To request a certificate of insurance from a vendor or contractor, send a written request directly to their insurance agent - not to the vendor - specifying the coverage types, minimum limits, endorsements, and certificate holder information you require. The vendor's agent produces the COI and sends it to you directly.
That's the short version. Here's what it takes to do it correctly and what goes wrong when you don't.
Step 1: Know Your Requirements Before You Ask
Before you contact the vendor, you need to know exactly what coverage you require. This comes from your contract. Typical elements you'll specify in a COI request:
- Coverage types required (general liability, workers' comp, auto, umbrella, professional liability, etc.)
- Minimum limits for each coverage type
- Required endorsements (additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory)
- Your organization's name and address as it should appear on the certificate
- The project name or description of operations text you want included
- Any specific policy forms required (e.g., CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 for ongoing and completed operations AI)
If you send a vague request, you'll get a generic COI that may not satisfy your contract requirements. Specificity upfront reduces the back-and-forth.
Step 2: Direct Your Request to the Vendor, With Instructions for Their Agent
Send the request to your vendor contact. Be explicit that they need to forward your requirements to their insurance agent, who will produce the COI. Include your requirements in writing - don't assume the vendor will communicate them accurately by phone.
A request email should include:
- Your organization's exact legal name and address for the certificate holder field
- Your required coverage types and limits (a table format works well)
- Any endorsement requirements
- The description of operations text you want (e.g., "Certificate holder is named as additional insured for work performed at [address] per contract dated [date]")
- Your deadline for receiving the completed certificate
Step 3: Expect a 24-72 Hour Turnaround
A vendor's insurance agent can typically produce a COI within 24 hours once they have all the required information. If you send a complete, specific request, 48 hours is a reasonable standard turnaround.
Delays happen when:
- The vendor doesn't pass along your full requirements to their agent
- The agent needs to add endorsements that require underwriter approval
- The vendor's policy doesn't meet your requirements and they need to modify coverage
- The vendor is unresponsive to their own agent
If you haven't received a COI within 3 business days of a specific request, follow up with the vendor directly.
Common Problems with COI Requests
The vendor sends their generic COI. This is the most common issue. The vendor already has a COI on file and sends it without asking their agent to tailor it to your requirements. It may be missing endorsements, have the wrong certificate holder name, or lack the description of operations text you need.
The COI comes directly from the vendor, not the agent. A COI should be issued by the insurance agent or broker, not modified by the vendor. A document that looks like it was typed up or edited by the vendor is not a valid certificate.
The limits don't match your requirements. The vendor's existing coverage may be below your contract minimums. They'll need to increase their limits, which may take time and cost them money.
The endorsements aren't confirmed. A checked box on an ACORD 25 doesn't confirm the endorsement exists. For additional insured and waiver of subrogation, you may need to request copies of the actual endorsement forms from the policy.
The named insured doesn't match. The entity named on the COI needs to match the entity you contracted with. A COI from "Joe's Plumbing LLC" when you contracted with "Joe's Plumbing and Heating Inc." is a compliance gap.
What to Do When a Vendor Can't Provide a COI
If a vendor can't produce a COI, treat that as a red flag. A legitimate business with active insurance can get a COI from their agent in under a day. Common reasons for failure:
- Their policy lapsed (non-payment is the most common cause)
- They never had the required coverage type
- They can't meet your required limits
Your options when a vendor can't comply: require them to obtain coverage before work begins, engage a different vendor, or escalate to your risk manager for a formal exception decision. Silently accepting the situation - or starting work without a compliant COI - transfers their uninsured risk to you.
How Automated COI Request Tools Change the Process
Manual COI requests work when you have a handful of vendors. At 50+ vendors, the request process itself becomes a significant administrative burden. Automated tools can:
- Send templated, requirements-specific requests to vendors on a schedule
- Track response status across your entire vendor pool
- Send automated reminders for non-responsive vendors
- Flag COIs that don't meet your requirements without manual review
Bramble handles COI collection and compliance verification automatically, comparing every submitted COI against your contract requirements. See how it works.