Specialty Brokerage · Excess & Umbrella Liability
For contractors and project owners with large liability requirements, umbrella and excess coverage raises your limits when a claim runs higher than your primary policies can cover. UCI designs programs that sit cleanly above your general liability, auto, and employer's liability, so a major loss does not reach the business itself.
CPCU · CRIS
Credentialed Advisors
What We Do
We help established contractors and project owners set excess and umbrella limits that meet the requirements written into their largest contracts: the limits general contractors and owners demand before they award work.
Before coverage is placed, UCI reviews how the umbrella sits above each underlying policy, where each layer attaches, and whether the limits hold up when a contract is reviewed or a large claim is filed.
Our Approach
Our four-step process sets excess and umbrella limits against the contracts you sign, the underlying policies you carry, and the size of the projects you pursue.
The result is more than a higher limit. It is a coverage layer designed to respond with your primary policies when a large claim lands.
01
Understand the limits your contracts and projects demand.
Before recommending coverage, UCI reviews your current umbrella and excess limits, your underlying general liability, auto, and employer’s liability policies, and the limit requirements written into your active contracts. This shows where your current coverage falls short of what your largest jobs require.
02
Set limits and layers to match the work you pursue.
UCI uses what we learn in discovery to set excess and umbrella limits against your contract requirements, project size, and the underlying coverage already in place. The goal is a coverage layer that attaches correctly to each primary policy and meets the limits your contracts call for, rather than a round number that may not respond when you need it.
03
Secure limits with carriers that respond on large claims.
Once the design is clear, UCI places the excess and umbrella program with carriers experienced in contractor risk and high-limit claims. Coverage is layered where the required limits run beyond what a single umbrella will provide, with attention to attachment points, terms, and each carrier’s record on large losses.
04
Keep your limits aligned as your contracts change.
UCI stays involved after coverage is in place, helping with certificate requests, contract limit questions, claims coordination, and limit reviews through the year. As you take on larger contracts with higher liability requirements, the program is reviewed so it continues to meet what your work demands.
Coverage Depth
Excess and umbrella coverage matters most when a claim runs higher than your primary limits can cover. UCI sets up the program so the limits, attachment points, and underlying coverage work together when a large loss lands.
General contractors and project owners often require a set excess limit before they award work or let you on site. UCI reviews the limits written into your contracts and sizes the umbrella so you meet them when a bid is reviewed, rather than discovering the shortfall after the award.
An umbrella responds above your general liability, auto, and employer’s liability policies, but only when those underlying policies carry the limits the umbrella requires. UCI confirms each policy is listed correctly and meets the limit the umbrella expects, so a claim does not land in the space between the primary policy and the excess layer.
When a contract calls for limits beyond what a single umbrella provides, coverage is layered across more than one excess policy. Each layer has to align with the one beneath it so the limits stack cleanly and respond in order. UCI places and coordinates those layers so the full required limit is actually available on a loss.
On projects covered by an owner- or contractor-controlled program, the wrap usually provides the primary and excess limits for covered work. Your own umbrella still has to respond for work outside the wrap, other projects, and operations the program excludes. UCI reviews how your excess coverage coordinates with the wrap, so you are not paying twice in one place while leaving other work short.
The point where an umbrella begins to pay depends on the limits of the policy beneath it and any self-insured retention you carry. If the attachment point does not line up with the underlying limit, the difference falls to the business on a large claim. UCI reviews where each layer attaches so the coverage connects without a gap the company has to fund itself.
Recent Wrap-Up Engagement
Case 1
Renewables & Solar EPC
34%
Premium reduction vs expiring
$42M
Excess limit placed
11 wks
Placement cycle
Case 2
Commercial GC, Medical Office
$180M
Construction value under program
70+
Enrolled subcontractors
Zero
Gap claims to date
Case 3
Mechanical Contractor
1.32 → 0.91
EMR reduction
22%
Workers comp premium cut
18 mos
Plan duration
The Team
When you call UCI, you reach a senior advisor by name — not a routing queue. These are the people who will handle your engagement.
CRIS · MBA · Licensed P&C Agent
Senior advisor on large, complex contractor accounts with detailed insurance requirements built into their contracts. Manages a book exceeding $6M in premium.
CRIS · B.L.A.S., Arizona State
Commercial insurance specialist focused on construction and contractor risk. Works extensively with large, complex contractor accounts across multi-state operations.
Licensed P&C Broker · Construction Specialist
Property and Casualty Licensed · CRIS Certified
Client Voice
*UCI is a division of Affordable Contractors Insurance (ACI)
Start the Conversation
A risk review is a discovery call with a senior insurance advisor to discuss your business, your contract limit requirements, and your liability coverage. Following the call, we’ll provide an in-depth limit analysis you can use to make informed decisions about your excess and umbrella coverage.
Who We Serve
UCI works with commercial contractors and project owners who carry large liability requirements across multi-state operations, contract-heavy engagements, and larger projects. The contractor types most often engaged with UCI include:
Carrying the high umbrella limits owners and lenders require to award vertical commercial, multi-family, and tenant improvement work.
GC
Single-source delivery where one entity holds the liability for the entire project and needs limits to match.
DB
Multi-phase work where each new project tends to raise the limit the next contract requires.
DV
Trades whose work carries enough downstream risk that general contractors set high excess limits before letting them on site.
ME
High-hazard work that often pushes required limits past what a single umbrella will provide.
RF
Disaster response and remediation where a single loss can run well into the excess layers.
RE
Public and large private work where owner contracts dictate the umbrella limits a contractor has to carry to qualify.
HO
High-hazard trades that frequently need layered excess coverage to meet the limits larger contracts demand.
ST
FAQ
An umbrella policy raises the limits above your underlying coverage and, in some cases, can respond to claims your primary policy does not. An excess policy raises the limits but follows the terms of the policy beneath it, so it responds only where the underlying coverage responds. For most contractors the practical question is whether the higher limit also broadens coverage or simply adds more of the same. UCI reviews which approach fits your contracts and underlying policies.
An umbrella responds after the limits of your general liability, auto, or employer’s liability policy are used up on a covered claim. For that to work, each of those policies has to be listed on the umbrella and carry the limit the umbrella requires. If an underlying limit is too low or a policy is left off, a claim can fall into the space the umbrella was meant to cover. UCI confirms the underlying policies and the umbrella line up before a claim tests them.
Yes, and that is often the better time to start. Larger contractor programs are easier to review before a renewal deadline forces a quick decision. Starting earlier gives UCI time to review your contract limit requirements, underlying policies, and any coverage issues that should be addressed before the limits are reset.
Most large general contractors and project owners write a required excess or umbrella limit into their contracts, and the requirement often rises with project size. The limit one contract requires may not satisfy the next. UCI reviews the requirements across your active and target contracts so the program meets the highest limit you need to qualify for the work you want.
Often, yes. A wrap-up program usually provides primary and excess limits for work on the covered project, but it does not cover work on other jobs, operations outside the program, or time outside the project. Your own umbrella still has to respond for that work. UCI reviews how your excess coverage coordinates with any wrap so you are covered off the project without paying twice for the same protection.
A risk review makes sense when your contract limits, project size, or layered coverage have become more complex than a standard quote process can address. For established contractors, the question is not only what a higher limit costs. It is whether the umbrella and excess program actually responds with your primary policies when a large claim lands.
Your Renewal Cycle Starts Here
As your projects grow, the liability limits your contracts require grow with them. An umbrella sized for last year’s work may not meet what your largest contracts now demand. UCI helps established contractors and project owners review whether their excess and umbrella limits still match the work in front of them, and how the program should respond when a major claim runs above the primary policies. A Risk Review with a UCI senior advisor is the first step.