The COI Mistake That's Costing Roofers Jobs

My post contentYour certificate of insurance gets rejected. The GC's insurance department kicks it back. You call your broker. Your broker adds a line item. Two days pass. The job you bid on goes to the roofer who had their paperwork right the first time.

This happens constantly, and it's rarely about whether you actually have coverage. It's about how that coverage is documented.

The three lines that sink most roofing COIs

1. Additional Insured endorsement, not just a mention A certificate that lists the GC as "additional insured" in the description box means nothing without the actual endorsement attached to your policy. GCs know the difference. Their risk managers are trained to catch it. If your policy doesn't have a CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) and CG 20 37 (completed operations) endorsement, you're getting bounced.

2. Waiver of Subrogation Increasingly standard on commercial contracts, and increasingly the thing roofers forget to request. Without it, your carrier can come after the GC if something goes wrong on their site — which is exactly what the GC's contract is trying to prevent. No waiver, no start date.

3. Primary and Non-Contributory wording This one trips up more roofers than any other. Contracts now routinely require your GL policy to respond first and not share the loss with the GC's own coverage. If your certificate doesn't state "primary and non-contributory," a sharp GC reviewer sends it back — even if your actual policy has the right language buried in an endorsement they can't see.

Why this keeps happening

Most roofing GL policies are written for general contractors and then adapted for roofing risk. The endorsements above aren't automatic. They get added when a broker who understands construction contracts requests them — not when a generic commercial policy gets bound.

If your broker is asking "what does the contract require?" only after your certificate gets rejected, you're paying for that lag in lost bids.

What to do before your next bid

Pull your current GL policy and check for all three items above. If you don't see CG 20 10/20 37 endorsements, waiver of subrogation, and primary/non-contributory language already in force — not just available on request — get that fixed before you're mid-bid on a job with a tight submission window.

A roofer who can hand over a clean COI on day one closes jobs faster than one who can't, regardless of price.

The information in this blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute insurance, legal, or contractual advice. Every policy is different — talk to your broker before acting on anything above.

Unique Risk Management and Insurance Services works with contractors and GCs to build subcontractor risk transfer programs that hold up when a claim actually hits. Contact us to review your current COI collection process.