The 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmarking Report

Methodology

This benchmark documents the insurance requirements that procurement, risk, and compliance teams place on their suppliers. The underlying dataset includes 291 requestor insurance requirement sets contributed by organizations operating across multiple industries.

The cross-industry aggregate view in this report (presented as the Risk Tier Benchmark) reports the typical requirements observed across all 291 requirement sets, organized by risk tier (Low, Moderate, High, Towing, Professional, Pollution, and Liquor).

Industry-specific breakdowns describe the requirements observed in the subsets of the 291 contributed by organizations operating in each industry segment: Property Management and Commercial Real Estate; Film, Media, and Entertainment; Retail and Production; Construction; and Commercial Transportation.

A separate vendor-volume breakdown describes the requirements observed in the subset of contributing organizations that manage 10,000 or more vendors, isolating how programs at scale structure their requirements differently from the rest of the dataset.

Adoption percentages reported in this benchmark refer to the share of programs in a given cut (cross-industry aggregate, industry-specific breakdown, or vendor-volume breakdown) that require a given coverage or endorsement at a specified risk tier. Coverage limits reported as universal apply across all 291 underlying requirement sets unless otherwise noted.

This report is published as a public benchmark for procurement, risk management, and operations professionals working in supplier compliance. It is not a substitute for legal, insurance, or risk advisory services.

Key Findings at a Glance

Universal coverage floors

1. 96% of insurance programs require a maximum 30-day written notice of cancellation, with the remaining 4% requiring 60-day notice and no program in the dataset accepting more than 60 days (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

2. Workers Compensation Statutory limits are required in 100% of insurance programs in the benchmark across all industries, tiers, and program sizes, with alternative requirements applied for vendors operating in monopolistic workers compensation states (North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming), where programs either require Stop Gap coverage on the General Liability policy or accept the monopolistic state-fund policy regardless of dollar amount. Exceptions are frequently granted to solo operators who do not have employees. (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

Auto liability specifics

3. Among programs that allow split limits, 69% use $500K/$500K/$500K, 12% use $1M/$1M/$1M, and 19% use $100K/$300K/$100K. In programs allowing split limits, the most common pairs are $1M in Combined Single Limit OR $500K/$500K/$500K in split limits. The second most common is $500K in Combined Single Limit OR $100K/$300K/$100K in split limits (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

Umbrella and excess

4. Where umbrella coverage is required, 60% of programs set the limit at $2M and 25% set it at $1M, and 15% requiring greater than $2M. The exception to this requirement is if General Liability coverage exceeds the combination required for both General Liability and Excess/Umbrella Liability combined. (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

Endorsement adoption

5. Ongoing Operations endorsement program requirements are 23% at Moderate Risk and 72% at High Risk in the cross-industry mix, identifying this endorsement as a high-risk-tier marker rather than a baseline requirement, most often used in project-heavy programs (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

6. Completed Operations endorsement program requirements reach 81% at High Risk in the cross-industry mix and 84% in property management specifically, making it the most consistently required operations endorsement at high-risk tiers, heavily concentrated in project-heavy programs (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

Program design and structural

7. 75% of organizations contributing to the dataset operate one to three insurance requirement tiers across their supplier base, while 25% maintain four or more tiers segmented by risk level, work type, or specialty exposure (Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark, n=291).

The Shared Baseline: What Holds Across Every Industry and Tier

Three positions hold across every industry, every tier, and every program size documented in the benchmark.

General Liability Each Occurrence is set at $1,000,000 in 95% of requirement sets, with the remaining 5% set at $500,000 by a single outlier organization. The $1M floor applies whether the supplier is a low-risk office vendor, a high-risk pollution operation, or a vendor working under a 10,000-plus vendor program.

Workers Compensation limits are required in 100% of programs, with 82% accepting state insurance fund limits where the coverage may be less or more than the required limit. 18% require Stop Gap coverage equal to the required limit, even in states where there is monopolistic or state-funded Workers Compensation.

Additional Insured on General Liability is required in the majority of programs. The variance shows up in additional insured requirements on Auto, Commercial Property, and Equipment policies, not on GL.

Carrier quality is the next most consistent line in the benchmark. AM Best A- is the required minimum in 95% of programs. Excluding the single organization that accepts B-rated carriers, AM Best A- is universal.

The Cross-Industry Aggregate: Insurance Requirements by Risk Tier

This section presents the industry-agnostic aggregate and averaged benchmark of 291 program insurance requirement sets in the dataset, organized by risk tier. The benchmark describes the typical requirements observed across the full dataset for each of the seven risk-tier categories used by contributing organizations: Low, Moderate, High, Towing & Auto, Professional, Pollution & Projects, and Liquor. Use this view as the baseline reference point for any requirement decision; the industry-specific and vendor-volume breakdowns later in this report describe how individual cuts deviate from this benchmark. The limit amounts and requirements are based on the average amount across risk tiers.

Findings specific to the cross-industry aggregate

GL Each Occurrence and GL Personal & Adv Injury are universally $1M across all seven risk tiers in the cross-industry aggregate, making them the two most consistent primary GL limits in the dataset.

Auto Combined Single Limit is commonly set at $1M in six of the seven risk tiers, with the Professional tier as the only deviation at $500K.

Umbrella coverage is required in three of the seven risk tiers (Moderate at $1M, High at $2M, Pollution at $2M) and not required at the remaining four (Low, Towing, Professional, Liquor).

Workers Compensation Employer's Liability is commonly $500K/$500K/$500K across all seven risk tiers in the cross-industry aggregate, distinguishing the cross-industry view from the higher $1M EL floor used in commercial transportation, retail, entertainment, and 10,000-plus vendor programs.

The Pollution and Project tier carries the highest endorsement requirements in the aggregate: Waiver of Subrogation Required, Primary and Non-Contributory at 91%, Ongoing Operations at 93%, and Completed Operations at 89%.

The Towing tier uses Combined Single Limit only with no auto split limits in the majority of requirements, and applies On Hook ($50K-$100K) and Garage Keeper ($100K-$1M) as its specialty layer.

AM Best A- is the universal carrier rating minimum across all seven risk tiers in the aggregate.

Insurance Requirements for Programs Managing 10,000-Plus Vendors

This breakdown isolates the requirement programs operated by organizations managing 10,000 or more vendors, distinguishing how programs at this scale structure their requirements from the rest of the dataset. The pattern is concentrated in severity coverages including umbrella, Workers Compensation, and Crime, while primary General Liability remains at the dataset's standard floor.

Findings specific to programs managing 10,000-plus vendors

Programs managing 10,000 or more vendors raise umbrella requirements from the cross-industry $2M to $5M at the High Risk tier, while leaving GL Each Occurrence at the dataset-wide $1M floor.

Workers Compensation Employer's Liability at $1M is required across most risk tiers in 10,000-plus vendor programs, compared to the $500K floor used in 85% of cross-industry programs.

Crime coverage at $1M is often required for at-risk vendors in High Risk and Specialty tiers in 10,000-plus vendor programs.

Waiver of Subrogation is often required across all tiers in 10,000-plus vendor programs, compared to 13% at Low Risk and 47% at Moderate Risk in the cross-industry mix.

GL General Aggregate in 10,000-plus vendor programs is set at $1M, lower than the $2M typical of Moderate and High tiers in the cross-industry benchmark, typically relying on umbrella coverage rather than primary aggregate scaling to handle severity exposure.

Industry Breakdowns: How Insurance Requirements Differ by Industry

The five industry breakdowns below describe the subsets of the 291 dataset by industry segment. Each breakdown describes the typical requirements observed for that industry. The table below summarizes the high-risk profile for each industry alongside the 10,000-plus vendor cut for reference.

Two patterns are visible in the comparison. GL Each Occurrence holds at $1M across most industries at most tiers, with the exceptions concentrated in Construction (projects over $1M) and Retail and Production (High Risk operations), where the limit jumps to $5M. Severity coverages such as umbrella, WC Employer's Liability, and Crime move materially across industries and program scale, while primary GL stays at the dataset's standard floor. Specialty coverages are where the industries separate the most: no two industries always require the same specialty layer, and the limits attached to specialty coverages can exceed the limits on primary GL by a factor of three to five.

Insurance Requirements for Property Management Suppliers

Property management programs in the benchmark typically segment by exposure type rather than purely by risk intensity, applying separate sub-tiers for Towing, Professional, Pollution, and Liquor exposures alongside the standard Low, Moderate, and High risk tiers. The breakdown below describes the central average pattern across property management programs in the dataset.

How property management endorsement adoption compares to the cross-industry aggregate

Property management programs apply endorsement requirements differently from the cross-industry aggregate at every risk tier where both are tracked. The comparison below shows where property management runs more aggressive than the aggregate and where it runs less.

Property management programs apply Waiver of Subrogation 6 to 7 percentage points more aggressively than the cross-industry baseline at Low and Moderate Risk tiers, and Primary and Non-Contributory 3 to 7 percentage points more aggressively at the same tiers. Ongoing and Completed Operations endorsements are lower in property management at Moderate Risk but materially higher at High Risk. The pattern shows property management programs hold off on operations endorsements until the risk profile clearly warrants them, then apply them more broadly than the cross-industry mix at the high end.

Findings specific to property management

GL Each Occurrence is set at $1M across every tier in property management programs in the dataset, with a single contributing organization deviating to $500K across all coverage lines.

Property management programs apply Waiver of Subrogation more aggressively at Low and Moderate Risk tiers than the cross-industry baseline by 6 to 7 percentage points, and Primary and Non-Contributory more aggressively at the same tiers by 3 to 7 percentage points.

Property management programs frequently operate exposure-type sub-tiers (Towing, Professional, Pollution, Liquor) alongside their standard Low, Moderate, and High risk tiers, with sub-tier programs introducing distinct specialty coverages at each tier.

Pollution coverage is required at $1M in property management Pollution-tier programs, with 91% of these programs also requiring Primary and Non-Contributory and 89% requiring Completed Operations endorsements.

Insurance Requirements for Construction Suppliers

Construction insurance requirements segment by project size rather than risk tier, a structural difference from every other industry in the benchmark. Standard requirements apply to general operations, with separate elevated requirements for projects valued over $1 million. Owner-provided coverages and specialty endorsements are distinct features of construction programs that do not appear in other industries. As a distinguishing note, amounts change drastically on project sizes but these are the most common averages.

Findings specific to construction

Construction requirements step GL Each Occurrence from $1M for projects under $1M to $5M for projects over $1M, the largest single-trigger limit jump in the benchmark.

Builder's Risk coverage is required at full contract value or at a high fixed dollar amount across both project-size tiers, covering theft, vandalism, collapse, false-work, flood, and earthquake perils on all below-ground and above-ground structures, piping, foundations, and underground water and sewer infrastructure.

No-XCU exclusion language, meaning no exclusions for explosion, collapse, or underground hazards on the Commercial General Liability policy, is required in construction programs above the standard threshold.

Owner-provided coverages including Owner Commercial General Liability at $2M, Owner Auto Liability at $1M, and Owner Workers Compensation at statutory limits are required as part of construction project insurance frameworks.

Pollution Liability at $1M per loss and $1M aggregate is required as a conditional coverage on construction projects, with the conditional trigger tied to the nature of the work rather than the project size alone.

Insurance Requirements for Retail and Production Suppliers

Retail and production insurance requirements segment by operational role and risk tier across five categories: Low Risk, Moderate Risk, High Risk, Packaging Risks, and Co-Producers. Coverage limits in retail run higher across most lines than in property management, and the industry introduces specialty coverages including Cyber Liability and Product Recall that do not appear elsewhere in the benchmark at the same limits.

Findings specific to retail and production

Retail Co-Producer agreements require the highest umbrella limit in the benchmark at $10M, double the $5M required for retail Low Risk operations within the same industry.

Retail Low Risk operations are the only programs in the benchmark requiring $5M Pollution Liability, exceeding both the $1M Pollution limits applied at higher risk tiers in property management and the $1M limits in construction.

Cyber Liability at $5M is required in retail programs only when Packaging Risks are involved, identifying packaging operations as the primary cyber exposure driver in retail insurance frameworks.

Professional Liability at $1M per occurrence and $3M aggregate is required across Moderate, High, and Packaging risk tiers in retail, the most stringent professional liability requirement in any industry.

Product Recall and Contamination coverage at $5M per occurrence and $5M aggregate is required at Moderate Risk, Packaging Risks, and Co-Producer tiers, identifying these three categories as the operational profiles most exposed to product safety incidents.

Insurance Requirements for Film, Media, and Entertainment Suppliers

Entertainment insurance requirements split into Standard Limits applicable to all productions and Specialty Limits applied to productions involving specialized risks such as pyrotechnics, aircraft, or extensive on-location property. The industry introduces three coverage lines that do not appear in any other industry in the benchmark.

Findings specific to entertainment

Entertainment programs are the only programs in the benchmark requiring Pyrotechnics, Explosives, and Fireworks coverage, set at $3M per occurrence and $3M aggregate.

Aircraft Liability at $5M is required for entertainment programs involving aerial production, a coverage line that does not appear in any other industry in the benchmark.

All-Risk Property coverage at 100% replacement value is required for Specialty productions in entertainment, addressing equipment, set, and production property exposure that other industries handle through limited commercial property coverage.

Workers Compensation Employer's Liability in entertainment is set at $1M, doubling the $500K floor used in property management and most other non-transportation industries in the dataset.

Liquor Liability at $1M is required for entertainment Specialty productions, a coverage line that also appears in property management Liquor-tier programs at the same limit.

Insurance Requirements for Commercial Transportation Suppliers

Commercial transportation insurance requirements operate in two tiers, Standard and Moderate, with the primary structural difference being how auto liability is expressed (split limits at the Standard tier, Combined Single Limit only at the Moderate tier). Cargo and reefer breakdown coverages are distinct features of this industry and do not appear in any other industry in the benchmark.

Findings specific to commercial transportation

Commercial transportation programs require Workers Compensation Employer's Liability at $1M/$1M/$1M across both tiers, doubling the $500K floor used by 85% of programs in other industries.

Cargo coverage at $25K and Reefer Breakdown coverage at $25K are required across both transportation tiers, the only industries in the benchmark with these specialty coverages.

Auto Combined Single Limit at $1M is required in 100% of commercial transportation programs, with split-limit alternatives offered in most programs.

Waiver of Subrogation on Workers Compensation is required in 100% of commercial transportation programs across both tiers.

About This Data

The Certificial 2026 Insurance Requirements Benchmark documents 291 program insurance requirements across multiple industries. The dataset is presented in this report as a cross-industry aggregate (Risk Tier Benchmark), as a vendor-volume breakdown isolating contributing organizations that manage 10,000 or more vendors, and as five industry-specific breakdowns for Property Management and Commercial Real Estate, Film, Media, and Entertainment, Retail and Production, Construction, and Commercial Transportation.

Coverage limits, endorsement adoption percentages, and specialty coverage requirements are reported as documented in the source requirement sets. Where adoption percentages are reported, the denominator is the count of programs in the specified cut at the specified risk tier.

Data current as of April 2026.

About Certificial

Certificial is the Smart COI platform for procurement, risk, and compliance teams managing supplier insurance compliance at scale. Smart COIs replace static PDF certificates of insurance with a live, continuously verified data connection between the supplier's insurance agent and the requestor's compliance dashboard, enabling real-time visibility into coverage changes, cancellations, and renewals across the supplier base. Certificial is used by property management, construction, retail, transportation, and enterprise procurement programs to reduce supplier onboarding friction, eliminate compliance gaps, and meet audit requirements without adding headcount.