An illustrative mechanical and plumbing contractor in Denver renews four lines in 44 days: general liability, commercial auto, workers compensation and umbrella. Twelve quotes are in. One is from a carrier rated below the broker’s A- security floor, and it is not the most expensive. The comparison has to say, per line, which quote to recommend and why — in a way that survives the client’s CFO asking “why not the cheapest?”
This post follows the quote comparison analyst: the side-by-side against the expiring program, the hard and soft flags, the rule that picks the recommended quote, and the decision a placement broker makes. Every carrier and figure is illustrative.
| Actors | Placement broker (selects), account executive, practice leader if a control refers |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Quotes confirmed; Analyze at the quoting stage |
| Lines | General liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, umbrella / excess |
| Agents involved | Quote comparison analyst, placement compliance agent, supervisor agent |
| Decisions | Select the recommended quote per line, or another with a reason |
| Outcome | A selected program with a written reason per line, ready for the proposal |
| What is measured | Recommended against expiring, lines selected off-recommendation and why, quotes per line |
The side-by-side
For each line, every live quote sits beside the expiring: premium including taxes and fees, the change on the expiring, limit, retention, exclusions that are new against the expiring (standard exclusions every form carries — war, nuclear, standard pollution and the like — are ignored), subjectivities, enhancements, the carrier’s rating and market type, and flags.
| Flag | Kind | When |
|---|---|---|
| Limit short | Hard | The quoted limit is below the limit asked (or the expiring) |
| Below the security floor | Hard | The carrier is rated below A- |
| Surplus lines, not cleared | Hard | A surplus carrier on a placement not cleared for the surplus lines market |
| Retention up | Soft | The retention is higher than the expiring |
| New exclusions | Soft | Exclusions not on the expiring policy |
| Three or more subjectivities | Soft | Conditions to satisfy before binding |
| Not appointed | Soft | The broker has no appointment with the carrier |
Why the cheapest is not always recommended
The recommended quote per line is chosen by a stated rule. Among quotes with no hard flag (or all live quotes if none is clean), pick the one with no new exclusions first, then the lowest total cost, then the lowest retention. The reasons are written out with the recommendation: meets the limit asked and the A- security floor; lowest total cost; no exclusions beyond the expiring; keeps the expiring retention — or, when the pick is not the cheapest, $15.9K more than the cheapest, without its added exclusions.
limit short, below A-,
surplus not cleared"} H -- "clean quotes exist" --> C["Pool: the clean quotes"] H -- "none clean" --> A["Pool: all live quotes"] C --> R["Rank: no new exclusions first,
then lowest total,
then lowest retention"] A --> R R --> W["Recommended,
with every reason written"] W --> B{"Placement broker:
select it, or another
with a reason"} style B fill:#e8f8f4,stroke:#10b981,stroke-width:2px
On the contractor’s general liability, the recommended quote is $131.2K, 11.8% on the expiring and $15.9K more than the cheapest, because the cheapest adds exclusions the expiring didn’t have. Commercial auto is +0.6%, workers compensation +0.9%, umbrella +12.8% — a recommended program of $696.1K against $669K expiring, +4.1%. The quote from the B++ carrier is in the comparison with a hard flag, so it can never be recommended while a compliant quote exists. The agent’s own summary notes that the umbrella pick adds a retention rise and an exclusion that need review — a person should look before accepting.
Step by step
Four lines, twelve quotes, flags per quote, the recommended quote and its reasons per line, and the program total against the expiring.
“Select the recommended quote on 4 lines”, each line’s pick and why, the 22 facts behind it and what it couldn’t settle. It never invents a price or a ranking.
Every quoting carrier checked against the A- floor; the B++ quote is listed as below the floor.
Accept selects all four; or the broker selects a different quote on a line in the Quotes zone, which the record keeps with the broker’s name.
Selecting a below-floor carrier would block (SECURITY_FLOOR); a selected quote short of the limit refers (LIMIT_SHORT); a program more than 25% over the expiring refers (PREMIUM_JUMP). Here none fires.
The full property comparison on another renewal
On the hotel group’s property, both quotes are surplus lines. The cheaper one adds a roof cosmetic damage exclusion; the recommended one is $27.6K more without it and keeps the $25K retention. Both carry subjectivities the proposal will repeat to the client.
What the agents prepared, and what each rests on
| Agent | What it prepared | What it cites | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote comparison | Select the recommended quote on 4 lines | Confirmed quotes, the expiring program, carrier ratings and market types | Placement broker |
| Compliance | Every quoting carrier against the A- floor | Carrier ratings | Compliance |
| Supervisor | Controls on the selection; sign-off only if one refers | Placement controls | Practice leader |
The decision record for this step
| Section | Hit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Recommended program $696.1K, +4.1% on $669K expiring | proceed |
| Engine | 1 quote from a carrier below the A- floor (hard flag, not recommended) | warn |
| Agent | Quote comparison: select the recommended quote on 4 lines | refer |
| Control | No placement control fired on the selection | pass |
For the account team
The comparison answers the client’s first question before they ask it, in a sentence per line.
For broker IT
compare() is a pure function over quote rows; the selection rule and the flags are known-answer tested, and a model never re-ranks.
For practice leaders
Selections that differ from the recommendation are visible with their reasons — the place to look for relationship placements and for rules that need tuning.
Questions we get asked
Can a broker select a quote that isn’t recommended?
Yes. The recommendation is advice; the selection is the broker’s, and the record keeps both.
What about a quote below the floor that the client insists on?
Selecting it fires SECURITY_FLOOR, which blocks until resolved — by a documented exception process the practice defines, not by the agent.
Keep reading
When the recommended program costs 38% more
A practice leader signs off before the proposal goes to the client.
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Claims advocacy, company intelligence and policy checking in the renewal
The loss story from InsightAdvocate, the company from InsightPulse, the bound policy for InsightProofing.
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