A licensed Georgia insurance broker who works with contractors will review your bid's insurance requirements for free. Almost all of them do, because the review shows them what to place if you win. You get back what you already meet, what you lack, and roughly what each fix costs. Who this is for: Georgia contractors holding a bid package with an insurance exhibit.
The short version
- A licensed Georgia broker is the free reviewer. Send the insurance and bond sections the day the bid package arrives.
- Ask for three things back: what you meet, what you lack, and an illustrative price for each gap.
- Public work in Georgia often needs bonds too. A bond is a surety company's promise that you will finish the job and pay your suppliers. State projects over $100,000 need them.
- You usually do not need to buy the coverage before you bid, but you need it in place before you start.
- Do not start while the paperwork is pending. Insurers do not backdate, and a general contractor's written go-ahead does not create coverage.
Who reviews a Georgia bid's insurance section for free?
Several people can look at it. Only one can also fix what they find, and that one is usually free.
| Who | Free? | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| A licensed Georgia insurance broker | Yes, in most cases | What you meet, what you lack, and an illustrative price for each fix |
| Your current insurance company | Yes | Whether it can raise limits or add wording on the policies it writes. Nothing about other companies. |
| The owner's pre-bid question process | Yes | Written answers about the requirements, usually shared with every bidder |
| A Georgia construction attorney | No, hourly | A read of the promise-to-pay and bond wording |
| Morrow | Yes | Plain English notes on the section, what you already meet, and an illustrative price for each gap |
What should the reviewer check in a Georgia bid package?
- The policies and limits. Most Georgia bids ask for general liability, workers comp, commercial auto, and an umbrella, which is a second layer of coverage above your other liability policies.
- The extra wording. Additional insured means your customer can use your liability policy if they get sued because of your work. Waiver of subrogation means your insurer agrees not to go after your customer to recover money it paid. Each is added by an endorsement, usually one extra page.
- The insurer requirements. Most Georgia public bids want an insurance company rated A- VII or better and admitted in Georgia. Specialty (surplus lines) insurers are not admitted, so if the umbrella you priced comes from one, confirm the solicitation allows it before the bid goes in.
- The bonds. A bid bond is a promise to the owner that you will sign the contract if you win. Performance and payment bonds back your work and your bills.
- Georgia's workers comp rule. Georgia requires workers compensation once a business regularly has three or more employees, including part-timers. No bid can waive that.
- Your license. A Georgia general contractor license already requires at least $500,000 of general liability, a Residential-Basic license at least $300,000. See what a Georgia contractor license requires.
Does a Georgia public bid need bonds as well as insurance?
Often, yes, and this is where an unreviewed bid goes wrong. The trigger depends on who owns the project, so read the solicitation.
| Georgia project type | When bonds kick in | What is required |
|---|---|---|
| State agency project | Estimated contract over $100,000 | Performance bond and payment bond, each for the full contract amount |
| City, county, or local authority project | Over $250,000 since July 1, 2025. Check the solicitation. | Bid bond of at least 5 percent, plus performance and payment bonds for the full amount |
| Private project | Whatever the owner writes in | Often nothing for subs. Sometimes bonds on large jobs. |
A first bond takes longer than a first umbrella. The surety wants financial statements and a work history, so start that conversation the week the package arrives. See insurance, a bid bond, or both.
Do I need to buy the insurance before I bid in Georgia?
Usually no. You need the coverage in place, with proof delivered, before you start work. What you need before you bid is the price, because the winning number has to carry it. No Georgia pricing is published, so these are national illustrative ranges for a small contractor with clean claims: a $1,000,000 umbrella about $600 to $2,500 a year, a $2,000,000 umbrella about $1,200 to $4,500, and a workers comp waiver about 2% to 5% of the workers comp premium for that job. Trade, payroll, and insurer move all of it.
Do not start while the paperwork is pending. Insurers do not backdate. A policy or endorsement issued after the crew mobilizes does not cover an injury that already happened, and written permission from the general contractor does not fill the gap.
If the owner wants a certificate with the bid, a Georgia broker can usually issue one from your current policies the same day. A certificate is a snapshot, not coverage. It cannot add additional insured status, a waiver, or a limit your policy does not carry, so the endorsement has to be issued first. See do I need to buy the insurance before I win the bid.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: An electrical subcontractor in Savannah bids $480,000 on a Chatham County school renovation. The package asks for a 5 percent bid bond, $1,000,000 general liability, $1,000,000 auto, a $2,000,000 umbrella, and full performance and payment bonds. The sub carries $1,000,000 liability and $500,000 auto, has no umbrella, and has never had a bond.
What went wrong: Two days before the bid date the owner sends the package to a licensed Georgia broker. The broker finds three gaps and one bond program that does not exist yet.
What it cost: Illustrative numbers: the $2,000,000 umbrella at about $3,400 a year, raising auto to $1,000,000 at about $600, and the bonds at about 1.5 percent of the contract, or $7,200. The sub adds roughly $11,200 to the bid and still wins.
The fix: Send the whole insurance and bond package to a licensed Georgia broker the day it arrives. The free review turned a bid the sub could not deliver into one it could.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who can review my construction bid's insurance requirements for free in Georgia?
A licensed Georgia insurance broker who works with contractors. Most do it at no charge because it shows them what coverage to place if you win.
Q: Do I need the insurance in place before I submit a Georgia bid?
Usually no. You need it before you start work. Some owners want a certificate with the bid, and a broker can usually issue one from your current policies the same day.
Q: Does a Georgia public bid need a bond as well as insurance?
Often yes, and the trigger differs for state work versus local work, so check the solicitation. The table above has the thresholds.
Q: Does the bid care which insurance company I use?
Usually yes. Most Georgia public bids set a financial strength rating, commonly A- VII or better, and require the insurer to be licensed in Georgia. A specialty insurer can clear the rating and still fail that second test.
Q: Can I start the job while the paperwork is still pending?
No. Insurers do not backdate, so a policy or a change issued after the crew starts does nothing for an injury that already happened. Written permission from the general contractor does not create coverage either.
Q: How far ahead of the bid date should I send the package?
The day it arrives. Endorsements take one to three business days and a new umbrella one to two weeks. A first bond takes longer because the surety wants financial statements.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Reviewing a Georgia bid's insurance and bond requirements before the number goes in, and pricing every gap, is a review we do at no charge.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.