CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS
Insurance requirements are often spread across contracts, exhibits, bid instructions, and project documents. Start by identifying exactly what is being requested before trying to obtain a certificate or endorsement.
Practical guide · For contractors and subcontractors
THE SHORT ANSWER
Do not start with the certificate. Start with the contract requirement. Identify the required coverage, limits, parties, endorsements, wording, dates, and evidence, then send the full requirement to your insurance professional.
Reviewed August 2026 · Policy & Proof editorial review · General educational information
START WITH THE FULL REQUIREMENT
Obtain the complete insurance section or exhibit—not only the request email or sample certificate.
Check the main contract, subcontract terms, bid instructions, project specifications, amendments, and attachments.
Identify who is imposing the requirement and the project or agreement involved.
Note the deadline before requesting documents or changes.
Flag every referenced form, endorsement, schedule, or attachment.
Coverage types
Per-occurrence, aggregate, or other stated limits
Umbrella or excess requirements
Policy dates or required duration
Project-specific coverage terms, when stated
Additional insured requirements
Ongoing or completed operations
Primary/noncontributory and waiver requirements
Required forms, endorsements, or editions
Certificate and supporting-document requirements
Read the paragraph as a checklist: separate what the contract requests from the evidence it asks you to provide.
COVERAGE TYPES AND LIMITS
Note occurrence, aggregate, and any separately stated limits.
Identify the requested limit and any stated vehicle requirements.
Record statutory wording and any separately stated employers-liability limits.
Confirm whether it is intended to contribute to the requested total limit.
Flag it only when the contract or project documents require it.
Note per-occurrence, aggregate, sublimit, or separate-limit language exactly as written.
ADDITIONAL INSURED AND ENDORSEMENTS
1
Who and when
Identify the exact parties, whether ongoing or completed operations are requested, and whether blanket or scheduled wording is specified.
2
Policy wording controls
A certificate may summarize information, but additional-insured status depends on the applicable policy or endorsement wording.
PRIMARY/NONCONTRIBUTORY AND WAIVER
1
Check the wording
This is not an automatic result of additional-insured status. The applicable policy or endorsement wording must support the request.
2
Confirm support
A waiver is a separate requirement that may need its own policy or endorsement support.
Do not assume these provisions are included simply because additional-insured status is requested.
PARTIES, DATES, AND PROJECT DETAILS
Use the exact legal names of owners, general contractors, landlords, subsidiaries, affiliates, and other required parties.
Distinguish the certificate holder from parties requesting additional-insured status.
Record the project, job, or location identifiers exactly as shown.
Note contract dates, requested effective dates, and any required coverage period.
Compare the work duration with the timing stated in the insurance requirement.
EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
A certificate summarizes policy information but does not itself change the policy.
The contract may request endorsements supporting a stated requirement.
Certain information may be requested where appropriate to the requirement.
Project, location, or party information may need separate supporting evidence.
Follow any specified format, form, edition, or submission direction.
Provide the requested evidence; do not send an entire policy indiscriminately.
BEFORE YOU SIGN
01
Limits materially above the current insurance program
02
Coverage the business may not currently carry
03
Unusual or highly specific endorsement wording
04
Completed-operations or long post-completion requirements
05
Specific endorsement forms or editions
06
Broad groups of owners, affiliates, or other parties to be included
07
Requirements tied to a short deadline
If the contract requires limits, endorsements, or coverage the current program does not provide, you can explore options from licensed insurance providers.
Explore insurance options
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REQUIREMENT → PROOF → ACTION
REQUIREMENT
Identify exactly what the contract asks for.
PROOF
Identify what certificate, endorsement, policy evidence, or other documentation is requested.
ACTION
Send the full requirement to your insurance professional and confirm what can be documented, what needs clarification, and what may require a change.
WHAT TO SEND YOUR INSURANCE CONTACT
Send the complete insurance section, exhibit, and relevant contract language.
Include exact legal names and the project, job, or location.
List the requested coverage types, limits, and any umbrella or excess requirement.
Include requested endorsements, forms, sample certificates, and documentation instructions.
Provide the required coverage dates or duration and the deadline.
Use the Contractor Project-Ready Insurance Checklist to identify the requirement, collect the right evidence, and check the package before work begins.
Educational information only. Policy & Proof does not bind coverage, issue certificates, or provide insurance or legal advice. Coverage depends on the actual policy terms and endorsements.