Every proposal tool demos well. The gap shows up three weeks later, on a real renewal, when the numbers do not match the carrier PDF and you are back in Word rebuilding the layout by hand. This is a broker’s checklist for evaluating insurance proposal software — the capabilities that actually decide whether a tool saves time, and the questions to ask before you sign.
The eight things that matter
1. Cited, defensible numbers
Every extracted value — limit, deductible, premium — should link back to the exact page of the carrier document. On commercial premiums, “the AI pulled it” is not an answer a client accepts. Ask: when a client questions a number, how fast can I show the source page?
2. A live editor, not a locked PDF
Commercial proposals always need a human touch — a reworded coverage note, a section reordered for the buyer. If the tool only renders a page, you round-trip to Word and lose the branding. Ask: can a producer edit a block and regenerate inside the product?
3. No caps on carriers or account size
Personal-lines tools cap comparisons at three or four options and wall off larger accounts. A layered commercial program blows through that. Ask: can I run a 40-line manufacturing account, and how many carriers can I compare per line?
4. Your exact template
The client should open a document that looks like it came from your brokerage — your colors, typography, and contact block — not a generic SaaS layout with your logo dropped in. Ask: is the output my template, pixel-perfect, or a themed default?
5. A risk layer, not just a quote comparison
Commercial buyers renew on understanding their exposure. Software that flags coverage gaps with severity and page citations turns the proposal into the close. Ask: does it surface risk, or only reformat the quote?
6. A renewal diff
The most valuable page on a renewal is what changed from the expiring policy. Ask: can it diff expiring versus new and call out the deltas automatically?
7. Low setup burden
Some platforms hand you a template engine and carrier-mapping files and tell you to spend a quarter configuring it. Ask: do you build my template and onboard me, or do I staff an integration project?
8. Security your carriers and clients expect
SOC 2 Type II, isolated tenancy, and a clear promise that your documents are never used to train models. Ask: can you send me the compliance paperwork today?
Score the tools you are weighing
Most brokers end up comparing a few names — an agent-focused platform like Polly, a broad AI suite like Outmarket, their AMS module, and a purpose-built commercial tool like CopyCat. Run the eight questions above against each. For a commercial book, the ones that cite numbers, ship a real editor, and carry no caps are the ones that hold up past the demo. We wrote the direct comparisons in CopyCat vs Polly and our 2026 buyer's comparison.
See it on your own renewal
The only demo that counts is your own account. Bring a recent commercial renewal — the supplementals, the carrier quotes, the whole packet — and we will run it through CopyCat live. If it does not clear the checklist in the first five minutes, we will tell you straight.