Subcontractor COI checklist for general contractors
A practical list for office managers and PMs who collect ACORD 25 certificates before pay apps. Use it to stay organized — not to decide whether coverage is “enough.”
Important disclaimer
This checklist is administrative guidance only. CleanFile Ops does not certify that insurance coverage is adequate, compliant, or suitable for your job. We do not provide legal or insurance advice. Your broker and counsel own coverage and risk decisions; your controller owns pay / hold calls.
1. Before you request anything
Write down your project rules in one place (spreadsheet or one-pager). Typical GC-owned inputs:
- Project name / job number and state
- Named additional insured / certificate holder wording you require (from your contract or broker)
- Minimum limits and endorsement names your contract calls for (again: your rules, not ours)
- Who must be on the roster (prime subs vs tier-2)
- Pay-app deadline so chase has a real clock
If requirements live only in someone’s head, every COI review turns into a debate.
2. What to ask each sub for
- Current ACORD 25 (or equivalent certificate) showing GL, auto, workers’ comp as applicable, plus umbrella if your contract requires it
- Policy effective / expiration dates that cover the work period you care about
- Certificate holder block matching your stated format
- Additional insured / waiver of subrogation / primary & noncontributory — only the ones your subcontract or owner contract lists
- Producer / broker contact on the cert so renewals don’t die in a personal inbox
Pair the COI request with your normal W-9 and state lien-waiver asks so the sub gets one chase thread, not three.
3. Admin flags before pay app (not “compliance”)
These are document-hygiene flags. A missing field is a reason to ask again — not a declaration that coverage is bad.
- Certificate expired or expires before the next pay cycle
- Named insured doesn’t match the sub entity on your contract / W-9
- Certificate holder or AI wording doesn’t match what you asked for
- Blank or “see attached” where your process expects a stated limit or endorsement
- Workers’ comp marked N/A when your state / contract expects evidence
- File is unreadable, password-locked, or cut off
Escalate coverage questions (“is this limit enough?”) to your broker — not to the chase desk.
4. A simple weekly rhythm
- Monday: Send or nudge outstanding COI / W-9 / waiver requests
- Mid-week: Log receipts; flag expiries and mismatches against your rules
- Before pay app: Produce a Clean File vs Block Pay list so PM / controller can decide
- After pay: Note renewals coming in the next 30 days
Keep one register (sheet or tool) with: sub name, doc type, received date, expiry, status, last chase date, notes.
5. Admin desk vs broker vs counsel
- Admin / chase desk: request, track, parse fields, flag gaps vs your stated checklist, report status
- Broker: whether limits, forms, and endorsements are appropriate for the risk
- Counsel: contract language, lien statute questions, dispute strategy
- You (GC): pay / hold decisions and which requirements apply on this job
6. One-page request you can paste
Subject: Documents needed for [Project] — COI / W-9 / waiver
Please send:
- Current certificate of insurance (ACORD 25) for [entity name]
- W-9 for the same entity
- [State] lien waiver form (we’ll send the form / e-sign link)
Certificate holder / AI wording: [paste your required text]
Needed by: [date] for pay app.
Reply-all with PDFs. Questions on coverage limits go to your broker; we only collect and track.
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Want this done for you?
CleanFile Ops runs the COI, W-9, and lien-waiver chase for small US GCs and delivers a weekly Clean File / Block Pay report. Admin only — we never certify coverage.