What Your PAS Determines
- How quickly you launch products
- How efficiently you operate
- How compliant you stay
- How confidently you onboard carriers
- How well you scale
But here's the challenge:
Most PAS platforms were built for carriers, not MGAs.
The result?
- Products take months or years to configure
- Bordereaux and reporting remain manual
- DA governance becomes a spreadsheet nightmare
- Underwriters work outside the system
- Changing anything requires developers or system integrators
This Buyer's Checklist is designed specifically for MGAs and Lloyd's Coverholders, helping you evaluate any PAS vendor with clarity, rigor, and confidence.
New to MGAs? Start with our guide: What Is an MGA? Complete Technical Guide.
Related: See our comprehensive comparison of the best MGA software platforms including FacioMGA, Guidewire, Duck Creek, Novidea, and INSTANDA.
The MGA Difference: Why MGAs Need a Different Kind of PAS
MGAs aren't insurers. They also aren't brokers.
Your PAS must support a hybrid operational model:
- Carrier-level underwriting discipline
- Broker-level distribution agility
- Regulatory governance for delegated authority
- High-volume operations with lean teams
A carrier PAS will overwhelm you.
A broker system will under-serve you.
A generic InsurTech tool will break at scale.
This checklist ensures you select a PAS engineered for MGA realities, not legacy carrier workflows.
For Lloyd's Coverholders: See our detailed guide on Lloyd's Coverholder Software requirements and why specialized PAS systems are essential.
The Essential PAS Buyer's Checklist for MGAs (12-Point Framework)
Use this checklist when evaluating:
Guidewire • Duck Creek • INSTANDA • Novidea • Genasys • Insillion • BriteCore • FacioMGA • and any other MGA PAS vendor.
1. Speed to Market: How Fast Can You Launch Products?
High-impact question:
Can we launch a fully functioning product (questions, logic, limits, documents, rating, workflows) in days—not months or years?
Why it matters:
Speed to market drives carrier relationships, revenue, and competitive advantage.
Check for:
- Low-code / no-code product builder
- AI-assisted product configuration
- Blueprint or model-based product structure
- Approvals & versioning baked into the system
Red flags:
- Long SI-led implementations
- Static forms-based builders
- Hard-coded rating or underwriting rules
2. Delegated Authority (DA) Support
High-impact question:
Is the PAS built for delegated authority rather than retrofitted for it?
DA is not optional for MGAs—it's your business model.
Check for:
- Binder modeling (sections, limits, endorsements)
- Authority rules enforcement
- Referral automation
- Carrier-specific requirements
- Clause/wording versioning
- Line size tracking
Red flags:
- "We support DA through custom fields…"
- "You can export the data to Excel and validate manually"
Learn more: See our guide on Lloyd's Coverholder Software for detailed DA requirements.
3. Bordereaux Automation (Risk, Premium & Claims)
High-impact question:
Does the PAS generate audit-ready bordereaux without manual cleansing?
Bordereaux complexity breaks 90% of MGAs.
Check for:
- Auto-generation of RBC, PBC, CBC
- Lloyd's-compliant formats
- DDM/DCOM mapping
- Missing fields and error detection
- Multi-carrier splits
- Audit logs
Red flags:
- CSV/Excel exports that require human cleanup
- "We can create custom reports for you" (expensive, slow)
4. AI & Automation Capabilities
High-impact question:
Is AI native to the system or bolted on as a widget?
Modern MGAs need AI for:
- Submission ingestion
- Pre-underwriting & triage
- Document extraction
- Intelligent referrals
- Portfolio insights
- Workflow automation
Check for:
- Structured models that AI can interpret
- Embedded AI agents (not external tools)
- Event-driven triggers
- Low-code automation building
Red flags:
- "We integrate with ChatGPT" (translation: no native AI)
Learn more: See our guide on AI agents for MGAs and how platforms like FacioMGA combine PAS and AI in one system.
5. Compliance & Audit Readiness
High-impact question:
Does the system create a complete audit trail of every action, rule, and decision?
Check for:
- Time-stamped logs
- Referral & approval trails
- Underwriting reasoning capture
- Versioned documents & rates
- Immutable record storage
Red flags:
- No "single source of truth" for audits
- Manual approval workflows outside the PAS
6. Multi-Carrier & Multi-Capacity Support
High-impact question:
Can the PAS model multiple carriers, subscriptions, and reinsurance structures?
Check for:
- Multi-participation splits
- Per-carrier rules
- Per-carrier bordereaux
- Reinsurance tracking
- Aggregate exposure by carrier
Red flags:
- Systems designed only for single-carrier line of business launches
7. Rating Engine Flexibility
High-impact question:
Can business users modify rating logic without code?
Check for:
- Rating tables
- Formula-based models
- External data enrichment
- AI-assisted pricing suggestions
Red flags:
- "Our developers handle rating updates"
- Non-transparent "black box" pricing
8. Distribution & Broker/Partner Management
High-impact question:
Does the system support how MGAs actually distribute programs?
Check for:
- Agent/broker onboarding
- Flexible commissions & tiers
- Access control per binder/product
- Portals and APIs for quoting
- Whitelabel capabilities
Red flags:
- Broker workflows are an afterthought
- Single distribution model
9. Document Management & Wording Governance
High-impact question:
Can we manage wordings, clauses, schedules, and endorsements centrally and dynamically?
Check for:
- Dynamic document template engine
- Clause libraries
- Automated policy schedules
- Per-carrier wording sets
- AI-driven document validation
Red flags:
- Static PDF templates
- Heavy reliance on manual Word document upload
10. Data Model & Reporting
High-impact question:
Does the PAS offer a clean, structured data model we can report on instantly?
Check for:
- Real-time dashboards
- Exposure & portfolio insights
- Open API for BI tools
- Data dictionary / clean schema
Red flags:
- Reports require custom SQL development
- Export to Excel for everything
- No exposure view
11. Scalability & Cloud Architecture
High-impact question:
Will this system still work when we double our volume?
Check for:
- Cloud-native infrastructure
- Automated scaling
- Zero-downtime deploys
- Multi-environment (UAT, prod, staging)
Red flags:
- On-premise "hybrid" systems
- Frequent downtime during upgrades
12. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
High-impact question:
What does this cost over 5 years—not just the initial licence?
A modern PAS lowers TCO by:
- reducing developer dependency
- reducing audit time & errors
- reducing bordereaux cleanup
- reducing product implementation timelines
- reducing legacy systems & middleware
Red flags:
- Large SI dependencies
- High hourly rates for customisation
- Long implementation cycles
Learn more: See our detailed analysis of Total Cost of Ownership for MGA Software.
Why FacioMGA Scores Highest on the MGA PAS Checklist
FacioMGA is different because it was built specifically for delegated authority, not retrofitted for it.
FacioMGA delivers:
- AI-native underwriting & governance
- Blueprint-based low-code product build
- Binder + DA modeling baked into the core
- Bordereaux automation & Lloyd's compliance
- Speed to market measured in days
- Lowest total cost of ownership for serious MGAs
If your MGA cares about speed, compliance, DA control, and multi-carrier complexity, FacioMGA will outperform every generic PAS on the market.
For Lloyd's Coverholders: See why FacioMGA is the #1 choice for Lloyd's Coverholders with specialized DA and bordereaux capabilities.