Common COI Compliance Mistakes

1. Waiting Until a COI Expires

One of the most common COI compliance mistakes is waiting until a certificate has already expired before following up. By that point, the team may already be dealing with a coverage gap, a project delay, or a rushed renewal request.

2. Relying Only on Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets can be helpful at first, but they become difficult to manage as vendor and subcontractor lists grow. When updates are manual, it is easy for dates to be missed, documents to become outdated, or team members to work from different versions.

3. Keeping COIs in Too Many Places

COIs often end up spread across email inboxes, shared drives, desktop folders, and spreadsheets. When documents are scattered, it becomes harder to confirm which certificate is current and whether the right coverage is on file.

4. Not Reviewing Coverage Details

A COI is only useful if the coverage information meets your project requirements. Teams should review policy types, expiration dates, limits, endorsements, and any special requirements before assuming a subcontractor is compliant.

5. Losing Visibility Across Projects

As projects grow, compliance visibility becomes harder to maintain. A subcontractor may be compliant for one project but missing updated information for another. Without a centralized view, teams may not know where the real gaps are.

How to Reduce COI Compliance Risk

• Store certificates in one centralized location
• Track expiration dates before they become urgent
• Use alerts for upcoming renewals
• Review coverage details when COIs are received
• Keep compliance records organized by vendor and project