Contractor FAQ

Your email address is all you need. Enter it on the Apply to Join page and we'll send you a magic link — click it and you're in. No password to set, no lengthy application to fill out before you can look around. Complete your profile at your own pace before we review it for approval.

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Your profile needs four things: your business information, a Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance certificate, your service area, and your contract template. CGL coverage is required — minimum $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate, with Stellar Edge Services LLC named as additional insured. Workers' compensation is strongly recommended but is not a platform requirement. That last item — your contract template — is important: Otter Quotes uses your agreement, not ours, so upload the contract you actually use in the field.

We review profiles as they come in. Most approvals happen within 1–2 business days. Once approved, you'll start receiving opportunities matched to your service area and trades immediately.

If your municipality requires a contractor license, yes — you'll need to upload it as part of your profile. If your area has no licensing requirement, simply check the "no license required" box during profile setup. We make your licensing information visible to homeowners so they can do their own research before choosing a contractor.

Yes — uploading your own contract template is required. Otter Quotes does not draft or provide homeowner-contractor contracts. You upload the contract you already use in the field (the one your attorney has reviewed), and we auto-fill the homeowner's name, address, project details, and your bid fields via DocuSign before the homeowner signs. The contract terms are yours, the agreement is between you and the homeowner, and Otter Quotes is not a party to it. The Contractor Partner Agreement you sign with Otter Quotes is a separate document covering the platform relationship only.

A signed contract is one where the homeowner has already filed their insurance claim, received Hover aerial measurements, and selected their materials and colors. They're not a prospect — they're ready to sign. You compete for the job, win on merit, and receive a fully executed contract. No cold calls. No chasing.

Insurance RCV (replacement cost value) and ACV (actual cash value) roofing projects, plus retail and cash jobs. All opportunities are matched to your service area and the trades you handle — you won't see projects outside your area or for trades you haven't opted into.

When an opportunity matches your service area and trades, you can review the project details — including the insurance estimate and measurements, when available — before deciding to bid. If you submit a bid, you enter your pricing and the items included in your scope. The bid form shows the exact platform fee in real time as you enter your price, so there are no surprises before you commit.

For insurance RCV projects, you can enable auto-bid in your settings. When a matching opportunity comes in, your bid is automatically submitted at the RCV amount with your standard terms. You don't need to manually review and bid each project — your settings handle it. You can turn auto-bid on or off at any time in your contractor settings.

Each bid you submit is valid for 14 days. If the homeowner hasn't made a selection by then, your bid expires and is no longer visible to them.

You can turn on auto-renew — either per bid or as a default in your Settings — and your bid will automatically stay active for up to 3 additional 14-day windows (42 days total). You'll get an email notification if your bid expires so you can renew manually from your Dashboard if you prefer.

To renew a bid manually, go to Dashboard → Your Submitted Bids, find the expired bid, and click Renew Bid. Your previous pricing is pre-filled — adjust anything you'd like and resubmit with a fresh 14-day window.

When reviewing an opportunity before bidding, you have access to trade-specific aerial measurements and the homeowner's insurance estimate with an AI-parsed line-item summary, when available. You know exactly what you're getting into before you submit anything.

The platform fee is 5% of the signed contract value. It is charged at contract execution — when both you and the homeowner have signed — via your saved payment method on file. There are no monthly subscriptions, no upfront costs, and no charges for browsing opportunities or submitting bids you don't win. The bid form shows the exact fee in real time before you submit, so there are no surprises.

The platform fee is 5% of the signed contract value. That's it — no add-ons, no monthly subscriptions, and no upfront costs. You only pay when a homeowner signs your contract.

You are only charged after both you and the homeowner have signed the contract. There are no monthly subscriptions, no upfront fees, and no charges for browsing opportunities or submitting bids you don't win.

Yes. The bid form shows exact fee calculations in real time as you enter your price. You always know your net on a job before you submit. No hidden math, no surprises after the fact.

Homeowners on Otter Quotes can switch to a different contractor in the network up to 3 days before their scheduled installation date. If a homeowner exercises this right, your bid is cancelled and any platform fee charged is reversed in full — you're not out a dollar. Otter Quotes handles the switch entirely; you don't make any calls or send any emails.

A self-serve homeowner switch flow is in development. In the meantime, Otter Quotes facilitates any switch request directly. You acknowledge this policy as a condition of participating on the platform — it's disclosed during signup and in the Contractor Partner Agreement.

Once a homeowner selects you, the contract is sent to both of you for signature — you sign first, then the homeowner signs. Once both parties have signed, you receive the full project package and the homeowner's contact information is released to you.

The project package includes: your signed contract, the homeowner's insurance estimate with an AI-parsed line-item summary (when available), aerial measurements specific to your trade (when available), material and color selections where the homeowner has completed them, and the homeowner's contact information. Everything you need to show up and start work.

The homeowner's contact information is sent to you after both parties have signed the contract. Contractors are expected to contact the homeowner within 48 hours.

You can edit a submitted bid at any time before the homeowner selects a contractor. When you make changes, the homeowner is notified that your bid has been updated and will see the revised figures.

Your company profile, years in business, insurance status, customer reviews, and bid details are visible to homeowners when they compare contractors. Your personal contact information — phone number, personal email — is not shared until a contract is signed.

Contact us through the in-app support form on any contractor page, by email at support@otterquote.com, or by phone at (844) 875-3412. We're here to help resolve issues quickly so you can stay focused on the work.