The Rolling Owner Controlled Insurance Program (ROCIP) described in this paper has been in effect from December 2012 to the present time. It involves the owner Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the insurance broker Lockton Companies, and the insurance carrier Liberty Mutual.
Generally speaking, a ROCIP is where the owner designs and purchases the insurance for basic and critical aspects of the work, enrolls the contractors as policyholders, and then accepts and manages risks and/or claims. What makes it ‘rolling’ is that not all construction projects bound by coverage will be started simultaneously. Projects are started and completed within the policy timeframe. The Program insurance broker helps with design, implementation and oversight. The Program insurance carrier helps with claims management and assists with risk tracking and reduction. Where terms and philosophies may be the same, each owner and -program's design and implementation may differ. Lastly, the contractor policyholders, both general and subcontractors are directly engaged and are the key element to a successful Program.
ROCIPs are not unique to other state Department of Transportation (DOT) construction projects, or Colorado highways. The Transportation Expansion Project conducted from 2001 thru 2007 was a $1BB plus project that performed under a Partner Controlled Insurance Program (PCIP). This project was the largest of its kind in the United States at the time as it addressed the 14th busiest highway and involved light rail construction along side. This project was notable not only for size and scope, but for being finished under budget, ahead of schedule and with minimal worker injuries or other insurance claims.
The primary goals for any construction project owner's commitment are costs, performance, schedule, quality, environment and safety. The key areas amplified by a transportation project and shared by CDOT's own exceptional needs, is to perform work that pays close attention to the traveling public, property protection, worker safety, public relations, and care for the taxpayer's investment. CDOT's ROCIP program does that in the past, present and future.
