Contractor COI checklist: what should you review?

Before reviewing the certificate

Start with the requirement source, not the certificate. Identify the correct contract, project, work package, contractor legal entity, and scope of work. Requirements can vary by project and trade, so a generic pass-or-fail rule can produce the wrong answer.

• Confirm the contractor record and legal name.
• Confirm the project and scope of work.
• Locate the applicable contractual insurance requirements.
• Identify any endorsements or supporting documents that must accompany the certificate.
• Assign a qualified reviewer and an escalation path for uncertain cases.

COI fields to check

1. Named insured

Confirm that the named insured corresponds to the contracting entity. Similar trade names, parent companies, subsidiaries, and spelling variations deserve review rather than an automatic match.

2. Producer and insurers

Record the producer contact and the insurers shown for each coverage. The producer information gives the review team a route for clarification, while the insurer references help connect each policy row to the right carrier.

3. Policy numbers and dates

Check the policy identifier plus effective and expiration dates for every required coverage. A future expiration date alone does not establish that all required terms are present or unchanged.

4. Coverage types and limits

Compare the coverage and limits displayed on the certificate with the applicable requirements. Review each required line separately instead of relying on a single overall status.

5. Description of operations

Read the operations and remarks area for project references or other relevant statements. Do not assume that free-text wording changes the underlying policy; request and review required endorsements when the contract calls for them.

6. Certificate holder

Confirm that the certificate holder information matches the entity and address your process requires. Keep this separate from questions about additional-insured status or policy rights.

7. Endorsements and supporting evidence

If the requirements call for endorsements, waivers, schedules, or other evidence, confirm that the requested documents are present and correspond to the policy and project under review.

Compare the evidence with project requirements

A dependable review connects every observation to a requirement. For each required coverage or document, record one of four outcomes: satisfied, not satisfied, missing, or needs clarification. This is more useful than a vague note saying “COI looks good.”

1. Choose the requirement being evaluated.
2. Point to the field or supporting document used as evidence.
3. Record the observed value and applicable date.
4. State the outcome and the reason.
5. Assign a correction or escalation when needed.

For a broader operating process, see how to request a certificate of insurance, verify contractor insurance, and track subcontractor COIs through renewal.

Record a review that another person can understand

Store the original file with the extracted and verified information. Record who reviewed it, when the review occurred, which project requirements were used, the decision, the reason, and any follow-up requested. If a corrected document arrives, preserve the prior decision as history instead of silently replacing it.

OCR can surface names, dates, policies, and limits faster, but extraction confidence is not compliance confidence. Learn how OCR-assisted COI review should remain connected to the source document and human verification.

Frequently asked COI checklist questions

What should you check on a contractor COI?

Check the named insured, producer and insurer information, policy numbers, effective and expiration dates, coverage types, limits, certificate holder, relevant endorsements, and alignment with the contractor, project, contract, and scope of work.

Does a COI prove that coverage is active?

A COI summarizes insurance information but is not the policy itself. Verify questions about current coverage, endorsements, or policy terms with the appropriate source documents and qualified insurance professionals.

Who should make the final compliance decision?

A qualified person should compare the submitted evidence with the applicable requirements. Software can organize information and flag differences, but should not make the final compliance decision.