What a COI is — and why it runs your schedule
A certificate of insurance is a one-page snapshot of your coverage: who you are, which policies you carry, your limits, and who else those policies protect. It doesn't change your coverage — it proves it. For a contractor, that one page stands between you and your start date, and usually between you and your first progress payment.
That's why we treat certificates like a product, not paperwork. Tell us the job and who needs the certificate; we issue it with the holder's exact legal name and address, attach the endorsements your contract requires, and send it to you — or straight to your GC.
The 5 lines your GC actually checks
GC offices reject certificates every day — almost never because the contractor is uninsured, and almost always over one of these five lines:
- Your legal business name, letter for letter. If the certificate doesn't match the name on your contract and W-9, it comes back.
- The certificate holder. The GC or owner, with their exact mailing address. A wrong holder line is the #1 reason for bounce-backs.
- Additional insured. When your contract requires it, the endorsement has to actually be attached to your policy — not just mentioned in the description box.
- Waiver of subrogation. One line in the contract, one endorsement on the policy. GCs look for both, on every line of coverage the contract names.
- Limits and dates. Limits at or above the contract minimums — $1M / $2M is the usual floor — and policy dates that cover the entire job.
What we handle for you
- Turnaround in hours, not days — that's the standard our office works to
- Certificates sent to you, your GC, or both — your choice, every time
- Additional insured and waiver of subrogation endorsements added correctly
- Updated certificates at renewal, or whenever a holder or contract changes
- A free review of your full insurance packet before you submit it
What a COI can't do
- Add coverage your policy doesn't have — if a contract asks for more, we fix the policy first
- Backdate coverage or stretch your policy dates
- Replace the endorsements themselves — the certificate reports them; the policy has to carry them
- Name just anyone as a holder — certificates go to the parties your contracts actually name
- Work while your policy is lapsed — an expired policy means an invalid certificate
What slows a certificate down
Certificates are fast when the inputs are right. Almost every delay we've seen traces back to one of these:
- The holder's legal name or address was guessed instead of copied from the contract
- Nobody sent the contract's insurance requirements page — send us a photo of it, that's enough
- The policy hit its renewal date mid-job and the certificate expired with it
- The contract requires higher limits or endorsements the policy doesn't carry yet
- The request lands the morning of mobilization — a day's notice keeps it stress-free
It's 4 p.m. on a Thursday when your GC emails: no updated COI with the waiver of subrogation, no mobilization on Monday. You forward us the requirement page from the contract. We issue the certificate against your in-force policy with the endorsement attached, and the GC has it before their office closes Friday. Your crew starts on schedule.
Questions contractors ask us
How fast can I get a COI?
In hours, not days — that's our standard, and routine certificates go out the same day you ask. The fastest path: send us the holder's exact name and address plus the insurance page of your contract (a photo is fine).
Can you send it straight to my GC?
Yes — to you, to the GC, or to both. We also keep your holder list on file, so when policies renew, updated certificates go out without you having to re-ask.
My COI got rejected. Now what?
Forward us the rejection note. Nine times out of ten it's a name mismatch, a missing endorsement, or limits below the contract — all three are fixable, usually the same day.
Does a certificate cost extra?
Certificates are part of how we service our contractor accounts. If an endorsement your contract requires carries a small carrier charge, we'll tell you before we add anything — no surprises on your bill.
Request your COI
Already insured with us? Send the job details and we'll issue your certificate — turnaround is a couple of hours. Fastest when the holder's name and address match your contract exactly.
Not a client yet? A certificate is proof of a policy — it can't be issued on its own. Start with a quote; once your coverage is in place, your certificates take a couple of hours.
Get covered first