A vendor emails you a PDF that "proves" they have insurance. Is it a certificate of insurance (ACORD 25), or is it a declaration page from their policy? The difference matters more than most teams realize.
A certificate of insurance is a summary issued by the insurer or agent, standardized on the ACORD 25 form. It shows coverage types, limits, policy numbers and dates — and it can name you as certificate holder or additional insured. This is the document your requirements template expects.
A declaration page is a page from the actual policy. It contains real coverage details, but it is not standardized, may be outdated, and never shows you as additional insured. Accepting declaration pages means your team is re-reading every document by hand — and missing the additional insured question entirely.
The practical rule: require the ACORD 25 certificate, and verify the fields you care about — coverage types, limits, dates, additional insured. If a vendor only sends declarations, push back once with the exact requirement, then escalate.
COIFort is built around exactly this: it parses the certificate, verifies it against your template, and flags anything missing — including the additional insured endorsement people forget to check.