CRIS Certification Reaccreditation

Once you earn the right to use the CRIS^® certification you must engage in an ongoing continuing education process to maintain it. This involves obtaining 7 hours of approved construction risk and insurance continuing education credit during the 24 months following initial receipt of the certification and every 12 months thereafter. You may obtain this CE credit by completing online CRIS courses or attending webinars, seminars, conferences, or other educational events that have been approved for CRIS reaccreditation (and notifying us that you have completed them). This process is explained below.

Online CRIS Courses for Reaccreditation

The CRIS Learning Center offers a number of construction risk and insurance courses designed to increase your expertise. In most cases one of these courses is all that is necessary to satisfy your 7-hour CE requirement, and most also qualify for insurance CE if you need it. Here is a list of the currently available courses:

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Additional Insured Issues

This course on additional insured issues in construction provides an introduction to important risk management and insurance concepts for all contracting parties to a construction project. It provides an overview of the ways in which insured status under another party’s insurance program can be used as a risk transfer technique and examines in detail the terms and conditions on which insured status is provided in all the major lines of construction insurance. While other lines are also addressed, particular emphasis is placed on additional insured status under general liability insurance, since that is where the most important contractual risk transfers are located. The course describes and analyzes standard endorsement language used to make owners, contractors, subcontractors, lessors, and design professionals insureds under another entity’s CGL policy. It explores complex and emerging coverage issues such as “other insurance” concerns; recent revisions to the most widely used CGL additional insured endorsements; problematic coverage exposures such as completed operations and third-party-over suits; and relevant caselaw interpreting the language under which additional insured status is provided.
» Course Outline
Contractors Pollution Liability

This contractors pollution liability course was developed to examine the scope of contractors’ pollution liabilities, including the legal theories upon which they are based. Pollution risks present unique challenges for contractors. While some pollution incidents are immediately apparent, others occur slowly, often undiscovered, for a period of time. In many cases, these damages may fall within the pollution exclusions of their commercial insurance policies. The scope of coverage for these risks under basic policies—including the standard commercial general liability (CGL), business auto, and umbrella policies—is examined in some detail, with specific attention to the risks that are not covered under these policies. Finally, the course takes an in-depth look at contractors pollution liability insurance and the scope of coverage available under these policies. Contractors pollution liability insurance is a nonstandard line of coverage; therefore, policy terms vary from one form to another. This course examines both the many similarities in these policies and the significant differences that can have a profound impact on a contractor’s coverage. A detailed overview of the purpose and function of contractors pollution liability insurance is provided, including a discussion of coverage triggers, covered damages, exclusions, and policy conditions, to name a few.
» Course Outline
Controlled Insurance Programs

This course provides a basic understanding of controlled insurance programs (CIPs), commonly referred to as “wrap-ups,” as they are currently used in the United States. It discusses owner controlled programs (OCIPs) and contractor controlled insurance programs (CCIPs), outlining the requirements for a CIP to be feasible, possible problems that may arise and how to avoid them, the important insurance coverage issues for sponsors and participating contractors to consider, and administrative and safety programs that must be implemented to ensure success. The text seeks to maintain a balanced perspective, discussing sponsorship from both an owner’s and contractor’s viewpoints and including much information on the issues often encountered by participating contractors, along with suggestions for resolving them. Thus, this course should be helpful to those who are considering the possibility of sponsoring a CIP as well as those who work on projects insured in CIPs.
» Course Outline
Design-Build Risks and Insurance

This design-build risk and insurance course was developed to provide an introduction to important risk management techniques and concepts for design-build construction project participants. It provides a general overview of the design-build construction project delivery method, including the advantages and potential disadvantages of this approach for both project owners and the design-build team. Specific attention is given to the risks encountered in design-build construction with an emphasis on those provisions that present unique or non traditional risk allocations. Significant attention is given to the scope of coverage contractors have for these risks in their basic insurance program, as well as their professional liability insurance policies. A detailed overview of the purpose and function of contractors professional liability insurance and architects and engineers professional liability insurance is provided, including a discussion of coverage triggers, covered damages, exclusions, and policy conditions, to name a few.
» Course Outline
Umbrella Liability Insurance for Contractors

This course provides a detailed understanding of the workings of commercial umbrella and excess coverage, with an emphasis on how the coverage terms and provisions apply to construction contractors. The litigious nature of American society arguably makes a commercial umbrella policy the most important kind of insurance policy that a business can purchase. But umbrella policies are unique in that they provide coverage after a primary policy has been exhausted by the payment of claims. This course examines various coverage concepts that are unique to umbrella policies, including the following: the various ways an umbrella policy might organize coverage; the scope of coverage provided by an umbrella policy insuring agreement; common limitations and restrictions imposed on contractors; the importance of examining the terms of the contractors limitations endorsement; how an umbrella policy’s attachment point may be adjusted over time; the meaning of follow form coverage and the areas of coverage in a contractor’s umbrella policy; how umbrella policy limits and self-insured retentions apply; the difference between horizontal and vertical exhaustion of policy limits; the conflicts between construction contract provisions and umbrella policy conditions; and the impact of a failure to maintaining underlying coverages.
» Course Outline
Understanding Construction Insurance Rates and Premiums

This commercial insurance rating course is a basic course that is appropriate for those who buy insurance on behalf of construction firms, new entrants into the insurance industry, and as a refresher course for those who are familiar with rating processes. It provides an introduction to commercial property and casualty rating techniques and concepts, with an overview of the rating process in general. It also looks at important insurance advisory organizations and the statistical information they use to develop rates in many of the standard property and casualty lines. Significant attention is given to the rating of commercial auto, commercial general liability, workers compensation (including experience rating and retrospective rating), and commercial property insurance, including a consideration of the rating rules which most insurers follow when rating these coverage lines. Attention is given to several methods of rating umbrella insurance and also to contractors equipment and builders risk insurance, lines of coverage where rating is less structured than it is for commercial auto and workers compensation. For purposes of this course, it is less important that the student actually be able to rate an insurance policy than it is to understand the components of the rating process where errors often occur that lead to incorrect premiums. The overall goal is to provide adequate knowledge to know when to ask questions and to be able to ask them intelligently.
» Course Outline

These courses are now available in the CRIS Learning Center’s Course Catalog. Simply go to the CRIS Learning Center, select “CRIS Courses for Reaccreditation,” and then click on the “Reaccreditation” tab at the top of your screen. We will periodically add more courses in the future to build a library of courses focused on the risk and insurance issues faced by contractors.

Alternatively, you may retake one of the core courses, Contractual Risk Transfer, to satisfy the 7-hour requirement.

Attend Seminars, Webinars or Conferences

Your other option for maintaining your CRIS certification is to attend an approved webinar, seminar, or conference providing at least 7 hours of credit. The process for this is:

Attend a webinar, seminar, or conference that has been approved for CRIS reaccreditation. You must attend the webinar, seminar, or conference after receiving your CRIS certification.
The sponsor will provide you with a Certificate of Completion containing a unique and nontransferable Completer Code number.
If a single event provided the 7 hours needed for reaccreditation, go to the Voucher/Promotion/Completer Code Redemption page in the CRIS Learning Center to report your attendance and pay the reaccreditation fee. You will need the Completer Code number from the Certificate of Completion you received when you do so. The fee for this reaccreditation option pays the costs of administering this part of the CRIS program.
If you are attending multiple events to satisfy the 7-hour requirement, follow the procedures below.
1. Once you have completed the required 7 hours for reaccreditation please submit an CRIS Reaccreditation Certification Form and evidence of completion certificates to continuingeducation@irmi.com or fax to Continuing Education at 972.371.5120.
2. If you attended IRMI webinars for credit but were not the registered attendee, complete an CRIS Webinar Certification Form for each webinar.
  1. All attendees should print and sign their name and provide their email address.
  2. The person who has paid for the webinar and signed on will be the person who signs the document assuring that those individuals have listened to the webinar in its entirety.
  3. Each attendee will need to be provided a copy of the signed form.
  4. When all 7 webinars have been completed; submit a CRIS Reaccreditation Certification Form with each signed CRIS Webinar Certification Form to continuingeducation@irmi.com or fax to Continuing Education at 972.371.5120.
3. Once IRMI has received and verified course attendance an email will be sent providing
  1. A link to the website to report attendance.
  2. A Voucher Code, which is used to certify completion of the required 7 hours.

If you have any questions or issues with this process, please call 800.827.4242 and ask to speak with a CE coordinator.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the reaccreditation process and pay the reaccreditation fee. When asked to sign in, it is important that you enter the same ID and password used when taking the CRIS certification courses. If you do not remember your login information you may contact WebCE at 800.488.9308 during normal business hours.

Approved Webinars, Seminars, and Conferences

The following seminars, conferences, and webinars have been approved for CRIS Reaccreditation.

Webinar/Seminar/Conference	CRIS Credit	Sponsor	Program Dates
Current Events
32nd IRMI Construction Risk Conference	7 hours	IRMI	November 12-15, 2012 Orlando, FL
Construction Financial Management Association’s 2012 Annual Conference & Exhibition	7 hours	CFMA	June 23, 2012 Orlando, FL
Insurance in the Construction Industry	7 hours	The Seminar Group	May 23, 2012 Atlanta, GA
Insurance in the Construction Industry	7 hours	The Seminar Group	April 18, 2012 World Trade Center, Portland OR
Webinars and Workshops offered by FAIA	Various	FAIA	Various dates
IRMI Construction Webinars	1 hour per webinar	IRMI	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIABAZ	Various	IIABAZ	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIA of IL	Various	IIA of IL	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by MIAA	Various	MIAA	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIAM	Various	IIAM	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by MAIA	Various	MAIA	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIANH	Various	IIANH	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIANJ	Various	IIANJ	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIANC	Various	IIANC	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIARI	Various	IIARI	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIABSC	Various	IIABSC	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIAT	Various	IIAT	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by VIAA	Various	VIAA	Various dates
CRIS courses offered by IIAV	Various	IIAV	Various dates
Past Events
31st IRMI Construction Risk Conference	7 hours	IRMI	November 14-17, 2011 San Diego, CA
Contractors and Builders Conference	7 hours	ISC	September 12-13, 2011 Sacramento, CA
ACIG Safety/Claims Management Workshop	7 hours	ACIG	September 20-22, 2011 San Diego, CA
Annual Workers Compensation Educational Conference & 23rd Annual Safety and Health Conference	7 hours	FWCI	August 21-24, 2011 Orlando, FL
CRIS Reaccreditation Program offered by IIANJ	7 hours	IIANJ	August 2, 2011 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
CRIS Reaccreditation Program offered by IIANJ	7 hours	IIANJ	October 24, 2011 Toms River, NJ
CRIS Reaccreditation Program	7 hours	IIABNJ	May 31, 2011 Clark, NJ
Construction Financial Management Association’s 2011 Annual Conference and Exhibition	7 hours	CFMA	May 14-18, 2011 Grapevine, TX
ACIG Safety/Claims Management Workshop	7 hours	ACIG	April 12-14, 2011 Dallas, TX

Obtaining Reaccreditation Approval for Seminars or Conferences

If your organization sponsors webinars, seminars, conferences, or other educational programs (Programs) that focus on construction law, accounting, risk management, insurance, surety, or safety topics, consider having them certified for CRIS reaccreditation. In addition to this focus, they must meet the following criteria to qualify:

The duration of instruction must be at least 1 hour.
The program content must provide a level of instruction that will advance the knowledge and competence of someone who has completed the CRIS core curriculum.
You must have a satisfactory method of monitoring attendance or completion of the course.
You must agree to certain administration, notification, and recordkeeping requirements.

Obtaining CRIS reaccreditation approval will make your seminar or conference more attractive to those potential participants who have obtained the CRIS certification. We may also provide a link from our listing of approved programs in the CRIS Web site to your promotional page in your website.

If you are interested in having your seminar or conference approved, please contact the Director of Training and Education at IRMI.

CRIS Certification Reaccreditation

Online CRIS Courses for Reaccreditation

Additional Insured Issues

Contractors Pollution Liability

Controlled Insurance Programs

Design-Build Risks and Insurance

Umbrella Liability Insurance for Contractors

Understanding Construction Insurance Rates and Premiums

Attend Seminars, Webinars or Conferences

Approved Webinars, Seminars, and Conferences

Obtaining Reaccreditation Approval for Seminars or Conferences