A COI request is a formal ask from one business to another for proof of insurance coverage. "COI" stands for Certificate of Insurance - a standardized document (typically the ACORD 25 form) that summarizes an insured party's active coverage, policy limits, and key terms.
When a property manager asks a vendor for their COI, when a general contractor asks a subcontractor for proof of insurance, or when a client requires their service provider to produce evidence of coverage before beginning work, they're making a COI request.
Why Businesses Request COIs
Businesses request COIs to manage risk - specifically, to verify that the vendors, contractors, or tenants they're working with have the insurance necessary to cover harm that might arise from the relationship.
The core logic: when you engage a contractor to work on your property, you're accepting some level of risk that their work might cause harm. If someone is injured, if property is damaged, or if a third party is harmed - and you're the contracting entity - you may be named in the resulting lawsuit regardless of whose fault the incident was.
If your contractor has adequate insurance, their policy defends and indemnifies them (and you, if you're named as additional insured). If they don't have insurance, or if their coverage is inadequate, that risk lands on you.
A COI request is how you verify that the coverage you contractually required is actually in place.
Who Requests COIs and Why
Property owners and landlords require COIs from tenants and contractors to ensure that anyone working on or occupying their property is adequately insured. If a tenant's operation causes harm to a third party, the landlord wants the tenant's insurance - not their own - to respond.
General contractors require COIs from subcontractors to verify that each trade on a job site is insured. An uninsured subcontractor's injury or property damage claim can become the GC's problem.
Event organizers require COIs from vendors, exhibitors, and service providers. If a food vendor causes foodborne illness or a booth collapses and injures an attendee, the organizer needs that vendor to be insured.
Lenders and investors often require COIs from borrowers' vendors and contractors as a condition of loan covenants. Uninsured contractors working on financed properties can trigger covenant violations.
Large enterprises require COIs from all vendors as part of third-party risk management programs.
What a COI Request Typically Asks For
A well-formed COI request specifies:
- The coverage types required (GL, workers' comp, auto, umbrella, etc.)
- Minimum limits for each coverage type
- The entity that should be named as Additional Insured (if applicable)
- Whether primary and non-contributory status is required
- Whether a waiver of subrogation is required
- The deadline by which the certificate should be submitted
- Where to send it (email or vendor portal)
A poorly formed COI request just says "please send us your COI." This produces generic certificates that may not meet the requester's actual requirements.
What to Do When You Receive a COI Request
What to Do When You Receive a COI Request
If you're the vendor or contractor who received the request:
Step 1: Review the request carefully. Does the requester specify coverage types, limits, additional insured requirements, and other conditions?
Step 2: Forward the request to your insurance broker. Your broker issues certificates of insurance on your behalf - you don't issue them yourself. The broker's job is to produce a certificate that reflects your current coverage.
Step 3: Confirm your coverage meets the requirements. If the requester requires $2M in GL and you have $1M, you need to upgrade your coverage before the certificate will satisfy their requirements. Your broker can help.
Step 4: Have your broker issue the certificate and submit it by the deadline.
For Vendors Responding to a COI Request:
- Review the specific coverage requirements in the request
- Forward the full request (with requester's entity name and requirements) to your broker
- Confirm your coverage meets the specified limits
- Request the broker produce a certificate naming the requester as Additional Insured (if required)
- Review the certificate before submitting to confirm it reflects all required items
- Submit by the deadline
How Quickly Should You Respond?
A certificate of insurance can typically be issued within 24 hours by a broker. There is no legitimate reason a COI request should take more than 2-3 business days to fulfill if the underlying coverage is in place.
Delays beyond 3 business days usually indicate one of two things: the vendor's broker is unresponsive (a vendor management problem) or the vendor's coverage doesn't meet the requirements and they're trying to figure out how to address the gap.
What a COI Is Not
A COI is not:
- A guarantee that the insurer will pay a specific claim
- A contract between the certificate holder and the insurer
- Proof that coverage was in force at any time other than the policy dates shown
- A substitute for the actual insurance policy
The ACORD 25 certificate contains an explicit disclaimer: "This certificate is issued as a matter of information only and confers no rights upon the certificate holder." The underlying policy is what controls in a claim.
Related Resources
- How to Request a COI from a Vendor
- What Is Proof of Insurance for a Business
- How Do I Know If a COI Is Valid
- How Often Should You Collect COIs from Vendors
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