Operations

Colorado specialty concrete and geotechnical contractor performing permanent and temporary shotcrete, structural foundations, architectural flatwork, soil-nail and earth-retention walls, grouting, rock drilling, anchors and micropiles. The job list includes bridge, highway, CDOT, RTD, railroad-crossing and limited custom-home work, with six full-time employees and reported operations entirely in Colorado.

Risk narrative

Decline posture under the supplied Dellwood guidance: class 91560 expressly prohibits Colorado operations and several core activities evidenced here, including foundations, grouting, shoring, pile-related work and soil stabilization. The single-location contractor also presents severe completed-operations and collapse potential from bridge work, structural foundations, shotcrete and temporary earth retention, with cable-strike history evidencing underground utility exposure. Five closed claims show low historical severity and a stable computed trend, but carrier and broker totals conflict. The ISO schedule also omits separately rated bridge construction, while payroll, sales, address, deductible and underlying tower details remain unresolved. These gaps would otherwise require referral and updated evidence, but they cannot overcome the explicit class prohibitions.

Hazards severity and frequency graded separately — they drive different decisions

Overall grade 5/5. The combination of temporary shoring, soil stabilization, micropiles, structural foundations and work around bridges, railroads, utilities and elevated infrastructure creates credible collapse and multi-party severity potential. These are materially more severe than routine concrete flatwork.

Catastrophe exposure

No reliable natural-catastrophe assessment was supplied for the premises or statewide job schedule. Operational aggregation may nevertheless arise from a collapse or failure at a major bridge, highway, railroad or earth-retention project.

Loss analysis Stable5 yr(s) supplied

Five policy periods were supplied; the computed trend is stable and severity is low, but broker and carrier claim amounts require reconciliation.

• Moderate Broker-reported five-claim, $13,000 paid history does not reconcile with carrier reports showing $10,275.54 paid and incurred for 2022-23 and $2,938.50 incurred with $0 loss paid for 2024-25.
• Moderate The current excess carrier is reportedly non-renewing due to an appetite change.
• Moderate No expiring premium was supplied, so incurred losses cannot be evaluated relative to expiring premium.
• Low Two 2022-23 entries arise from the same cable-strike date and control number, requiring confirmation of whether they represent one occurrence, two claims or claimant-level records.

Appetite view Decline

The deterministic result was referral, but the current Dellwood guidance provides a more specific controlling result: class 91560 has submit authority and expressly prohibits both Colorado operations and several core operations evidenced by the submission. My underwriting view therefore differs from the default referral and is Decline. The favourable operating history, safety program and low loss severity cannot override explicit prohibitions.

The guideline rule returned ReferToUw (DEFAULT-REFER). The rule is authoritative; this difference is shown so it can be considered, not overridden.

In favour

• The insured reports 22 years in business.
• Five represented GL policy periods show no open claims and low computed average severity.
• A written safety policy, designated safety coordinators, employee training and PPE are evidenced.
• Operations are geographically limited to Colorado rather than multistate or foreign work.
• Residential work is described as limited to a few custom homes.

Concerns

• Class 91560 liability authority is Submit for premises/operations and products/completed operations.
• Operations in Colorado are prohibited.
• Foundation work is prohibited.
• Grouting, underpinning, shoring, post/pier construction, pile driving and soil stabilization are prohibited.
• Hired and/or non-owned auto coverage is prohibited under this class guidance.
• Structural retaining walls higher than three feet are a submit condition; wall heights were not established.
• Past or pending construction-defect claims are a submit condition; complete claim descriptions and litigation disposition were not established.
• Required forms include Colorado, earth or land movement, professional liability, wrap-up, independent-contractor and residential construction restrictions.

Business opportunity Win likelihood Low

The broker supplied a specific $11,000-$12,000 excess target and a near-term effective date, but the file is blocked, material tower information is missing and the operations are expressly prohibited under the supplied Dellwood class guidance. The incumbent's appetite-driven excess non-renewal suggests genuine market need but also a constrained placement.

Why it is in the market. The broker states that Admiral currently writes the GL and is non-renewing the current excess due to an appetite change. This appears to be a replacement-market need rather than ordinary price shopping, but the constrained appetite is a placement warning.

The operation is established and the loss severity is attractive, but the severe construction profile, incomplete exposure allocation and explicit Dellwood prohibitions make it unsuitable for this book under the supplied guidance. Preserve the broker relationship by giving a prompt, operation-specific decline.

Account rounding leads

• Workers Compensation. Six employees perform physical concrete, drilling and geotechnical construction work, and payroll evidence is already available but requires reconciliation.
• Commercial Auto. Vehicle reports and statewide project work indicate a fleet exposure requiring confirmed limits, drivers and garaging.
• Contractors Pollution Liability. Shotcrete, grout, silica-bearing dust and reported contaminated-soil encapsulation may fall outside standard GL pollution coverage.
• Contractors Professional Liability. The website describes planning/design-related activities, while the available primary quote excludes contractors professional liability.
• Inland Marine/Contractors Equipment. Drilling, shotcrete and earth-retention operations involve specialized mobile equipment used at off-premises projects.