CRIS® Curriculum
The Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS®)
core curriculum is comprised of five basic-to-intermediate-level courses. All of
the courses are directly focused on the unique risk management and insurance needs
of construction projects and contractors. They are designed for construction industry
financial executives, risk managers, insurance buyers, adjusters, and the insurance
agents, brokers, and underwriters who serve the construction industry. Completing
the core curriculum qualifies you to use the CRIS certification for 24 months and
additional courses or seminars may be completed during that period and every 12
months thereafter to maintain the certification. Generally one online course or
one approved seminar or conference will satisfy this renewal requirement.
If you are a newcomer to insurance, we recommend you start with the optional "Fundamentals
of Construction Risk Management and Insurance" course. This is a basic course that
will acquaint you with the risk management process, the insurance coverages that
contractors typically buy, and how the insurance industry operates. While it will
not count towards earning the CRIS certification, it will introduce important terminology
and concepts used in the core curriculum, help you better understand construction
insurance, risk finance, and contractual risk transfer, and give you a sound foundation
for further learning.
Depending on your current level of knowledge of the subject matter, a CRIS course
will typically take 6 to 10 hours to complete. The CRIS courses are intended to
cover the essential elements of the subjects they address at a basic-to-intermediate
level. Thus, the CRIS program will be an intensive learning experience for newcomers
to commercial lines insurance, eliminate many important knowledge gaps for insurance
professionals who have little experience with construction accounts, and be a helpful
review of the fundamentals for seasoned construction risk and insurance professionals.
Several new online CRIS CE courses will be added each year and certain seminars
and conferences will also qualify for reaccreditation. The CRIS CE courses will
focus on specific issues, trends, and problems affecting contractors. The core courses
and planned continuing education courses are listed and summarized below.
Optional CRIS Foundation Course
Required CRIS Core Courses
CRIS Reaccreditation Courses
Planned CRIS Continuing Education Courses
- Advanced Commercial General Liability (CGL)
- Advanced Umbrella Insurance
- Contract Bonding
- Contractors CIP Issues
- Contractors Professional Liability Insurance
- Controlled Insurance Programs (CIPs)
- Insurance for Construction Defects
- Risk Control Basics
- Risk Finance for Contractors
- Risk Management and Insurance for Design-Build Contractors
- Third-Party-Over Actions
- Understanding Construction Risks
Approved Seminars and Conferences
Course Descriptions
Fundamentals of Construction Risk Management and Insurance
This optional foundation course was designed primarily for construction company
employees who have little experience working with insurance. However, it would also
be very helpful for someone who is beginning a career in the insurance industry.
It provides a general overview of the risk management process, including the loss
exposures of most concern to contractors and the risk management tools that are
used to treat them. The property and casualty insurance coverages that contractors
typically buy are described along with a description as to how they match up with
the important exposures. Lastly, the operation of the insurance industry is reviewed
from an insurance buyer's perspective to provide insight into the roles and
responsibilities of underwriters, agents, brokers, and adjusters. This course is
not required to obtain the CRIS certification. CE credit is available for this course.
Commercial Auto, Surety, CIPs, and Miscellaneous Lines
This course reviews the various types of insurance often needed by contractors that
are not covered in the other core courses. This includes auto liability and physical
damage, professional liability, pollution liability, employment practices liability,
and directors and officers liability insurance. It also provides a basic review
of claims-made and occurrence coverage triggers, wrap-up or controlled insurance
programs (CIPs), and surety bonds.
Commercial Liability Insurance for Contractors
This course provides a general overview of standard commercial general liability
insurance and umbrella liability insurance, with specific attention to provisions
that most affect coverage or create problems for some or all contractors. It covers
elements required to trigger coverage, application of standard policy exclusions,
and various standard endorsements, all within a construction context. Suggestions
for modifying coverage to address potential coverage gaps and other problematic
provisions are provided where appropriate.
Contractual Risk Transfer in Construction
This course reviews the ways in which risk is allocated in construction contracts.
In addition to a technical review of the types of techniques available, this course
examines strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of risk transfers in construction
contracts. Topics include indemnification provisions, waivers of subrogation, limitations
of liability, insurance requirements, and some of the key areas of risk allocation
in standard construction contracts. Tips for writing and negotiating fair and effective
insurance requirements are provided where appropriate, as well as for verifying
compliance with these requirements.
Property Insurance for Contractors
This course focuses on builders risk and contractors equipment insurance, including
suggestions for maximizing the effectiveness of the coverages. It also includes
a review of important concepts with respect to insuring the contractor's office
or other permanent property. Topics include covered and excluded property, covered
and excluded perils, covered parties, and alternative methods of reporting covered
values. Various policy provisions that impact the scope of coverage — such as subrogation,
occupancy, and cancellation — are also examined. Suggestions for modifying coverage
to address potential coverage gaps and other problematic provisions are provided
where appropriate.
Workers Compensation for Contractors
This course provides a general overview of standard workers compensation and employers
liability insurance, with specific attention to provisions that most affect coverage
or create problems for some or all contractors. In addition to the standard policy
provisions, key statutes that impact contractors workers compensation exposure and
costs, such as independent contractor liability, employee leasing, overtime pay,
and various federal acts, are also addressed. Suggestions for modifying coverage
to address potential coverage gaps and other problematic provisions are provided
where appropriate.
CRIS Reaccreditation Courses Descriptions
Additional Insured Issues
This course on additional insured issues in construction provides an introduction
to important risk management and insurance concepts for all contracting parties
to a construction project. It provides an overview of the ways in which insured
status under another party’s insurance program can be used as a risk transfer technique
and examines in detail the terms and conditions on which insured status is provided
in all the major lines of construction insurance. While other lines are also addressed,
particular emphasis is placed on additional insured status under general liability
insurance, since that is where the most important contractual risk transfers are
located. The course describes and analyzes standard endorsement language used to
make owners, contractors, subcontractors, lessors, and design professionals insureds
under another entity’s CGL policy. It explores complex and emerging coverage issues
such as “other insurance” concerns; recent revisions to the most widely used CGL
additional insured endorsements; problematic coverage exposures such as completed
operations and third-party-over suits; and relevant caselaw interpreting the language
under which additional insured status is provided.
Contractors Pollution Liability
This contractors pollution liability course was developed to examine the scope of
contractors’ pollution liabilities, including the legal theories upon which they
are based. Pollution risks present unique challenges for contractors. While some
pollution incidents are immediately apparent, others occur slowly, often undiscovered,
for a period of time. In many cases, these damages may fall within the pollution
exclusions of their commercial insurance policies. The scope of coverage for these
risks under basic policies—including the standard commercial general liability (CGL),
business auto, and umbrella policies—is examined in some detail, with specific attention
to the risks that are not covered under these policies. Finally, the course takes
an in-depth look at contractors pollution liability insurance and the scope of coverage
available under these policies. Contractors pollution liability insurance is a nonstandard
line of coverage; therefore, policy terms vary from one form to another. This course
examines both the many similarities in these policies and the significant differences
that can have a profound impact on a contractor’s coverage. A detailed overview
of the purpose and function of contractors pollution liability insurance is provided,
including a discussion of coverage triggers, covered damages, exclusions, and policy
conditions, to name a few.
Controlled Insurance Programs
This course provides a basic understanding of controlled insurance programs (CIPs),
commonly referred to as “wrap-ups,” as they are currently used in the United States.
It discusses owner controlled programs (OCIPs) and contractor controlled insurance
programs (CCIPs), outlining the requirements for a CIP to be feasible, possible
problems that may arise and how to avoid them, the important insurance coverage
issues for sponsors and participating contractors to consider, and administrative
and safety programs that must be implemented to ensure success. The text seeks to
maintain a balanced perspective, discussing sponsorship from both an owner’s and
contractor’s viewpoints and including much information on the issues often encountered
by participating contractors, along with suggestions for resolving them. Thus, this
course should be helpful to those who are considering the possibility of sponsoring
a CIP as well as those who work on projects insured in CIPs.
Design-Build Risks and Insurance
This design-build risk and insurance course was developed to provide an introduction
to important risk management techniques and concepts for design-build construction
project participants. It provides a general overview of the design-build construction
project delivery method, including the advantages and potential disadvantages of
this approach for both project owners and the design-build team. Specific attention
is given to the risks encountered in design-build construction with an emphasis
on those provisions that present unique or non traditional risk allocations. Significant
attention is given to the scope of coverage contractors have for these risks in
their basic insurance program, as well as their professional liability insurance
policies. A detailed overview of the purpose and function of contractors professional
liability insurance and architects and engineers professional liability insurance
is provided, including a discussion of coverage triggers, covered damages, exclusions,
and policy conditions, to name a few.
Understanding Construction Insurance
Rates and Premiums
This commercial insurance rating course is a basic course that is appropriate for
those who buy insurance on behalf of construction firms, new entrants into the insurance
industry, and as a refresher course for those who are familiar with rating processes.
It provides an introduction to commercial property and casualty rating techniques
and concepts, with an overview of the rating process in general. It also looks at
important insurance advisory organizations and the statistical information they
use to develop rates in many of the standard property and casualty lines. Significant
attention is given to the rating of commercial auto, commercial general liability,
workers compensation (including experience rating and retrospective rating), and
commercial property insurance, including a consideration of the rating rules which
most insurers follow when rating these coverage lines. Attention is given to several
methods of rating umbrella insurance and also to contractors equipment and builders
risk insurance, lines of coverage where rating is less structured than it is for
commercial auto and workers compensation. For purposes of this course, it is less
important that the student actually be able to rate an insurance policy than it
is to understand the components of the rating process where errors often occur that
lead to incorrect premiums. The overall goal is to provide adequate knowledge to
know when to ask questions and to be able to ask them intelligently.