How to Use the Certificate of Insurance Compliance Reviewer Prompt to Check Subcontractor COIs Before Work Starts

Every general contractor collects certificates of insurance from subcontractors. Far fewer check them carefully. The certificate arrives, someone confirms the company name, and the file goes in a folder. Then a claim happens and the team learns the umbrella limit was short, the additional insured endorsement was never issued, or the policy expired the week after the job started. The Certificate of Insurance Compliance Reviewer for General Contractors: ACORD 25 vs Subcontract Requirements, Endorsement Requests, and a Deficiency Letter prompt compares the certificate with your subcontract insurance exhibit line by line, lists the endorsements you still need, and writes the deficiency letter for the agent.

What the prompt produces

1. A comparison table for General Liability, Automobile, Umbrella or Excess, and Workers Compensation with Employers Liability, marked MEETS, SHORT, MISSING, or VERIFY.
2. An endorsement check for additional insured on ongoing and completed operations, primary and noncontributory, waiver of subrogation, and per project aggregate.
3. A date check for policies that expire before or soon after the start date.
4. Umbrella logic that explains whether an umbrella can make up a short underlying limit.
5. A deficiency letter to the agent listing each item and the document that cures it.
6. A site access decision and a row for your compliance log.

How to fill the inputs

SubcontractRequirements is the insurance exhibit from your subcontract. Paste it as written, including required endorsements and how long completed operations coverage must last.

CertificateFields is your transcription of the ACORD 25: insurers, policy numbers, dates, limits, the columns for additional insured and subrogation waived, and whether the general aggregate applies per policy, project, or location.

DescriptionOfOperations and CertificateHolder should be copied exactly. Vague text such as as required by written contract is common, and the prompt treats it as a statement, not proof.

EndorsementsOnFile lists any endorsement forms you already have. If none, say none. ScopeAndStart and ProducerContact let the prompt write a letter with a real deadline and the right recipient.

Reading the example output

The example reviews a drywall subcontractor's certificate for a clinic project:

• Limits are compared, not assumed. General Liability meets the per occurrence limit, but the aggregate applies per policy rather than per project, and the umbrella is three million dollars short.
• A Y in a column is not treated as proof. The certificate shows additional insured and subrogation waived on General Liability, but no endorsement forms are on file, so each is marked NEEDED.
• Dates are tied to the job. Liability and auto policies expire less than a month after the start date, so the prompt adds a renewal request to the tickler.
• The umbrella question is honest. Employers Liability limits are low. An umbrella that follows form over Employers Liability might cover the gap, but the certificate does not show that, so it is marked VERIFY.
• The decision is HOLD. Work should not start until the umbrella and endorsements are resolved.

Tips for better results

• Keep your insurance exhibit current. The prompt can only check against requirements you give it.
• Ask agents for endorsement copies every time. The certificate itself says it does not change coverage.
• Use the compliance log row in a shared spreadsheet so project managers can see open items before scheduling crews.
• Review renewals with the same prompt. A renewal certificate can change insurers, limits, or endorsements.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not mark an endorsement as met because the agent said it is included. Ask for the form.
• Do not let a subcontractor start with an expiring policy and no renewal plan.
• Do not use the prompt to interpret coverage disputes. Coverage questions belong with your agent or counsel, and the prompt says so.

Who it is for

Project coordinators, risk managers, and office managers at general contractors, plus property managers and owners who collect certificates from vendors.

Related PromptDig links

Open the Certificate of Insurance Compliance Reviewer for General Contractors: ACORD 25 vs Subcontract Requirements, Endorsement Requests, and a Deficiency Letter prompt and paste your insurance exhibit and certificate fields. For more business and operations prompts, Browse more prompts. If you use a compliance checklist prompt that works, Share a prompt.