Per-Project Aggregate

A per-project aggregate is an endorsement to a commercial general liability policy that provides a separate aggregate limit for each construction project a contractor is working on. Without it, a standard CGL policy caps total covered losses at one shared aggregate for the entire policy term. That means a single bad job — or claims from work completed months earlier — can exhaust the aggregate and leave no coverage available for the contractor's other active projects. The per-project endorsement isolates each project so its own limit refreshes independently.

For a small-business contractor, this endorsement is often the difference between meeting contract requirements and losing coverage mid-job. Project owners and general contractors frequently demand a per-project aggregate in their insurance specifications precisely because they do not want unrelated claims elsewhere draining the limits protecting their site. If you run multiple jobs at once, or your products-completed operations exposure is high, a shared aggregate is a real risk: one large claim can zero out your coverage for every other client. The endorsement multiplies your effective protection at a modest premium.

A practical nuance: read the endorsement's definition of "project," because a single continuous location, a multi-phase job, or work under one contract may all be treated as one project even if you think of them separately. Also confirm whether completed-operations claims tie back to the originating project's aggregate or fall under the general aggregate. For large jobs, a per-project aggregate is sometimes replaced or supplemented by a wrap-up (OCIP/CCIP) that insures all enrolled contractors on one program. When bidding, match your aggregate structure to the contract's insurance requirements so a certificate does not misrepresent the limits actually dedicated to that owner's project.