M03.02
Insurance, bonding, and the COI machine
GL, auto, WC, umbrella, pollution, additional insureds, and why portals reject us.
- Read a certificate request without panic
- Know why pollution coverage appears in coatings work
- Never edit a certificate
The stack
General liability, automobile, workers' compensation, and usually an umbrella. Coatings contractors also get asked for contractor's pollution liability because resins, solvents, and isocyanates are chemicals in occupied plants. Some owners want professional liability if we design a system. Bonds (bid / payment / performance) appear on public and some private work — they have lead time. Admin's job is to read the exhibit, compare to what we carry, and get the broker moving immediately — not the night before mobilization.
COI request handling
| Step | Standard |
|---|---|
| Intake | Save the GC/owner instruction PDF. Note job name, additional insured exact legal names, limits, endorsements. |
| Gap check | If they want $5M and we have $2M, that is an Eric + broker conversation, not a 'send anyway.' |
| Issue | Broker issues. You file the PDF in the job file and upload to the portal. You do not type over dates. |
| Watch | Monday report catches anything expiring inside 45 days. Chase the broker at 30, follow up at 14, escalate to the Controller at 7. Renewal COIs before the gate. |
| Broker | Nick Holton, Diversified Insurance Group. 24-hour SLA. Named insured address is Taylor HQ — reject Farmington Hills or Golfcrest. |
- Not this
Backdate or alter a certificate to match an application date.
ThisRefuse. Call Eric. Call the broker.
- Not this
Send last job's COI with the wrong additional insured.
ThisEvery job gets a matching certificate.
Takeaways
- COIs are produced by the broker, not by Photoshop.
- Additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and primary/noncontributory language are common asks — flag mismatches.
- Expired COI = crew turned away at the gate.