CG 22 79: Contractors Professional Liability Exclusion Explained

CG 22 79 excludes specified professional-services liability from a contractor's commercial general liability policy. It addresses engineering, architectural, and surveying services the contractor provides to others and such services provided or arranged in connection with the contractor's construction work.

The form also preserves an important distinction: construction means, methods, techniques, sequences, and procedures used by the insured as a construction contractor are not treated as professional services under this endorsement.

Which services does CG 22 79 address?

The 04 13 form applies to Coverage A bodily injury and property damage and Coverage B personal and advertising injury arising from the rendering or failure to render the specified professional services. New York's Office of General Services publishes the endorsement and identifies maps, shop drawings, opinions, reports, surveys, field orders, change orders, drawings and specifications, and related supervisory or inspection activities.^[1]

The operative scope is limited to engineering, architectural, or surveying services supplied to others in a professional capacity, or provided or hired in connection with construction work the insured performs. The exact allegations and who performed the service matter.

What is the construction means and methods exception?

The endorsement says professional services do not include the construction means, methods, techniques, sequences, and procedures employed by the insured in its capacity as a construction contractor. That language prevents the form from becoming a blanket exclusion for every judgment made on a jobsite.

It does not turn design work into ordinary construction work. A contractor making structural calculations, approving design documents, or hiring an architect can still face the exclusion. Contracts sometimes require that a CGL professional exclusion be no broader than the 07 98 edition because of this distinction.^[2]

How does CG 22 79 compare with CG 22 80?

CG 22 80 is titled Limited Exclusion - Contractors - Professional Liability. Its application differs, particularly for design services hired from independent professionals. The form number and edition should be reviewed rather than treating all contractor professional exclusions as equivalent.

If a contractor performs design-build work or assumes responsibility for architects or engineers, a contractors professional liability policy may be needed. That policy has its own insured services, retroactive date, limits, retention, and reporting conditions. It does not automatically erase the CGL exclusion.

This guide is for educational purposes and summarizes standard ISO policy language in original words. Menlo Insurance Services is not affiliated with Insurance Services Office, Inc. Your policy's terms, definitions, and endorsements control. Talk to a licensed broker about your construction and design services.

The Bottom Line

CG 22 79 separates specified architectural, engineering, and surveying exposure from ordinary contracting activity. Review who performs design work, which documents the contractor approves, and whether separate professional liability coverage matches those responsibilities.