Subcontractor insurance requirement templates

A requirement template describes the coverage a class of subcontractor must carry. Make one per contract type (on-site trades, suppliers, design consultants) and assign one to each subcontractor. Every verdict is measured against the assigned template; without one, WatchMyCover cannot decide whether anybody complies.

Requirements page in WatchMyCover with the Trade Subcontractor template outlined, showing limits and endorsements by coverage — Requirements: one card for each template, with its limits and required endorsements.

Templates live under Requirements in the sidebar.

What a template contains

Field	What it does
Template name	Shown on each subcontractor and in the register export. Up to 120 characters; two templates cannot have the same name.
Description	What kind of subcontractor this applies to. For your reference. Up to 1,000 characters.
Use as the default for new subcontractors	A subcontractor you add by hand gets this template unless you choose another. In a spreadsheet import you choose the requirements for each row. There is always one default. To change it, make another template the default; the default itself cannot be deleted.
Coverage requirements	One row per coverage type. Select a coverage to include it.

Edit requirements form in WatchMyCover with the Use as the default for new subcontractors option outlined — The template form. The default template is the one a new subcontractor gets.

For each coverage you include:

Setting	What it does
Minimum each occurrence ($), named Minimum combined single limit ($) for auto and Minimum E.L. each accident ($) for workers’ comp	The lowest such limit you accept. Leave blank to not check this limit.
Minimum aggregate ($)	The lowest aggregate limit you accept. Leave blank to not check this limit.
Coverage is mandatory	Checked when you first include a coverage. When checked, anything wrong with this coverage (missing, expired, not yet in force, short limit, missing endorsement) fails the subcontractor. When unchecked, the coverage is optional: it is shown if carried, but it never decides the verdict and is never chased.
Additional insured	The contract requires you to be named on their policy.
Waiver of subrogation	The contract requires their insurer to waive recovery against you.
Primary & non-contributory	The contract requires their policy to pay first, without asking yours to share.

General Liability section of a requirement template with minimum each occurrence, minimum aggregate, mandatory and endorsement options outlined — The settings for one coverage: two minimum limits, whether it is mandatory, and the endorsements required.

Enter limits as whole amounts in your company’s currency, such as 1,000,000 or $2,000,000, up to 1,000,000,000. The field’s label shows the currency mark. Shorthand such as 1M, or cents, is not accepted: the form asks for a whole amount. A minimum of 0 is treated the same as blank. A template must include at least one coverage.

The two starting templates

Every new workspace starts with two templates, with limits typical of a US construction subcontract. A company set up in another country starts with the same figures in its own currency; they are not converted. Change them to match your own contracts during onboarding or at any time afterwards.

Trade Subcontractor (the default)

For trades performing work on site.

Coverage	Minimum limit	Aggregate	Endorsements required
General Liability	$1,000,000	$2,000,000	Additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary & non-contributory
Workers’ Compensation	$1,000,000	None	Waiver of subrogation
Automobile Liability	$1,000,000	None	Additional insured
Umbrella / Excess Liability	$2,000,000	$2,000,000	None

All four coverages are mandatory.

General Vendor / Supplier

For delivery, supply and service vendors who do not perform construction work on site.

Coverage	Minimum limit	Aggregate	Endorsements required
General Liability	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	Additional insured
Automobile Liability	$1,000,000	None	None
Workers’ Compensation	$500,000	None	None

All three coverages are mandatory.

These are starting points, not advice. Your subcontract, your owner contract and your broker decide what you should require.

Create, edit and delete

New template opens an empty template. Anyone on the team can create one; only an owner or admin can make it the default.
Edit changes a template. Only owners and admins can edit. Saving re-checks every subcontractor assigned to it; the confirmation tells you how many are being re-checked.
Delete, then Delete template, removes a template permanently. Only owners and admins can delete, and only when no subcontractor (active or archived) is assigned to it. Move them to another template first.

Requirements page in WatchMyCover with the New template button outlined — New template, at the top right of Requirements.

Plans limit the number of templates: 3 on Starter, 10 on Core, unlimited on Pro. See Plans and billing.

Assigning a template

Assign a template when you add a subcontractor or edit one (the Insurance requirements field), or choose one for every row when you import a spreadsheet. Changing a subcontractor’s template re-checks them immediately.

References

Additional insured. IRMI glossary definition.
Insurance Coverage: Waivers of Subrogation. IRMI commentary.
Primary and Noncontributory. IRMI commentary.
How the Limits Apply in the CGL Policy. IRMI commentary.

Get started

Requirements

Subcontractors

Certificates and verdicts

Renewal chasing

Register and reports

Account

Guides

Reference

Subcontractor insurance requirement templates

What a template contains

The two starting templates

Trade Subcontractor (the default)

General Vendor / Supplier

Create, edit and delete

Assigning a template

References

​What a template contains

​The two starting templates

​Trade Subcontractor (the default)

​General Vendor / Supplier

​Create, edit and delete

​Assigning a template

​Related

​References

What a template contains

The two starting templates

Trade Subcontractor (the default)

General Vendor / Supplier

Create, edit and delete

Assigning a template

Related

References