Contractors are among the most endorsement-intensive commercial clients. General contractors, subcontractors, and specialty trades work under contracts that specify not just coverage limits but exactly which endorsements must be on the policy. Agents who understand contractor endorsement requirements can make their clients contractually compliant — and avoid the E&O exposure that comes from missing a required endorsement.
The most common contractor endorsement requirement is dual additional insured status: ongoing operations (CG 20 10) and completed operations (CG 20 37). Many project owners and GCs require the subcontractor to name them as AI for both — because their exposure doesn't end when the sub leaves the job site.
Agents should confirm the policy includes both endorsements when a contractor's contract requires them. Having only ongoing operations but not completed operations is a gap that won't show up until a claim is filed after the project is done.
Contractors who work under many contracts benefit from a blanket additional insured endorsement (CG 20 33 or equivalent). This automatically extends AI status to any party the insured is required by written contract to name — without needing to update the policy each time a new contract is signed.
Agents should confirm the blanket AI endorsement covers both ongoing and completed operations and that the carrier's form matches what the contract requires. Some contracts specify ISO form numbers — if the carrier uses a proprietary form, the agent should confirm it provides equivalent coverage.
Some GL policies for contractors include endorsements excluding explosion, collapse, or underground (XCU) hazards. These exclusions are significant for contractors who do excavation, blasting, tunneling, or work near underground utilities.
Agents should review contractor GL policies for these exclusions and confirm whether they apply to the client's work. If present, the agent should either negotiate their removal or advise the client that these operations are not covered.
The standard GL policy has a single aggregate limit that applies to all claims across all projects during the policy period. A large claim on one project can exhaust the aggregate, leaving the contractor with no coverage for the rest of the year.
A per-project aggregate endorsement establishes a separate aggregate limit for each construction project — so one large project cannot exhaust coverage for all others. Many project owners and GCs require this endorsement on large projects. For contractors who work on multiple simultaneous large projects, it is often worth requesting even when not contractually required.
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