinnerer & Co.) and Design Professionals Insurance Company (DPIC).
Does Berkley Design Professional have an API?
No public API is recorded for Berkley Design Professional.
What industry is Berkley Design Professional in?
Berkley Design Professional's product category is Professional Liability Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJANAH, Professional Umbrella / Excess (E&O/D&O Wrap), with a secondary code of FSAJAGAD, Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary). Its NAICS code is 524210 and its SIC code is 6411.