Contractor Insurance Requirements
A working guide to the coverages every contractor needs — general liability, workers comp, builders risk, commercial auto, surety, and professional liability — and how to size them to the work you actually do.
The way construction insurance is bought and sold is fundamentally broken. Brokers follow the same playbook — collect your data, shop three carriers, present the lowest quote, and move on. PFTN was built to be the opposite of that. We walk your jobsites, understand your operations, and engineer a risk strategy that actually moves the needle.
Too many contractors fall into the trap of treating insurance like a routine purchase — expecting better results from the same 90-day bid/quote process. Your broker shops GL and workers comp on price, presents three quotes, and asks which one saves the most. The math doesn't lie: claims won't magically drop. Premiums won't naturally improve. Not unless you change the approach and improve the strategy.
Our 4-Step Strategic Process gives contractors what the traditional model never does: leverage. We start months before your renewal by understanding your operations, walking your jobsites, and building a risk profile that carriers actually compete for. By the time the market sees your program, you're in the strongest position possible. We help you take back control from the insurance market, drive down claims, and boost financial performance — intentionally and strategically.
We don't sell policies. We improve how you manage risk — and the financial outcomes that follow.
Protect against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims. Add umbrella coverage to extend limits across your operations for major projects.
Mandated coverage for employee injuries on the job. PFTN helps control costs through loss control, safety programs, and experience modifiers.
Cover the building and contents during construction, renovation, or installation. Protects against fire, theft, vandalism, and weather damage during active work.
Protect your vehicles and workers on the road. Covers liability, collision, and comprehensive for company trucks, service vehicles, and equipment haulers.
Performance, payment, and bid bonds required by owners and agencies. PFTN manages bonding capacity for single or multiple projects and wrap-up programs.
Protect your design professionals, project managers, and estimators. Covers claims for errors, omissions, or inadequate advice that result in client loss.
Whether you're a family-owned operation or a large general contractor, construction companies need risk strategies tailored to their growth stage, operations, and long-term vision — not a one-size-fits-all package.
From single-family residential to large commercial and institutional projects, we understand the full scope of GC and construction management exposures, including subcontractor management, job site coordination, and multi-location operations.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, concrete, structural steel, fiber installation, telecommunications, and other specialized trades. We know the unique risks of each trade and build programs that reflect your specific operations.
Highway, bridge, water, environmental, and heavy equipment contracting. We manage complex exposures including equipment breakdown, environmental liability, and large umbrella programs for major infrastructure projects.
The industry standard gives you 90 days to renew. That's not a strategy. We take a longer view — building a process that puts you ahead of the market and delivers cost and coverage outcomes most contractors don't know are possible.
We start by understanding your business goals, growth trajectory, and risk tolerance — not just your current policy deck. We walk your jobsites, review your contracts, and map every exposure before quoting anything.
We identify current and future risks that could impact your projects and your bottom line. We use a systematic, quantifiable approach to surface the risk issues most brokers never look for — from subcontractor gaps to contractual liability exposure.
We build an integrated insurance and risk management strategy — not a one-size-fits-all policy package. Every solution is tailored to your risk profile, your trade, and your growth plans.
We monitor, adjust, and evolve your protection strategy. Your business changes — new projects, new crews, new exposures — and your insurance should too. We continuously track your risk profile, claims trends, and market conditions.
From the first engagement with PFTN, we will educate, consult, and help you find strategic opportunities to impact your business. The shift starts with one conversation.
Most risk hides in plain sight. The traditional marketplace subjects the buyer to reactive service crammed into a 90-day renewal window, leaving you with low leverage and no control. PFTN illuminates what others overlook — and structures a strategy that actually moves the needle on these exposures before they become claims.
"In over 15 years of working with hundreds of organizations, I've never sat down with a company that was already buying insurance strategically. But the few that break that cycle don't just save money — they transform their entire organization. Strategic insurance buying isn't just a cost decision. It's a cultural shift."
Ryan Mefford — President, Risk Advisor
Most risk hides in plain sight. The PFTN platform puts a full suite of tools at your fingertips — designed to illuminate what is otherwise overlooked. Training events, predictive modeling, compliance resources, risk assessment tools, and 24/7 access to everything you need to stay ahead of risk.
Shine a light on hidden risk through comprehensive assessments that uncover gaps in your coverage before they become costly surprises.
Project, track, and manage your experience modification rate with data-driven strategies that directly impact your workers' compensation costs.
Personal claims management by our dedicated claims manager — from first report through resolution, we advocate on your behalf.
Thought leadership workshops, lunch & learns, and executive briefings designed to keep your team ahead of emerging risks and industry trends.
Secure, 24/7 access to your full insurance program — desktop or mobile. Every document, every policy, always at your fingertips.
A private resource library built for your team — HR tools, compliance guides, safety programs, and learning systems in one place.
Insurance is the most opaque cost a contractor carries. These briefings exist to shine a light on what the construction insurance industry would rather keep in the dark — and to give you the framing you need to take real control of your program.
A working guide to the coverages every contractor needs — general liability, workers comp, builders risk, commercial auto, surety, and professional liability — and how to size them to the work you actually do.
GCs are often held liable for work they didn't perform. Subs are often under-insured for the scope they accept. Here's where coverage, limits, and contractual indemnity actually need to line up — before a claim exposes the gap.
Builders risk is project-specific property protection — not liability. Most contractors misunderstand what it covers, when it ends, and how a soft-cost endorsement or delayed-opening rider should be structured for a real schedule.
Construction is one of the highest-risk industries in the country, and workers comp is the line most directly tied to your operations. EMR, classification codes, audits, and safety programs are not just compliance items — they are the levers you actually control.
A general contractor typically needs general liability, workers compensation, builders risk, and commercial auto insurance. Many also carry surety bonds for contract requirements and professional liability. PFTN helps assess your specific operations to build a comprehensive program that doesn't leave dangerous gaps.
Builders risk (course of construction) insurance covers buildings and contents during construction, renovation, or installation. It typically covers fire, theft, vandalism, and weather damage on the structure being built. The coverage is time-limited and applies only to the active construction period, ending when the project is substantially complete or occupied.
Surety bonds are often required by contract owners and government agencies. A bid bond is required for bidding on public or large private projects, performance bonds guarantee you'll complete the work as specified, and payment bonds guarantee you'll pay subcontractors and material suppliers. PFTN can help determine what bonds you need for your market and help you maintain bonding capacity.
Completed operations coverage protects you after a project is finished. It covers bodily injury or property damage claims arising from your completed work, typically for up to 5-10 years after project completion. This is critical for contractors, as defects or failures may not manifest until long after the job is done.
As a general contractor, you're often held liable for subcontractor work even though you didn't perform it. You should require certificates of insurance, verify coverage limits, and maintain proper contractual indemnity agreements. PFTN helps manage this exposure through contract review, certificate management, and carrier negotiation for additional insured status.
An OCIP (Owner Controlled Insurance Program) or CCIP (Contractor Controlled Insurance Program) consolidates all project insurance under one master policy, typically for large projects. This improves safety monitoring, controls total insurance costs, reduces coverage gaps between prime and subcontractors, and provides better claims management across all project participants.
Tell us about your operations. From the first conversation, we will educate, consult, and help you find strategic opportunities to impact your business. A relationship built on honest counsel — not sales quotas.