# Research from COI Journal

> White papers and analyst briefs on contractor COIs, endorsements and project requirements from COI Journal, the editorial site published by Forsured.

COI Journal (https://coijournal.com) is the editorial site published by Forsured. It is vendor neutral and does not rank software. Each report below lives on coijournal.com. General information, not legal or insurance advice.

## White papers

- [R-13: What to require from any COI tool: a vendor-neutral specification](https://coijournal.com/reports/coi-tool-specification/): A vendor-neutral specification for COI tracking tools: what to require, how to test it, and the questions to ask in a demo. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/coi-tool-specification/index.md
- [R-12: Closing a coverage gap without the email chain: a deficiency workflow for GCs and brokers](https://coijournal.com/reports/fixing-gaps-brokers-gcs/): A deficiency workflow that helps GCs, trades and brokers close contractor coverage gaps in one pass instead of an email chain. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/fixing-gaps-brokers-gcs/index.md
- [R-11: One set of rules per project: tracking requirements and renewals across active jobs](https://coijournal.com/reports/per-project-requirements-and-renewals/): Running different insurance requirements per project and keeping every contractor renewal current across a portfolio of jobs. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/per-project-requirements-and-renewals/index.md
- [R-10: Can AI review a COI? What machines do well, and where people stay in the loop](https://coijournal.com/reports/can-ai-review-a-coi/): What AI can and can't do when reviewing contractor COIs and endorsements against project requirements, and where people stay in charge. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/can-ai-review-a-coi/index.md
- [R-09: Spreadsheet, service or software: a vendor-neutral way to choose how to manage contractor COIs](https://coijournal.com/reports/spreadsheet-service-software/): Comparing spreadsheets, outsourced tracking services and software for contractor COIs, with a scoring method that names no vendors. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/spreadsheet-service-software/index.md
- [R-08: The broker's side of the COI: why requests pile up and how to answer deficiency notices](https://coijournal.com/reports/broker-coi-request-load/): For construction brokers on where COI and endorsement requests come from, why deficiency notices repeat, and a way to cut the load. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/broker-coi-request-load/index.md
- [R-07: What goes into subcontract insurance requirements: a field guide for GCs and brokers](https://coijournal.com/reports/subcontract-insurance-requirements/): The insurance requirements GCs put in subcontracts, piece by piece, with real examples from two public owners' published exhibits. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/subcontract-insurance-requirements/index.md
- [R-06: When a contractor's coverage lapses mid-project: the exposure and the playbook](https://coijournal.com/reports/coverage-lapse-mid-project/): What a GC is exposed to when a trade's insurance lapses or is cancelled mid-project, and a step-by-step playbook to respond. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/coverage-lapse-mid-project/index.md
- [R-05: Additional insured endorsements, explained: CG 20 10, CG 20 37 and the automatic forms](https://coijournal.com/reports/additional-insured-endorsements/): Additional insured endorsements: what CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 38 and the automatic forms do, and how to check them. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/additional-insured-endorsements/index.md
- [R-04: How to read a COI against contract requirements, line by line](https://coijournal.com/reports/reading-a-coi-against-requirements/): A box-by-box method for reading an ACORD 25 certificate against a project's insurance requirements, with what each box can't show. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/reading-a-coi-against-requirements/index.md
- [R-03: Why every trade sends a certificate: the COI's job in construction risk transfer](https://coijournal.com/reports/why-contractors-send-certificates/): What a certificate of insurance is, why general contractors collect one from every trade, and what it can and can't prove. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/why-contractors-send-certificates/index.md
- [R-01: A certificate is not coverage: six ways contractor COIs fail project requirements](https://coijournal.com/reports/certificate-is-not-coverage/): Why contractor certificates of insurance pass a glance and still fail the project, and the six failure modes worth checking. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/certificate-is-not-coverage/index.md

## Analyst briefs

- [R-23: What does manual COI tracking cost? Reading the one published estimate](https://coijournal.com/reports/cost-of-manual-coi-tracking/): The BCS estimate that manual COI tracking costs $36,400 a year: how it's built, what it leaves out, and how to build your own. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/cost-of-manual-coi-tracking/index.md
- [R-22: Fake certificates and phantom insurers: what state regulators have warned](https://coijournal.com/reports/certificate-fraud-regulators/): What New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and Florida regulators have said about false certificates, fake insurers and how to verify coverage. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/certificate-fraud-regulators/index.md
- [R-21: Wrap-ups and certificates: what changes for contractor COIs on an OCIP or CCIP](https://coijournal.com/reports/wrap-ups-and-cois/): Owner and contractor controlled insurance programs, what they cover and exclude, and which COIs a GC still has to collect. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/wrap-ups-and-cois/index.md
- [R-20: Two public owners, two insurance exhibits: Oregon DOT and Sonoma County compared](https://coijournal.com/reports/public-owner-requirements-compared/): Comparing the published contractor insurance requirements of Oregon DOT and Sonoma County, line by line, with what GCs should take away. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/public-owner-requirements-compared/index.md
- [R-19: How the ISO additional insured endorsements changed: 2004, 2013 and 2019](https://coijournal.com/reports/iso-additional-insured-editions/): How ISO's additional insured endorsements changed in 2004, 2013 and 2019, and why the edition date on an endorsement matters. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/iso-additional-insured-editions/index.md
- [R-18: Underreported payroll: what six construction workers' comp fraud cases show GCs](https://coijournal.com/reports/workers-comp-premium-fraud/): Six construction workers' comp premium fraud cases from 2022 to 2026, the common pattern, and what a GC can check. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/workers-comp-premium-fraud/index.md
- [R-17: Checking workers' comp yourself: what public proof of coverage lookups can and can't tell you](https://coijournal.com/reports/workers-comp-coverage-lookups/): Public workers' comp proof of coverage lookups in New York, Florida and elsewhere, what they show, and their limits for GCs. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/workers-comp-coverage-lookups/index.md
- [R-16: What insurance regulators say about AI, and what it means for AI-assisted COI review](https://coijournal.com/reports/naic-ai-bulletin-and-coi-review/): The NAIC's AI model bulletin, its adoption by 24 states and D.C., the 2026 pilot, and lessons for buyers of AI-assisted COI review. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/naic-ai-bulletin-and-coi-review/index.md
- [R-15: The Q3 2026 insurance market for contractors: casualty up, property down, and what it means for endorsements](https://coijournal.com/reports/construction-insurance-market-q3-2026/): Q3 2026 commercial insurance rates from Marsh's index, construction carrier growth, and what it means for contractor requirements. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/construction-insurance-market-q3-2026/index.md
- [R-14: The ACORD 25's new limits sentence: what changed in the 2025/12 edition, and what GCs should do](https://coijournal.com/reports/acord-25-limits-wording/): The ACORD 25 (2025/12) limits wording: certificates may now show requested limits rather than full policy limits. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/acord-25-limits-wording/index.md
- [R-02: Rented, falsified, excluded: what 2026's cases say about trusting a contractor COI](https://coijournal.com/reports/rented-falsified-excluded/): Four 2026 fraud and coverage cases, what a certificate could and couldn't have shown in each, and the checks that matter. Markdown: https://coijournal.com/reports/rented-falsified-excluded/index.md

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