The COI requirements checklist: 12 checks before approval
A certificate can look current and still fail the contract. The reliable review is a repeatable checklist that moves from identity and dates to limits, endorsements and carrier evidence. Use these twelve checks on every vendor certificate and keep the result with the PDF.
Identity and authenticity
- 1. Named insured: matches the exact legal entity in your contract.
- 2. Producer: a legitimate insurance agency with working contact information.
- 3. Insurers: carrier names and NAIC numbers are present and acceptable under your contract.
- 4. Authorized representative: the certificate is issued and signed through the producer, not edited by the vendor.
Coverage, limits and timing
- 5. Coverage types: every required line is present—usually GL, workers comp, auto and umbrella as applicable.
- 6. Limits: each-occurrence, aggregate, CSL and employer's liability values meet the written requirement.
- 7. Policy dates: coverage is active now and lasts through the work period; diary every earlier renewal.
- 8. Policy numbers: present on the face and consistent with attached forms.
Contract protection
- 9. Certificate holder: your exact entity and address are shown.
- 10. Additional insured: the operative endorsement is attached and grants the required ongoing/completed operations coverage.
- 11. Waiver and P&NC: endorsement or policy wording supports the waiver of subrogation and primary/non-contributory requirements.
- 12. Description and schedules: project, location and scheduled parties match the contract without relying on the description box to amend coverage.
What a checklist cannot prove by itself
A certificate is evidence, not a live carrier registry. A checklist cannot guarantee that a policy was not canceled after issuance or decide a disputed coverage question. Escalate unfamiliar carriers, suspected edits, ambiguous endorsements and contract exceptions to your broker, counsel or risk professional.
Run the checklist automatically
CoverWarden extracts the face and attached endorsement pages, evaluates each finding against your saved requirements and keeps the cited evidence with the verdict. The free checker lets you test one certificate without creating an account.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important item on a COI checklist?
There is no single safe shortcut, but identity, active dates, required limits and the actual endorsement pages are the four areas most likely to turn an apparently valid certificate into a failed requirement.
Is the additional insured checkbox enough?
No. It reports what the producer says about the policy; the attached endorsement determines who is insured and for which operations.
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