Subcontractor trades

Subcontractor insurance requirements, trade by trade.

Name: 2026 Subcontractor COI Compliance & Risk Transfer Benchmark
Creator: Pikorua Security
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A roofer, an excavator and a landscaper should not be held to the same exhibit. Pikorua Security applies 14 trade rule templates that check the limits, endorsements and exclusions each trade actually carries, and flags the gaps a certificate never shows.

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Union Yards Mixed-Use Tower

Subcontractor compliance by trade

47 subs

Ridgeline Roofing Inc.
RoofingCG 20 37 not attached
Deficient
Summit Steel Erectors LLC
Structural SteelNo riggers liability evidenced
Deficient
Clearspan Glass & Curtain Wall Inc.
GlazingCG 22 79 on delegated design
Deficient
Keystone Mechanical LLC
HVACUmbrella renews in 14 days
Expiring
Vertical Access Elevator Co.
ElevatorFloater ends before turnover
Expiring
Lakeview Electrical Contractors Inc.
Electrical15 of 15 checks passed
Compliant
Harbor Line Fire Protection LLC
Fire Protection14 of 14 checks passed
Compliant

Showing 7 of 47 subcontractors. Last broker sync Oct 16, 2026, 9:42 AM ET.

of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review: 71%; of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review; AGC Risk Committee Audit
spread in first-review defect rate across the 14 trades we benchmark: 58% to 84%; spread in first-review defect rate across the 14 trades we benchmark; Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement: 64%; of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement; IRMI Construction Risk Survey
average out-of-pocket litigation and SIR loss when an additional insured tender is rejected: $150,000+; average out-of-pocket litigation and SIR loss when an additional insured tender is rejected; IRMI Construction Risk Analysis

2026 benchmark

Where subcontractor COIs fail, by trade

The share of packets with at least one material deficiency on first review. Trades that work at height, underground or with design responsibility fail more often, because their carriers restrict coverage with endorsements the certificate does not show.

First-review defect rate, 14 trades

All-trade average 71% (AGC Risk Committee Audit)At or above averageBelow average

Selected trade

Roofing

84%

Ranked 1 of 14 by first-review defect rate. Hazard tier: Severe.

Most common deficiency

FlagMissing CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement, often alongside a hot work exclusion

Read the roofing guide

Hover or tab through the bars to see where each trade's packets fail. Rates are the share of packets with at least one material deficiency on first review, Pikorua Security 2026 Subcontractor COI Benchmark.

Trade risk matrix

What each trade's exhibit should require

The starting point for each Pikorua Security trade template. Your subcontract exhibit controls; the template is where you encode it once instead of re-reading it on every certificate.

Check marks mean the coverage is typically required for that trade. Notes mark conditional requirements, such as professional liability only when the sub performs design.

Typical coverage requirements by subcontractor trade
Trade	CGLOcc. / agg.	UmbrellaMinimum	Completed opsCG 20 37	Per projectCG 25 03	AutoCA 20 48	PollutionCPL	ProfessionalE&O	Inland marineFloater, riggers
Roofing84%	$1M / $2M	$10M	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Not typically required	Required: Equipment
Demolition81%	$2M / $4M	$10M	Required	Required	Required: $2M CSL	Required	Not typically required	Required: Equipment
Structural Steel78%	$2M / $4M	$10M	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Required: Delegated design	Required: Riggers + floater
Excavation & Sitework76%	$1M / $2M	$10M	Required	Required	Required: $2M CSL	Required	Not typically required	Required: Equipment
Glazing & Curtain Wall74%	$2M / $4M	$10M	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Required	Required: Install floater
Concrete73%	$1M / $2M	$10M	Required	Required	Required: Pump trucks	Not typically required	Required: Formwork design	Not typically required
Drywall & Framing71%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Not typically required	Not typically required
Painting & Coatings69%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Not typically required
HVAC & Mechanical67%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Required: Install floater
Plumbing65%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Not typically required
Fire Protection64%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Required: Foam systems	Required	Not typically required
Electrical62%	$1M / $2M	$5M	Required	Required	Required	Not typically required	Required: Design-build	Required: Install floater
Landscaping & Grounds61%	$1M / $2M	$2M to $5M	Required	Not typically required	Required: Trailers	Required: Applicators	Not typically required	Required: Equipment
Elevator & Conveying58%	$2M / $4M	$10M	Required	Not typically required	Required	Not typically required	Not typically required	Required: Install floater

Scroll the table sideways to see every coverage.

Exhibit design

Why high-hazard trades need stricter exhibits

A flat $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 exhibit is a pricing decision you did not make.

One exhibit for every trade means the roofer, the demolition contractor and the landscaper are measured against the same limits. The roofer and the demolition sub carry the severe exposures (falls, fire, collapse, adjacent property), so the flat exhibit leaves your umbrella and retention absorbing what theirs should. The landscaper is asked for coverages it will never use and spends weeks chasing them.

When a carrier denies an additional insured tender, the GC's average out-of-pocket litigation and retention loss runs $150,000 to $450,000 (Commercial Casualty Actuarial Study). Trade tiers put the larger limits and the strictest endorsement rules where that loss is most likely to start.

Exclusions scale with hazard

Hot work, height limits: roofing
XCU, subsidence: excavation, demolition
Professional services: glazing, steel, fire protection
Total pollution, fungi: HVAC, plumbing, painting

Umbrella tiers we start from

Severe: $10M+Roofing, steel, excavation, demolition
High: $5M to $10MElectrical, concrete, glazing, elevator
Significant: $5MHVAC, plumbing, fire protection, drywall, painting
Moderate: $2M to $5MLandscaping and grounds

Completed operations tail

Structural, envelope and MEP trades produce most of their claims after turnover: leaks, settlement, connection failures, equipment faults. For those trades the exhibit should name a completed operations period and require CG 20 37 on every renewal, not just the first certificate.

Specialty coverage is separate evidence

Pollution, professional and inland marine policies rarely appear on an ACORD 25. Pikorua Security asks the broker for each one by name through the zero-login upload link, reads the declarations, and checks the GC is an additional insured where the policy allows it.

Trade guides

All 14 subcontractor trade guides

Requirements tables, endorsement checklists, exclusion watchlists and an interactive compliance check for each trade.

Endorsement library

Structure & envelope

Long completed operations tails, delegated design and work at height.

4 guides

Site & demolition

Underground, collapse and pollution exclusions, plus heavy auto exposure.

3 guides

MEP & life safety

Water, fire and pollution losses that surface after occupancy.

5 guides

Interiors & finishes

Sub-tier crews, classification limits and fume exposure in occupied space.

2 guides

Questions

Trade requirements, answered

Should every subcontractor have the same insurance requirements?

No. A single exhibit either under-protects you on high-hazard trades or over-burdens low-hazard ones. Roofing, demolition, steel and excavation warrant larger umbrellas and specific exclusion prohibitions, while landscaping or interior finishes can carry a lighter tier. Most GCs keep one base exhibit and add trade riders for limits, specialty coverages and prohibited exclusions.

Which subcontractor trades have the highest COI defect rates?

In Pikorua Security's 2026 benchmark, roofing (84%), demolition (81%), structural steel (78%) and excavation and sitework (76%) lead the list, against a 71% average across all subcontractor COIs reported by the AGC Risk Committee Audit. Elevator and conveying (58%) and landscaping (61%) sit at the low end.

What coverages beyond general liability do specialty trades need?

Contractors pollution liability for excavation, demolition, HVAC, plumbing and painting; contractors professional liability where the sub performs design, such as curtain wall, fire protection layout or connection design; and inland marine (riggers liability or installation floaters) for steel, glazing, elevator and mechanical equipment. None of these appear on a standard ACORD 25, so they need their own evidence.

How does Pikorua Security apply trade-specific requirements?

Each vendor is assigned a trade, and the matching rule template is applied on top of your project exhibit. The template adds the trade's limits, required endorsements and prohibited exclusions. When a packet arrives, Pikorua Security reads the certificate, declarations and endorsement pages, flags any trade-specific gap in about 15 seconds and sends the deficiency notice to the sub and its broker.

14-day free production trial

Hold every trade to the exhibit it actually needs.

Upload your current subcontractor COI files. Pikorua Security applies the right trade template to each sub and shows every hidden coverage defect in 10 minutes.

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