Guide
How to Request a Certificate of Insurance
By Keelstar Team · Updated July 11, 2026
The short answer
Request a certificate of insurance by sending your vendor a written requirements document that lists required coverage types, minimum limits, additional insured and waiver of subrogation language, your certificate holder address, and the deadline before site access or payment. Ask for an ACORD 25 issued by the vendor's broker, not a policy declaration page. Include your project or location in the description of operations when scope matters. Route requests through a tracked workflow — email alone loses renewals and follow-ups. Construction supers, property managers, and healthcare compliance teams should treat the COI request as a standard onboarding step alongside tax and banking forms, not a last-minute gate at the job trailer.
What to include in a COI request
A complete request answers four vendor questions: what coverage you require, what limits apply, what endorsements your contract demands, and where to send the certificate. Reference your master agreement or insurance exhibit by name so brokers pull the right policies.
- Coverage types: GL, auto, workers comp, umbrella, professional if applicable
- Minimum limits by line — per occurrence and aggregate
- Additional insured and waiver of subrogation requirements
- Certificate holder name and address
- Deadline tied to site access or first invoice
Use a standard request template
Build a template your construction, property, and healthcare teams reuse. Include your legal entity name as certificate holder, a contact email for deficiencies, and language requesting ACORD 25 format. Templates reduce back-and-forth when brokers call to clarify whether you need CG 20 10 or CG 20 37 additional insured wording.
Timing relative to onboarding
Send the COI request when the vendor record is created — in parallel with W-9 and banking collection. Vendors who receive requirements upfront submit compliant certificates faster than vendors surprised at orientation. For subcontractors, tie the request to subcontract execution and schedule of values approval.
Track requests and responses
Manual email threads do not scale across hundreds of vendors. Log send date, response date, review status, and deficiency notes per vendor ID. When a certificate arrives, route it to review against your checklist before marking the vendor active. Operations teams should see COI status in the same system they check for payment readiness.
Follow up on non-responses
Send a reminder at seven days and escalate at fourteen days with a clear consequence — no site badge, no PO release, or payment hold. Document every outreach attempt. Construction projects with hard mobilization dates cannot afford vendors who treat insurance paperwork as optional.
Coordinate with contract language
Your COI request should mirror what the contract actually requires. If the agreement demands 30-day notice of cancellation, primary and non-contributory wording, or specific ISO endorsements, say so in the request. Reviewers should not discover contract gaps when the certificate arrives — requirements should be settled before the request goes out.
Frequently asked questions
- Who should send the COI request — procurement or risk?
- Either can initiate, but the request should come from a monitored address or system so submissions are not lost when staff change. Risk or compliance should own the requirements template; procurement often triggers the send at vendor onboarding.
- Should we attach our insurance requirements to the request?
- Yes. Attach or link your insurance exhibit, sample endorsement language, and certificate holder mailing address. Vendors and brokers process requests faster when requirements are specific — not a generic 'send your COI' email.
- Can we accept a COI directly from the vendor instead of their broker?
- Vendors often forward broker-issued certificates, which is fine. Be cautious of vendor-created PDFs that look like certificates but lack producer contact information. Valid ACORD 25 forms list the insurance producer or agency.
- How soon before work starts should we request the COI?
- Request at contract execution or vendor setup — ideally two to three weeks before go-live. Rush requests the day before mobilization delay construction, tenant improvements, and healthcare vendor activations.
Related guides
Put this into a monitored workflow
COI Tracker handles this continuously — with reminders and an audit trail.