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Concrete subcontractors

Concrete subcontractor COI requirements

Concrete subcontractors carry structural completed operations exposure, silica dust, pump truck operations and, increasingly, delegated design for formwork, shoring and post-tensioning. Their COIs fail on completed operations status, on silica exclusions that remove dust claims from the CGL, and on professional services exclusions that collide with the formwork design they actually perform.

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Concrete audit

Bedrock Concrete Contractors Inc.

Northpoint Logistics Park Building 3

Deficient
CGL policy
GL 3381-5520-12
AM Best
B++ IX
Carrier
Bayline Specialty Insurance Co.
  • DeficientAM Best

    Carrier rated B++ IX; exhibit requires A- VII or better.

  • DeficientCG 21 39

    Contractual liability limitation guts the subcontract indemnity.

  • ReviewSilica

    Silica or silica-related dust exclusion on the CGL.

15 rules checked, 2 deficient. Scanned Oct 11, 2026, 8:15 AM ET. Notice sent to sub and broker.
of concrete subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
73%
of concrete subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
trade rank by defect rate, 2 points above the all-trade average
6 of 14
trade rank by defect rate, 2 points above the all-trade average
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
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
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

Typical exhibit

Typical concrete insurance requirements

The limits Pikorua Security's concrete rule template starts from. Your subcontract exhibit controls; set it once per project and every concrete certificate is checked against it.
Rules in template
15
Hazard tier
High
Typical insurance requirements for concrete subcontractors
CoverageTypical limitWhat to check
Commercial general liability (CG 00 01, occurrence)$1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 general aggregateStructural concrete on mid-rise and podium work often moves to $2,000,000 each occurrence.
Products-completed operations aggregate$2,000,000Cracking, deflection, slab curl and settlement claims arrive long after the pour.
Business auto liability$1,000,000 combined single limitHigher when the sub operates boom pump trucks or mixers on public roads; confirm both auto and GL respond while a boom is operating.
Umbrella / excess liability$10,000,000 each occurrence and aggregateFormwork collapse and pump boom failures are high-severity events.
Workers compensation / employer's liabilityStatutory / $1,000,000 each accident, $1,000,000 disease each employee, $1,000,000 disease policy limitConcrete finishers and laborers are frequently supplied through labor brokers. Confirm whose WC covers them.
Contractors professional liability$1,000,000 per claimWhen the sub designs formwork, reshoring or post-tensioning under delegated design.

Endorsement checklist

Forms to see attached, not just checked

A Y in the ADDL INSD column is not an endorsement. Ask for each form below by number and edition, and read the concrete sub's schedule of forms against it.

Exclusion watchlist

Exclusions that void concrete coverage

These never appear on an ACORD 25. They sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages, which is where Pikorua Security reads.
  • Red flag

    Silica or silica-related dust exclusion

    Carriers and ISO publish exclusions that remove bodily injury and property damage arising from silica dust. Cutting, grinding and chipping concrete is the core silica exposure, and OSHA's construction silica standard (29 CFR 1926.1153) makes dust a recognized hazard on every job.

  • Red flag

    Subsidence or earth movement exclusion

    Carrier forms that exclude damage from settling, shifting or subsidence of land. Slab-on-grade and foundation work sits directly on that exposure, so a settlement claim against the concrete sub may be excluded.

  • Red flag

    CG 22 79 Exclusion, Contractors, Professional Liability

    Formwork and shoring design, post-tensioning layout and delegated mix design are professional services. A formwork collapse traced to the sub's own design can fall outside the CGL.

    Read the CG 22 79 guide
  • Red flag

    CG 21 39 Contractual Liability Limitation

    Strips assumed tort liability from the insured contract definition, so the indemnity clause in your subcontract becomes uninsured. It is a red flag on any trade, and concrete subs with thin programs carry it more often than most.

    Read the CG 21 39 guide

Structural work means long completed operations exposure

Concrete is permanent. When a post-tensioned slab cracks, a foundation settles or a parking deck spalls, the claim arrives years after the concrete sub has left the site. The GC needs completed operations additional insured status (CG 20 37) and a sub that keeps buying completed operations coverage for the period in the subcontract, because the coverage that responds is the one in force when the damage occurs.

Pikorua Security tracks completed operations as its own obligation, separate from the active project. After closeout, the concrete sub stays on a renewal schedule for the completed operations period you set, and each renewal certificate is checked for CG 20 37 at the matching edition.

Formwork, shoring and delegated design

On many projects the concrete sub is responsible for designing formwork, reshoring and sometimes post-tensioning layouts, often through an engineer it hires. Those are professional services. A CGL with CG 22 79 will argue that a collapse caused by the shoring design is a design loss, not a construction loss, even with the carve-back for construction means and methods.

Require a contractors professional liability policy whenever the subcontract delegates design. If the sub uses an outside engineer, collect that engineer's professional certificate as well, and list it in the vendor record so its renewal is tracked alongside the sub's.

Pump trucks, silica and the jobsite

Boom pump trucks sit on the boundary between auto and general liability. A truck traveling to the site is an auto exposure; a boom extended over the pour is an operations exposure. Verify that the pump operator's auto policy and CGL both respond during pumping and that the GC is covered under both, including CA 20 48 on the auto side.

Silica is the other recurring issue. If the sub's CGL carries a silica exclusion, ask how dust claims are handled. A finding does not always mean rejection, but it should be a decision your risk manager makes deliberately rather than one a certificate hides.

How to verify a concrete sub's COI

A manual review of one COI and its endorsement packet takes 25 to 40 min (CFMA Time Study). These are the six checks, in the order Pikorua Security runs them.

  1. 1

    Match the named insured to the subcontract

    Compare the named insured on the ACORD 25 with the legal entity that signed the concrete subcontract, including the LLC or Inc. suffix. A trade name or DBA is not the contracting entity, and additional insured coverage follows the policy's named insured.

  2. 2

    Check limits against your concrete exhibit

    Confirm commercial general liability of $1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 general aggregate, an umbrella of $10,000,000 that follows form over CGL, auto and employer's liability, and statutory workers compensation. Then confirm contractors professional liability is evidenced, because it does not appear on a standard ACORD 25.

  3. 3

    Read the endorsement pages, not the checkboxes

    A Y in the ADDL INSD or SUBR WVD column is not an endorsement. Confirm CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 01, CG 24 04, WC 00 03 13, CA 20 48, CG 25 03 and CG 20 38 are attached as forms, and that the ongoing and completed operations forms share the same edition date.

  4. 4

    Scan the schedule of forms for concrete exclusions

    Look for silica or silica-related dust exclusion, subsidence or earth movement exclusion, CG 22 79 Exclusion, Contractors, Professional Liability and CG 21 39 Contractual Liability Limitation. None of these appear on the certificate; they sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages.

  5. 5

    Check carrier ratings and policy dates

    Confirm each carrier is rated A- VII or better by AM Best and that no policy expires before the concrete scope and its completed operations period are finished. Set renewal reminders at 60, 30, 15 and 0 days.

  6. 6

    Hold payment and site access until resolved

    Keep the concrete sub's pay applications and jobsite badges on hold until every finding is resolved, then file the verified packet so it is ready if you ever need to tender a claim.

Try it

Is this concrete COI compliant?

Toggle what Bedrock Concrete Contractors Inc.'s packet shows. The verdict updates the way Pikorua Security's concrete template scores it.

What the packet from Bedrock Concrete Contractors Inc. shows

  • Matching editions

  • AM Best financial strength

  • Attached to the CGL. Red flag if present.

  • Or no silica exclusion present

  • When design is delegated

  • Covers pump trucks and mixers

Switch on = present in the packet. Switch off = missing.

Deficient: 3 findings

  • Carrier rated A- VII or better

    Carrier below the AM Best minimum.

  • CG 21 39 contractual liability limitation

    Your indemnity clause is uninsured.

  • Professional policy for formwork design

    Shoring design losses fall outside the CGL.

Pikorua Security would send a deficiency notice to the sub and its broker citing each item, and hold payment until a corrected endorsement arrives.

Related trades

All 14 trade guides

Questions

Concrete COI questions

Does a concrete subcontractor's general liability cover silica dust claims?
Not always. Many CGL policies carry a silica or silica-related dust exclusion, which removes bodily injury and property damage arising from silica. Concrete cutting and grinding are core silica exposures, so check the schedule of forms for a silica exclusion and decide how your exhibit treats it.
Who covers a pump truck while it is pumping concrete?
It depends on the policy wording, and pump trucks are a known gray area between auto and general liability. Require both policies, confirm neither carries a gap for equipment operations, and require CA 20 48 so the GC is a designated insured for covered autos liability.
Do concrete subs need professional liability insurance?
When the subcontract delegates design of formwork, reshoring or post-tensioning to the concrete sub, yes. CGL policies commonly exclude professional services through CG 22 79, so a design-caused formwork failure needs a contractors professional liability policy to respond.

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