The ACORD 25 is a one-page standardized form. Every field matters, and most compliance errors are traceable to a specific field being wrong, missing, or misunderstood. Here's what each section contains and what to check.
Producer (Top Left)
This section identifies the insurance agent or broker who issued the certificate. It's not a compliance checkpoint, but it's useful: the contact here is who you call when you need to verify information, request endorsements, or confirm coverage directly.
A COI that doesn't identify a producing agent - or appears to have been created by the vendor rather than their insurer - should be treated with skepticism.
Named Insured
What it shows: The entity covered by the policy.
What to check: The named insured must match the legal entity you contracted with. Not close - exactly. "ABC Contracting LLC" is not the same as "ABC Contracting Inc." or "ABC Contracting." Entity name mismatches are among the most common and consequential compliance gaps.
Why it matters: If a claim arises and the entity on the policy doesn't match the entity you contracted with, coverage may not apply. The vendor's attorney may argue there's no coverage for the work. Your insurer may argue the vendor's policy should have responded first.
If the named insured doesn't match, go back to the vendor. Don't accept the mismatch.
Insurers (Column on Right)
Lists the carrier(s) providing coverage, identified by NAIC number. Two checks here:
- Authorized to do business in your state: An insurer not admitted in your state may not be subject to state regulatory oversight. Not automatically disqualifying, but worth confirming the carrier is financially sound and legitimate.
- A.M. Best rating: Many contracts specify a minimum A.M. Best rating (commonly A- or A). If your contract has this requirement, verify it against the carrier listed.
Coverage Section: General Liability
This is usually the most important section. Check:
Type: Should indicate "Commercial General Liability." A "General Liability" or "CGL" designation is standard. "Claims-Made" versus "Occurrence" matters - most contracts require occurrence form, which covers incidents that happen during the policy period regardless of when the claim is filed. Claims-made coverage can leave gaps if the vendor's policy lapses.
Each Occurrence limit: The maximum the policy pays for a single claim. Compare directly against your contract requirement.
General Aggregate limit: The maximum the policy pays for all claims in a policy year. A vendor with a $2M per occurrence limit and a $2M aggregate has effectively $2M total - not $4M. Some contracts specify the aggregate on a per-project basis, which requires a separate endorsement.
Products/Completed Operations aggregate: Covers claims from work already completed. This is the limit that matters for claims arising after your vendor finishes and leaves the job site.
Personal and Advertising Injury: Covers libel, slander, copyright infringement, and similar claims. Less common as a compliance issue, but verify it matches your contract if required.
Coverage Section: Auto Liability
What to check: "Any Auto" is the broadest coverage and is typically what contracts require. "Hired and Non-Owned Only" is more limited and may not satisfy contracts that require coverage for the vendor's owned vehicles.
If your vendor drives vehicles as part of their work - delivery, transportation, site access - auto coverage matters.
Coverage Section: Workers' Compensation / Employer's Liability
What to check: The workers' comp section should show statutory limits (the WC portion is required by law in most states and covers at the statutory amount). The Employer's Liability limits (the "EL" lines) have dollar limits - verify these against your contract requirements.
A common gap: vendors who use subcontractors of their own may not have WC coverage that extends to those workers. Ask about the vendor's subcontractor WC situation if it's relevant.
Coverage Section: Umbrella / Excess Liability
Umbrella policies sit on top of GL, auto, and sometimes WC, extending the total limit. If your contract requires a $5M per occurrence limit and the vendor's GL is $1M occurrence with a $4M umbrella, the combined limit is $5M - typically satisfying the requirement.
Verify that the umbrella follows form (applies to the same coverage lines as the underlying policies) and that the underlying policy limits on the ACORD 25 match what the umbrella requires.
Endorsement Checkboxes
The ACORD 25 has checkbox fields for:
- Additional Insured
- Waiver of Subrogation
- Primary and Non-Contributory
Important: These checkboxes are informational. Checking a box on the ACORD 25 does not modify the policy. Coverage is modified only by an endorsement attached to the actual policy.
A checked box is a starting point. For high-value contracts or where you have reason to verify, request the actual endorsement forms from the vendor's agent to confirm they exist and contain the right language.
Description of Operations
The free-text field at the bottom of the ACORD 25 is where agents document specific provisions: your organization named as additional insured, waiver of subrogation confirmation, project addresses, and any contract-specific language.
What to look for: Your organization's name spelled correctly, the project or contract reference if required, and any endorsement language your contract specifies.
What to watch out for: Language that qualifies coverage ("additional insured, but only for...") that may not match your contract requirements.
Certificate Holder vs. Additional Insured
The certificate holder field (bottom left) is where your organization's name and address appears. This means you receive notifications. It does not mean you have coverage rights.
Additional insured status - which grants coverage rights - must be established by endorsement. The certificate holder field and AI endorsement are separate and not interchangeable. See the additional insured vs certificate holder page for the full explanation.
Expiration Dates
Check that all policy expiration dates are in the future. A COI with an expired policy period is not evidence of current coverage. Set calendar reminders to request updated COIs before expiration - 45-60 days ahead is standard practice.
Bramble automates the field-by-field comparison so every submitted COI is checked against your requirements without manual review. See how it works.