Reviewing an insurance ACORD form takes most GCs about 90 seconds. In that time, they check the expiration date, glance at the limits, and file it. That 90-second review misses compliance gaps on 28% of certificates, according to IRMI data.

A field-by-field checklist changes that. When you verify every section of the ACORD form against your contract requirements, you catch gaps before they become claims. This checklist covers every field on the ACORD 25 that matters for GC compliance, with specific pass/fail criteria for each.

Section 1: Certificate Date and Number

Field: Date (MM/DD/YYYY)

Check: The certificate date is within 30 days of receipt. Older certificates may not reflect current coverage status.
Pass: Certificate is dated within the last 30 days.
Fail: Certificate is more than 30 days old. Request a fresh certificate.

Field: Certificate Number

Check: Record this number in your compliance system. You will reference it if you need to verify the certificate with the producer.
Note: Not all producers assign certificate numbers. A blank field is acceptable but makes future reference harder.

Section 2: Producer Information

Field: Producer Name

Check: The producer is a licensed insurance agent or broker.
Verification: Look up the producer's license on your state Department of Insurance website.
Pass: Active license in the project state for the lines of insurance on the certificate.
Fail: No license, expired license, or license in a different state only. Request reissuance from a properly licensed producer.

Field: Producer Contact (Phone, Fax, Email)

Check: Record this information separately from the certificate. You need it to verify coverage directly with the producer.
Note: If the only contact method is a generic email address (info@, admin@), request a direct contact for the account manager.

Field: Producer Address

Check: Confirm the address matches the licensed entity on file with the state.
Pass: Address matches state records.
Fail: Mismatch may indicate an unlicensed branch office or fictitious producer.

Section 3: Insured Information

Field: Insured Name

Check: The legal name matches your subcontract exactly.
Pass: Exact match between certificate and contract.
Fail: Any variation. "Smith Electric Inc." and "Smith Electrical LLC" are different legal entities. Coverage for one does not extend to the other.

Field: Insured Address

Check: Address matches the sub's business registration.
Note: A PO Box is acceptable for mailing purposes, but verify the physical business address matches state registration records.

Common Name Mismatches	Risk Level	Action Required
Inc. vs. LLC	High	Different legal entity. Must match contract.
DBA vs. legal name	High	Certificate must show the legal entity name.
Missing "Inc." or "LLC"	Medium	Confirm entity type with Secretary of State.
Old name (pre-merger)	High	Certificate must reflect current legal name.
Parent vs. subsidiary	High	Coverage may not extend to the contracted entity.

Section 4: Insurers Affording Coverage

Field: Insurer A through E (Name and NAIC #)

Check 1: Each carrier holds an AM Best rating of A- VII or better.
Check 2: Each carrier is licensed (admitted) or properly filed (surplus lines) in the project state.
Check 3: The NAIC number matches the carrier name on naic.org.

Pass criteria:

All carriers rated A- VII or better
All carriers licensed in the project state
All NAIC numbers verified

Fail criteria:

Any carrier below A- VII
Any carrier not licensed in the project state
NAIC number mismatch or missing

Time required for this section: 5-10 minutes per certificate for manual verification. Automated systems complete it in seconds.

Section 5: Coverage Grid - General Liability

Field: Policy Type (Occurrence vs. Claims-Made)

Check: Your contract likely requires occurrence-based coverage. Claims-made policies create gaps when they expire.
Pass: "Occur" box checked.
Fail: "Claims-made" checked without contract approval.

Field: Policy Number

Check: Record the number. For high-value projects, verify with the carrier or producer.
Pass: Valid policy number confirmed by producer.
Fail: Unable to verify, or number matches a different insured.

Field: Policy Effective and Expiration Dates

Check: Both dates bracket your project timeline.
Pass: Effective date is before project start. Expiration date is after project end (or you have a renewal tracking system).
Fail: Any date gap between the policy period and your project timeline.

Field: Limits

Each Occurrence: Compare against your contract minimum.
Damage to Rented Premises: Typically $100,000-$300,000.
Medical Expense: Typically $5,000-$10,000.
Personal & Advertising Injury: Compare against contract.
General Aggregate: Compare against contract. Watch for aggregate erosion on subs with multiple projects.
Products-Completed Operations Aggregate: This limit protects you after the sub's work is done. It should match or exceed the per-occurrence limit.

Field: Additional Insured Checkbox

Check: Box must be checked for GL coverage.
Pass: Box checked AND description of operations references the specific AI endorsement form.
Fail: Box unchecked, or checked without endorsement reference.

Section 6: Coverage Grid - Automobile Liability

Field: Auto Coverage Type

Check: "Any Auto" provides the broadest protection. "Hired Autos" and "Non-Owned Autos" cover specific scenarios.
Pass: "Any Auto" checked, or "Hired" and "Non-Owned" both checked.
Fail: Only "Owned Autos" checked (does not cover rented or employee-owned vehicles used on your project).

Field: Combined Single Limit

Check: Meets your contract requirement. Industry standard minimum is $1M.
Pass: Meets or exceeds contract requirement.
Fail: Below contract requirement.

Section 7: Coverage Grid - Umbrella/Excess Liability

Field: Umbrella vs. Excess

Check: Umbrella policies provide broader coverage than excess policies. Know which your contract requires.
Pass: Matches contract specification.
Fail: Excess listed when contract requires umbrella.

Field: Each Occurrence and Aggregate Limits

Check: Umbrella limits should bring total coverage to your contract requirement. If contract requires $5M total GL and primary shows $1M, umbrella must show at least $4M.
Pass: Primary + umbrella meets contract total.
Fail: Combined limits fall short of contract requirement.

Field: Retention/SIR

Check: Self-Insured Retention under the umbrella means the sub pays claims up to this amount before umbrella coverage triggers.
Pass: SIR is $10,000 or less (industry standard).
Fail: SIR above $25,000 without verification that the sub can fund it.

Section 8: Coverage Grid - Workers Compensation

Field: Statutory Limits

Check: WC should show statutory limits for the project state.
Pass: Statutory limits box checked.
Fail: Non-statutory limits or blank field.

Field: Employers Liability Limits

E.L. Each Accident: Contract minimum, typically $1M.
E.L. Disease - Each Employee: Same.
E.L. Disease - Policy Limit: Same.
Pass: All three limits meet contract minimums.
Fail: Any limit below contract requirement.

Section 9: Description of Operations / Locations / Vehicles

This free-text field requires the most careful review. It should contain project-specific information.

Checklist for this field:

Project name included
Project address included
Additional insured status confirmed with endorsement form numbers (CG 20 10, CG 20 37)
Waiver of subrogation confirmed for applicable policies
No restrictive language that limits coverage scope
ACORD 101 referenced if additional space was needed

Red flags in this field:

"General operations" without project reference
"Per written contract" without specifying which contract
Restrictive language like "only for work performed at [different address]"
Blank or containing only the producer's standard template text

Section 10: Certificate Holder

Field: Certificate Holder Name and Address

Check: Your company's legal name and current mailing address appear correctly.
Pass: Exact name and address match.
Fail: Any error in name or address. Cancellation notices sent to wrong addresses do not reach you. Name errors can invalidate your certificate holder rights.

Section 11: Cancellation

Field: Cancellation Notice Provisions

Check: The current ACORD 25 (2016/03) replaced specific cancellation notice days with a reference to policy terms. Prior versions listed a specific number of days (typically 30).
Note: Your subcontract should independently require 30-day advance written notice of cancellation. Do not rely on the ACORD form's cancellation language alone.

Section 12: Authorized Representative Signature

Field: Signature

Check: An authorized representative of the producer signed or electronically signed the certificate.
Pass: Signature present (wet or electronic).
Fail: No signature. An unsigned certificate may have been generated outside the producer's management system and could be unauthorized.

The Complete Verification Summary Table

Field	What to Check	Time to Verify	Risk If Missed
Producer license	State DOI website	2 min	Invalid certificate
Insured name	Match to subcontract	1 min	Coverage mismatch
Carrier AM Best	ambest.com	2 min per carrier	Insolvent carrier
GL limits	Contract comparison	2 min	Underinsured exposure
AI endorsement	Box + description	1 min	No claim rights
Waiver of subrogation	Box + description	1 min	Carrier recovery action
Policy dates	Calendar comparison	1 min	Coverage gap
Certificate holder	Name/address accuracy	30 sec	Missed notices
Signature	Present/absent	10 sec	Unauthorized certificate
Total		12-15 min

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I run this checklist on existing subcontractors? Run the full checklist on every initial certificate and every renewal. For long-duration projects (over 12 months), run a mid-term spot check on 25% of active subs quarterly. This catches mid-term changes that renewal tracking misses.

What if only one field fails on the checklist? Reject the certificate and request correction from the sub's broker with a specific note about which field failed. Do not accept partially compliant certificates. One failed field can be the one that matters most in a claim.

Can I delegate this checklist to project managers or admin staff? Yes, but train them on what each field means and why it matters. The most commonly missed items by untrained reviewers are carrier AM Best ratings (skipped 67% of the time) and additional insured endorsement verification (skipped 54% of the time).

Should I verify every ACORD form the same way, regardless of project size? The checklist should be the same for every project. A $500,000 project and a $50M project both need compliant coverage. What changes is the limits you require, not the verification process. Smaller projects may accept lower limits, but the verification rigor should be identical.

What tools can automate this checklist? Certificate management platforms like SubcontractorAudit use OCR and AI to extract ACORD form data and compare it against your requirements automatically. Automated platforms complete in seconds what manual review takes 12-15 minutes per certificate.

How do I track checklist results across my sub roster? Maintain a compliance status for each sub on each project. Track three states: compliant (all fields pass), pending (certificate submitted, deficiencies identified), and non-compliant (no certificate or critical failures). Report compliance status weekly to project leadership.

This checklist should take minutes, not hours. SubcontractorAudit runs every verification point automatically, flags failures instantly, and tracks compliance status across your entire organization. Explore COI tracking.