ACORD Forms
ACORD 186: Contractors Supplement
The ACORD 186 is the Contractors Supplement. It attaches to the ACORD 125 and the 126 general liability section and gives the underwriter the contractor-specific picture: the trades performed, the residential and commercial split, how much work is subcontracted, and whether any high-hazard exposures apply.
What it is
The ACORD 186 is the Contractors Supplement. It attaches to the ACORD 125 and the 126 general liability section and gives the underwriter the contractor-specific picture: the trades performed, the residential and commercial split, how much work is subcontracted, and whether any high-hazard exposures apply.
Contractor GL pricing turns on exactly this detail. Submit a contractor without the 186 or a carrier supplemental and the same questions come back as email, one round trip at a time.
When it's used
- New business and remarketing general liability submissions for artisan and general contractors.
- Attached to the ACORD 125, usually alongside the 126.
- When a wholesaler asks for a contractors supplemental with a full ACORD package, this is the standard version.
Section-by-section walkthrough
Contractor profile
The type of contractor, years of experience, employee counts, the contractor's license number and who holds it, and the work splits: residential versus commercial, new construction versus remodel.
Watch for: Splits that do not add up, or a license holder who left the company two years ago.
Receipts, payroll, and subcontractor costs
Gross receipts and payroll for the past year, the minimum GL limits the applicant requires of subcontractors, and the total cost of subcontracted work.
Watch for: Blank subcontractor cost on a general contractor risk. That number is the exposure. Underwriters price GC business on it.
Hazardous exposure checklist
A yes/no grid covering work in or around exposures like explosive environments, airports, dams and bridges, petrochemical and power plants, high voltage, refineries, landfills, and hazardous material abatement.
Watch for: Leaving the grid blank because none apply. Blank is not no. Answer every row.
General information questions
Operations questions: drawing plans for others, blasting, excavation and underground work, demolition, cranes, a written safety policy, subcontractor certificate practices, leased employees, and products sold under the applicant's name.
Watch for: Contradicting the attached ACORD 126. Several questions here are marked do-not-answer when the form is attached to a 126, because the 126 already asks them.
Trade-specific questions
Question blocks by trade: air conditioning and heating, cabinetmakers, carpentry, electrical, excavation and septic, insulation including EIFS, landscaping, masonry, painting, plumbing, and roofing. Each block asks what matters for that trade: roofing gets hot tar and work above two stories, painting gets spray work and scaffolding, excavation gets depth and utility marking.
Watch for: Completing only the primary trade. The crew that mostly frames but occasionally roofs is a roofing exposure, and the form wants that answer.
Remarks
Explanations for every yes answer, plus context on anything unusual. The ACORD 101 Additional Remarks Schedule attaches when the space runs out.
State fraud warnings
Statutory fraud notices, state by state. Nothing to complete, but the applicant certifies against them when the application package is signed.
In Relay
ACORD Generation is live in Relay. It drafts the ACORD 186 from the client record and the documents you already have, and a person reviews every field before anything goes out. See how →
Common errors
- Work splits (residential versus commercial, new construction versus remodel) that do not total sensibly.
- Subcontracted work cost left blank on general contractor submissions.
- Trade blocks skipped for incidental trades the crew actually performs.
- Answers that contradict the ACORD 126 in the same package.
- The hazard checklist left blank instead of answered no, row by row.
Common questions
Does the ACORD 186 replace the ACORD 126?
No. The 126 is the general liability application section; the 186 layers contractor detail on top of it. The form even marks certain questions do-not-answer when a 126 is attached, so the package never asks the same thing twice.
Do I need the 186 if the carrier has its own contractor questionnaire?
Use what the market asks for. Carrier supplementals win when they are specified. When a market asks for a full ACORD package on a contractor, the 186 is the standard supplement.
Can Relay draft an ACORD 186?
Yes. ACORD Generation is live in Relay: it drafts ACORD forms from the client record and the documents you already have, and a person reviews everything before it goes out.
Related forms
Part of the Relay ACORD form library. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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