Short answer
If your insurance documents in ISNetworld stop meeting a hiring client’s requirements, that client sees the deficiency on your grade or status for its account, and what happens next is the client’s call, not ISN’s. Some clients will hold new work until it is fixed. The fix is almost always the same: find the exact requirement you are missing, correct the policy or the paperwork, and resubmit for review.
- Most drops come from three causes: a policy renewed without a new certificate uploaded, an endorsement the client requires that the policy does not carry, or a limit below what that client asks for.
Who sets the requirement and who grades it
ISNetworld is a contractor management platform. Hiring clients, meaning the operators and other companies that hire you, set their own requirements, and ISN says those requirements can vary "by location, level of risk, or specific designations." Documents you submit, including insurance certificates, are reviewed by ISN's Review and Verification Services (RAVS) team "against regulatory and Hiring Client requirements."
So a grade is not a universal score of your insurance program. It reflects how your documents compare to one client's rules. You can be in good standing with one operator and deficient with another on the same day, with the same policies. ISN's Scorecard lets hiring clients "view grades or status of all connected contractor sites," and ISN describes the design as helping identify "exactly why a contractor is deficient." Our ISNetworld insurance requirements page has more on how this works.
Why insurance items go deficient
In our experience the causes are predictable.
| Cause | What it looks like | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal not uploaded | Policy expired in the system even though it renewed | Agent uploads the renewal certificate and endorsements |
| Limit below the client requirement | GL, auto, umbrella, or employers liability limit short of what that client asks for | Raise the limit or add umbrella capacity, then resubmit |
| Missing endorsement | No additional insured, waiver of subrogation, or primary and non-contributory wording | Add the endorsement to the policy and submit the form page |
| Wrong named insured or entity | Certificate name does not match the account | Correct the named insured on the policy or the account |
| New client requirement | Client updated its requirements and your existing documents no longer match | Compare your policies to the new requirement line by line |
Sample certificate: where reviews fail
- 1Named insured mismatch. The certificate says "LLC," the MSA was signed by the "Inc." Reviewers match names exactly, including DBAs.
- 2AI and waiver boxes blank. ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD are empty on the general liability line, so the reviewer cannot see the operator is covered.
- 3Auto symbol too narrow. Only scheduled autos are shown. Most MSAs want any auto, or owned plus hired and non-owned.
- 4Umbrella limit short. A $2M umbrella against a $5M requirement fails, even when everything else is right.
- 5Workers comp waiver and EL limits. No waiver of subrogation on comp, and employers liability at $500K where $1M is commonly required.
- 6Description of operations too vague. "Holder is additional insured" with no mention of primary and non-contributory, completed operations, or the endorsement forms.
- 7Notice of cancellation. The certificate itself cannot promise 30 days notice. That takes an endorsement on the policy, and reviewers know it.
What to do the day it drops
- Find the specific item. Open the scorecard for that client and read the deficiency. "Insurance" is not specific enough to fix. You need the exact line: which policy, which limit, which endorsement.
- Pull the client's requirement and your policy side by side. ISN lets contractors see each hiring client's requirements. Compare those against your actual policy and endorsement pages, not your old certificate.
- Decide whether it is a paperwork fix or a coverage fix. An expired certificate is paperwork. A missing endorsement or a short limit means the policy itself has to change, and that takes your insurer's agreement.
- Get the corrected documents submitted. ISN suggests contractors register their insurance agent or broker in ISNetworld, which lets the agent handle uploads directly.
- Tell the operator's contact. If work is on hold, a short note that the item is being corrected, and when, usually helps.
If you are also on Avetta for other operators, the same policy gap usually shows up there too. See Avetta insurance requirements.
Do not fix the certificate without fixing the policy
A certificate that claims an endorsement the policy does not have creates a bigger problem than a deficient grade. If the claim ever comes, the policy controls, not the certificate.
Paperwork fix or coverage fix
It helps to sort the problem before you call anyone, because the two kinds move at different speeds.
A paperwork fix means the coverage already exists and the system just doesn't show it: a renewal certificate that never got uploaded, an endorsement page that was left out, or a certificate holder line that doesn't match. Your agent can usually correct these quickly.
A coverage fix means the policy itself is short: the client requires a limit you do not carry, or an endorsement your insurer has not issued. That requires a change to the policy, which can take longer and may carry a premium change. If a new client's requirements are well above your current program, it is worth looking at the whole program rather than patching one line at a time. The MSA insurance requirements guide shows how operators usually structure those requests.
Keep it from happening again
ISN lists maintaining current coverage among its tips for staying compliant, and the practical version is a renewal routine. Sixty days or so before each renewal, check every hiring client's current insurance requirements against the renewal terms, not just the expiring ones. Endorsements and limits sometimes change at renewal without anyone flagging it.
Keep a simple list of which clients require what. When a new MSA comes in, add its insurance exhibit to the list before the first job. And review what limits operators commonly require and why certificates get rejected so the next requirement doesn't catch you off guard.
Common questions
Does ISN decide whether I can work for an operator?
ISN reviews documents against the hiring client’s requirements. The hiring client decides what grade or status it accepts and what it does when a contractor is deficient.
Why am I compliant for one operator and not another?
Each hiring client sets its own requirements, and ISN says they can vary by location, risk level, or designation. Your same policy can meet one client’s rules and miss another’s.
Can my insurance agent upload documents to ISNetworld?
ISN recommends that contractors register their insurance agent or broker in ISNetworld as part of maintaining insurance compliance.
Will raising my limits always fix the grade?
Only if the limit was the problem. Many deficiencies are missing endorsements or expired documents, which a higher limit does not solve.
Sources
- ISN: Contractor Management Platform for Hiring Clients. Hiring clients set requirements that vary by location, risk, or designation; RAVS reviews documents against regulatory and hiring client requirements.
- ISN: Contractors and Suppliers. Insurance certificates are among documents reviewed; contractors can see each hiring client’s requirements.
- ISN: Client Insurance Requirements, 4 Tips for Maintaining Compliance. Understand contractual requirements, know hiring client requirements in ISNetworld, register your insurance agent or broker, maintain current coverage.
- ISN: ISN Enhances Scorecard Design for Improved User Experience (October 2025). Scorecard shows hiring client grades or status and why a contractor is deficient.
This page explains insurance, not law. Have your attorney review indemnity and contract language; our job is making the insurance match it.
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