Policy Administration RFP Checklist for P&C Buyers

Policy administration selection usually fails when the shortlist is built from demos instead of operating requirements.

Start with the buying job: which products, states, endorsements, cancellations, renewals, and downstream integrations must work on day one. Then pressure-test the vendor against implementation risk, not just feature breadth.

Use this checklist before an RFP:

• Define the target operating model and configuration ownership.
• Separate must-have line-of-business support from roadmap ambition.
• Ask for out-of-sequence endorsement examples, not just confirmation.
• Validate API depth, event model, and reporting extracts.
• Require migration assumptions, conversion tooling, and referenceable timelines.

CoverHolder.io treats these as founder-curated research fields so buyers can compare operational fit without forcing a login.

RFP structure that produces comparable responses

Ask vendors to respond in a fixed format so you can score apples-to-apples:

• Executive response: scope, assumptions, and exclusions in plain language.
• Workflow coverage: quote, bind, endorse, cancel, renew, reinstate, rewrite, audit.
• Integration architecture: APIs, events, batch interfaces, error handling, and observability.
• Configuration model: who changes products, how changes are tested, and how production promotion works.
• Migration plan: conversion approach, reconciliation, parallel running, rollback.
• Non-functional requirements: performance, resilience, security controls, and operational runbooks.

Weighted scoring model

Score each vendor 1-5 and multiply by weight:

• Business workflow fit (30%)
• Technical architecture and APIs (25%)
• Implementation and migration credibility (20%)
• Governance, audit, and controls (15%)
• Commercial model and flexibility (10%)

Vendor diligence questions that reveal gaps early

• Show a real endorsement that required out-of-sequence handling and how it was audited.
• Demonstrate how pricing calls are made when rating is externalized versus embedded.
• Explain how reporting extracts reconcile to finance and downstream systems.
• Provide a credible cutover plan for one line of business with explicit rollback triggers.

Proof-of-concept guardrails

• Pick one product, one state set, and one partner integration path.
• Require weekly exit criteria and a shared defect taxonomy.
• Measure cycle time for quote-to-bind and endorsement turnaround, not just feature checklists.

Stakeholder matrix (who must sign what)

Blueprint execution phases (0–180 days)

Quantification playbook (build your own statistics)

1. Define numerator and denominator in SQL (not in slides) for quote-to-bind, endorsement turnaround, and policy count reconciliation.
2. Freeze a cohort (policy effective month, LOB, state) and document the cut.
3. Compare to control (prior year same quarter) before attributing changes to a vendor.
4. Reconcile to finance monthly: written premium, unearned premium, and endorsement counts.
5. Publish confidence intervals when sample sizes are small (specialty programs).

Expanded PAS diligence checklist (blueprint depth)

• Out-of-sequence endorsements with audit trail on every field change.
• API-first read/write for every object the digital channel needs.
• Bulk processing SLAs for renewals and mass endorsements.
• Configuration promotion pipeline (dev → test → prod) with segregation of duties.
• Migration reconciliation: policy count, premium, and exposure by cohort.
• Document assembly lineage tied to coverage version.
• Billing interface for earned premium timing vs policy effective dates.
• Producer licensing and appointment checks in workflow, not nightly batch only.
• Multi-entity support for program and carrier structures.
• Reporting extracts that match finance close without manual adjustments.
• Idempotency guarantees on bind and payment APIs.
• Rollback drill completed for worst-case endorsement batch.
• Secrets rotation and vault integration documented.
• PII minimization for customer service channels.
• Accessibility review for customer-facing portals where applicable.
• Disaster recovery test with realistic renewal-day load.
• Vendor subprocessors listed with same diligence as primary vendor.
• Exit data portability for policy images and history.

Source and evidence standard

Vendor-specific statements should be tied to documentation, release notes, or founder verification. Avoid superlatives like "best" unless tied to an explicit scoring outcome.