DC Government Contract Insurance Requirements, Step by Step
A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a one-page document your insurance broker issues that proves you carry the coverage a DC government contract requires. The DC Office of Risk Management (ORM) sets the minimum coverage floors — individual agencies cannot lower them. You have ten days from contract execution to submit your COI through the OCP portal at ocp.dc.gov.
Insurance requirements vary significantly by contract type, and the ORM matrix adds layers on top of a four-coverage baseline that every contractor must carry. Most contractors find out they have the wrong coverage or the wrong limits only after they have won the contract. Reading the insurance section of the solicitation before you bid is the single most effective way to avoid that.
The four coverages required on every DC contract
- 1Commercial General Liability: $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate
Required on every DC government contract. Covers bodily injury and property damage your business causes to third parties.
- 2Auto Liability: $1M combined single limit
Covers owned, non-owned, and hired vehicles. If your employees drive to a job site in their own cars, this applies.
- 3Workers' Compensation: statutory DC limits
Mandatory if you have employees working in DC. DC law sets the required limits.
- 4Employers' Liability: $500K per accident / per disease / policy limit
Covers claims from employees that fall outside the workers' comp system. Required on every DC government contract alongside workers' comp.
What changes by contract type
- 1Consulting / professional services
Add: $2M umbrella, $1M cyber liability, $1M/$2M errors and omissions (E&O), $10K crime coverage. Most professional services firms, IT consultants, and training providers start here.
- 2IT contracts
Scale with contract value. Under $100K: $2M umbrella, $1M cyber, E&O, $50K crime. $101K–$500K: cyber jumps to $2M, crime to $100K. Over $500K: cyber runs $4M–$5M, crime $200K–$400K. The cyber requirement is what catches most IT firms off guard.
- 3Staffing contracts
Add: $10M umbrella, $1M cyber, professional liability including medical professional liability if applicable, $100K crime, and Employment Practices Liability (EPL) at $1M/$2M. EPL covers wrongful termination, harassment, and discrimination claims. Staffing has the heaviest profile in the ORM matrix.
- 4Construction contracts
Add: $10M umbrella, $2M cyber, $5M professional liability, $10K crime, $2M environmental or pollution liability, and Builder's Risk for the project. Construction is the most expensive profile to insure.
- 5Health-related / youth and education contracts
Add: $10M umbrella, $5M cyber, professional liability plus medical professional liability, $100K crime, and $1M environmental liability.
How to get your COI and submit it
- 1Read the insurance section of the solicitation before you bid
The requirements are there. They are specific to your contract type. Mismatching coverage levels is the most common COI rejection reason.
- 2Contact your insurance broker with three things
Give your broker the contract number, the specific coverage requirements from the solicitation, and the additional insured language. They can usually issue the COI the same day or next business day.
- 3Confirm the certificate holder line and required endorsements
The certificate holder must read: District of Columbia, plus the contracting agency's address. The additional insured endorsement must name the District of Columbia explicitly. Waiver of Subrogation is required. On claims-made policies, the retroactive date must precede your contract's effective date.
- 4Submit through ocp.dc.gov within ten days
Use the OCP Certificate of Insurance submissions portal. The deadline is ten days from contract execution. Missing it creates a compliance issue that can delay your first payment.
Document checklist
- The insurance requirements from your specific solicitation (read before bidding, not after winning)
- Your current insurance policy limits for all required coverage types
- Contract number to give your broker
- Additional insured language: District of Columbia + contracting agency address
Common mistakes that get applications bounced
- ×Wrong coverage limits — matching a different contract type in the ORM matrix instead of the one you won.
- ×Missing additional insured endorsement — the District of Columbia must be explicitly named on the certificate.
- ×Submitting an expired certificate — the COI must be current at time of submission, not the one pulled months ago for the bid.
- ×Wrong retroactive date on a claims-made policy — the retroactive date must precede your contract's effective date.
- ×Missing Waiver of Subrogation — required on every DC government COI.
FAQ
Commercial General Liability ($1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate), Auto Liability ($1M combined single limit), Workers' Compensation (statutory DC limits), and Employers' Liability ($500K per accident). These are the baseline floor — additional coverages layer on top depending on contract type.
Ten days from contract execution. Submit through the OCP Certificate of Insurance submissions portal at ocp.dc.gov. Missing the deadline creates a compliance issue that can delay your first payment.
SAM stands for Sexual Abuse and Molestation coverage. Required any time your work involves contact with vulnerable populations: children, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities. It runs $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate and some carriers do not write it. If your contract involves youth services or health programs, start this process before you bid.
It scales with contract value: $1M under $100K, $2M from $101K–$500K, and $4M–$5M over $500K with access to District data. Know your current policy limit before you bid on IT work.
The DC Office of Risk Management (ORM) publishes the insurance matrix and sets the floor requirements for every DC government contract and grant. Individual agencies cannot lower those floors. ORM reviews every contract over $100K before solicitation and bakes the requirements in based on the scope of work.
DuoGov tracks active DC/MD/VA solicitations nightly, search your trade and see what's open.
Browse opportunitiesThis guide is educational and explains the process in plain English, it is not legal advice. Forms and requirements change; always download the current version and confirm requirements at the official source.