City hauling IFB wants a certificate of insurance naming the city as additional insured before I can bid. Is that normal?

A city can require the additional insured endorsement inside the bid package, and when the IFB says the bid "must include" it, a missing endorsement is grounds to reject the bid as nonresponsive. The instructions to bidders control here, not what's normal on private work.

Two things to check before you spend money.

First, ask your agent whether your general liability and auto policies already carry a blanket additional insured endorsement that covers anyone you're required to add by written contract. A lot of commercial policies have one. If yours does, the agent names the city on the COI and references that endorsement, and there's no new form to buy.

Second, read the insurance section against the bid form itself. On school district HVAC bids here in Texas I've seen packages that wanted a COI showing limits on bid day with the endorsement due after award, and I've seen one that wanted the endorsement in the envelope. The wording in the instructions was the only thing that separated them.

If yours is unclear, send a written question to the purchasing contact before the question deadline: will a COI showing the required limits plus a letter from your agent committing to the endorsement at award be accepted? The city answers in an addendum. Acknowledge that addendum on the bid form, because a missed addendum acknowledgment gets a bid tossed faster than an insurance question does.