Automating Additional Insured Certificate Requests in General Liability, Construction, and Commercial Auto: Reducing Manual Work with AI for Compliance Analysts

For Compliance Analysts working across General Liability & Construction and Commercial Auto programs, few workflows are as high-volume and time-sensitive as additional insured certificate requests. Contractors, project owners, lessors, and vendors need an ACORD 25 immediately, the description of operations must mirror contract language, and the right endorsements (CG 20 10, CG 20 37, Primary & Noncontributory, Waiver of Subrogation) must be verified and attached. The challenge is that every request arrives with a different mix of contracts, policy forms, endorsements, and ad-hoc instructions—leaving Compliance Analysts to sift, reconcile, and re-key details under tight deadlines.

Nomad Data’s Doc Chat eliminates the grind. Doc Chat for Insurance ingests full contract packets, policies, and endorsement libraries; extracts the precise requirement language; cross-checks it against the insured’s actual coverage; and drafts a ready-to-issue ACORD 25 with the correct Description of Operations and attachment list. It also produces a clear deficiency report when coverage is missing or outdated, automatically drafting broker/vendor follow-ups. The result: what used to take hours per certificate is reduced to minutes—consistently, defensibly, and at scale.

The everyday reality for Compliance Analysts in GL/Construction and Commercial Auto

In construction and fleet-heavy operations, additional insured status is table stakes. On the General Liability side, project owners and GCs routinely require additional insured—ongoing operations and completed operations—via specific ISO endorsements such as CG 20 10 and CG 20 37, often with Primary and Noncontributory (e.g., CG 20 01) and Waiver of Subrogation (CG 24 04) language. Many agreements also require per-project or per-location aggregate limits (CG 25 03/CG 25 04) and 30-day notice of cancellation. On the Commercial Auto side, additional insured requirements can arise for owners/lessors of autos (e.g., CA 20 01 or CA 20 48 variants), along with Hired & Non-Owned Auto (HNOA) evidence, MCS-90 filings for motor carriers, and specific state endorsements. Each request must be matched to what the policy actually grants—and that nuance is where time and risk accumulate.

Complicating matters further, certificate language must be exact. An ACORD 25 is informational; it confers no rights. Yet counterparties insist on tailored Description of Operations text that mirrors contract provisions, cites project numbers, locations, scheduled entities, and completed operations duration. If the endorsement on file is blanket AI (e.g., CG 20 33 or CG 20 38) with conditions like “when required by written contract,” the ACORD remarks must reflect those conditions. If the contract demands Primary and Noncontributory for both GL and Auto, the analyst must confirm whether P&C is truly granted by the policy forms in force—not merely implied by a generic certificate box. Errors lead to rejected certificates, jobsite delays, vendor onboarding stalls, and contractual exposure.

How this process is handled manually today

Most Compliance Analysts still live in email queues, PDF stacks, and spreadsheets. The typical additional insured certificate cycle looks like this:

Receive a certificate of insurance request (often an ACORD 25) referencing a contract, master service agreement, purchase order, or owner-controlled instructions.
Open and read the contract’s insurance requirements sections: additional insured (ongoing vs. completed ops), waiver of subrogation, primary and noncontributory, notice of cancellation, project aggregates, and any special endorsements (e.g., residential construction exclusions, EIFS, silica/dust limitations, or professional liability carve-outs noted in the request).
Pull the insured’s policy and endorsement library: reconstruct which GL forms are attached (CG 00 01), which AI forms apply (CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 33, CG 20 38), whether per-project aggregate (CG 25 03) is present, confirm limits, and verify dates/effective periods. For Commercial Auto, confirm symbols (1, 8, 9), HNOA status, AI endorsements for lessors, MCS-90 applicability, and any PIP/UM/UIM state nuances.
Compare the contract’s precise language to what the policy actually grants—looking for conflicts such as completed ops duration requirements that exceed policy renewal dates, missing primary/noncontributory on Auto, or waiver of subrogation not endorsed on GL or Auto.
Draft the ACORD 25, place the correct carriers and NAICs, map limits, and compose a bespoke Description of Operations referencing the project name/number, site address, and the exact AI/PNC/WOS terms.
Attach copies of endorsements or list them on an ACORD 101 (Additional Remarks Schedule), when required by the counterparty.
If anything is missing, write a deficiency email to the agent/broker or insured, specifying which forms, limits, or terms are required, and diarize follow-up. Track all outstanding items manually.
Repeat this process for renewals, change orders, and new sites—with slightly different terms each time.

This work is careful legal-linguistic alignment, not simple data entry. It demands policy literacy, contract interpretation, and constant vigilance for edge cases like blanket AI forms that require a written contract naming all appropriate parties, “primary and noncontributory” requirements that only apply to scheduled locations, or completed operations coverage that must be proven to 3–10 years post-completion depending on jurisdiction and contract language.

Edge cases that drive rework and risk

Compliance Analysts in construction and auto-heavy portfolios face a steady stream of variances that slow production and increase exposure:

Blanket vs. scheduled additional insured: A blanket CG 20 33 often satisfies “when required by written contract,” but does the contract name all parties correctly? Does the endorsement’s definition of “additional insured” match the counterparty’s expectations? If a specific entity must be scheduled, relying on blanket AI may be insufficient.

Ongoing vs. completed operations: Many requests require both CG 20 10 (ongoing operations) and CG 20 37 (completed operations). If the contract stipulates completed ops for a set duration (e.g., the statute of repose), does the policy period and renewal plan support that? Can your Description of Operations make that commitment without backing?

Primary & Noncontributory (PNC): Some policies grant PNC conditionally (e.g., only where required by contract and only for specified entities). If the ACORD remarks state “Coverage is primary and noncontributory,” the underlying endorsement must truly match that promise for GL and, where requested, Auto.

Waiver of Subrogation: GL waivers (CG 24 04 or carrier equivalents) and Auto waivers may be applied per-contract. Analysts must confirm the waiver is endorsed for the correct lines and includes the requested entities—before representing it on a certificate.

Commercial Auto nuances: Proof of Hired & Non-Owned Auto, appropriate symbol usage, lessor AI endorsements (e.g., CA 20 01/CA 20 48 variants), and federal filings (MCS-90) are often requested. ACORD 25 lines must correctly map each auto coverage and limit, and any special state forms must be referenced if required by the agreement.

Notice of cancellation: Contracts frequently demand 30 days’ notice of cancellation to the additional insured. Analysts must reflect what the policy (and carrier) will actually provide—often via carrier-specific notice endorsements rather than ACORD verbiage alone.

Each of these complicates the seemingly simple task of “issuing a certificate.” The manual effort to check, reconcile, compose, and defend the certificate text adds up quickly—especially at scale.

How Doc Chat automates additional insured and COI workflows end-to-end

Doc Chat is a suite of AI-powered agents that read and reason across contracts, policies, endorsements, emails, and request forms—at enterprise scale and with page-level citations. For Compliance Analysts in GL/Construction and Commercial Auto, that means the AI does the heavy lifting while you remain in full control of the decision.

Requirement extraction: Doc Chat reads contracts, master service agreements, and vendor insurance addenda to extract granular requirements for Additional Insured (ongoing/completed ops), PNC, Waiver of Subrogation, per-project aggregates, Auto symbols/HNOA, MCS-90, limits, and cancellation notice.
Policy/endorsement cross-check: It parses policy jackets and endorsements (CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 33/CG 20 38, CG 24 04, CG 25 03/25 04, and relevant CA endorsements) and identifies exact language granting (or limiting) AI, PNC, and WOS, including conditions like “when required by written contract.”
Gap analysis: It compares the request to what’s actually in force, producing a clear deficiency report with citations. If completed ops are requested for five years, but no completed ops AI endorsement is present, it flags the gap instantly.
ACORD 25 prefill and ACORD 101 remarks: Doc Chat drafts a ready-to-issue ACORD 25, including Description of Operations text tailored to the contract and a corresponding ACORD 101 (Additional Remarks Schedule) listing endorsements and conditions verbatim from your policy.
Automated outreach: When gaps exist, it drafts broker/insured requests for missing forms (e.g., CG 20 37), revised limits, or a carrier-specific PNC endorsement, using your templates and tone.
Real-time Q&A with source links: Ask, “Does our GL grant primary & noncontributory to the project owner and GC?” or “List all AI endorsements in the 2024 renewal.” You’ll get answers with clickable citations to the exact page and paragraph.

Because Doc Chat is trained on your playbooks, contract checklists, and certificate standards, it produces outputs that look like your team’s best work on its best day—across thousands of requests. You can use the prefilled ACORD in your RMIS or agency management system, or export PDFs for direct delivery. And every assertion is backed by a citation trail to withstand audits, disputes, and counterparties’ legal reviews.

AI for additional insured certificate generation—what “good” looks like

Compliance Analysts often ask: can an AI really generate a certificate that stands up to scrutiny? With Doc Chat, “AI for additional insured certificate generation” is not a marketing slogan—it’s a governed workflow. The system pulls policy numbers, carrier names, NAICs, effective/expiration dates, ISO form codes and edition dates, limits (per occurrence, general aggregate, products/completed operations aggregate, personal/advertising injury, medical expense), Auto coverage symbols, and umbrella/excess details. It then composes Description of Operations text that faithfully mirrors the contract and the policy’s granted conditions.

When the requirement is met via blanket AI, the AI notes the condition (e.g., “additional insured status applies when required by written contract”) and includes the correct ISO form and edition date (e.g., CG 20 33 04 13). When the agreement requires completed operations evidence, it references the CG 20 37 endorsement, and where applicable, a project’s anticipated completion dates. If the counterparty demands per-project aggregate limits, the ACORD remarks cite CG 25 03 and—if present—any carrier-specific wording that constrains how the aggregate applies. For Commercial Auto, the system maps symbols (e.g., 1 = Any Auto; 8 = Hired, 9 = Non-Owned), confirms any lessor AI endorsements, and injects MCS-90 language where required by the contract.

Most importantly, Doc Chat never promises what the policy does not grant. If Primary & Noncontributory is missing for Auto, the ACORD remarks will not state it—and the deficiency memo will clearly request a CA endorsement that satisfies the contract. That posture protects your organization from misrepresentation risk while speeding the path to a clean, accepted certificate.

“Automate COI requests processing insurance” in practice: triage to delivery in minutes

Teams searching to “automate COI requests processing insurance” are typically drowning in volume. Doc Chat brings end-to-end automation while keeping Compliance Analysts in control:

Automated intake: The AI watches a shared inbox or portal, classifies each request, and groups the relevant documents (contract, requirement addenda, prior COIs, current policy/endorsement PDFs). It tags the LOBs involved (GL, Auto, Umbrella) and identifies time constraints (e.g., project kickoff tomorrow).

One-pass review: In a single run, Doc Chat extracts requirements, cross-checks policy/endorsements, and drafts the ACORD 25 and ACORD 101, complete with Description of Operations. It also composes a clean audit summary showing what was requested, what was confirmed in the policy, and where each statement came from, with page-level citations.

Exception handling: When gaps exist, it drafts a broker or insured outreach email, lists specific forms/limits needed, and tracks the item until resolved. Renewals and expirations are diarized automatically so analysts can focus on exceptions rather than calendaring tasks.

Delivery and archive: Once approved by a Compliance Analyst, the certificate is exported to the RMIS/AMS, delivered to the requestor, and archived with the full citation trail for future audits.

The business impact: time, cost, accuracy, and defensibility

Doc Chat’s impact on additional insured certificate workflows is immediate and measurable. For many Compliance teams, a single certificate request can consume 30–90 minutes—longer when contracts are dense or endorsement libraries are complex. With Doc Chat, that same request typically moves from intake to analyst approval in a few minutes. At portfolio scale, the savings compound into thousands of hours per quarter.

Beyond speed, accuracy and defensibility rise dramatically. Human fatigue and variability often cause misalignments—e.g., stating completed ops coverage on an ACORD without confirming the CG 20 37 endorsement, or asserting PNC across Auto and GL without verifying both lines are endorsed. Doc Chat reads page 1 and page 1,000 with identical rigor, and it shows its work with page-level citations. That transparency strengthens your negotiation posture with counterparties and reduces back-and-forth that stalls projects or vendor onboarding.

There’s also a powerful secondary effect: standardizing how your organization interprets contracts and represents coverage. By encoding your best analysts’ rules into Doc Chat, you eliminate desk-to-desk variation, shorten onboarding for new staff, and create a repeatable, auditable process that stands up to internal reviews, external counsel, and regulators.

Why Nomad Data and Doc Chat are the best fit for Compliance Analysts

Generic document tools struggle with the nuance of policy language, ISO edition dates, conditional endorsements, and contract-by-contract variance. Nomad Data’s advantage is purpose-built insurance expertise plus white-glove delivery. We train Doc Chat on your playbooks, checklists, forms, and preferred ACORD phrasing so the output reflects your standards from day one. Most teams go live in one to two weeks—not months—because the platform is enterprise-ready and integrates quickly with your inboxes, portals, and RMIS/AMS platforms.

Key differentiators you’ll notice in daily work:

Volume and speed: Doc Chat ingests entire policy and contract libraries—thousands of pages at a time—and answers questions instantly. That means rush certificates, multi-site construction projects, and large vendor programs stop being bottlenecks.

Complexity mastery: It doesn’t just search for keywords; it reasons across forms and conditions. It knows that CG 20 33 blanket AI is not the same as CG 20 10 scheduled AI for ongoing ops, and it surfaces those distinctions with citations. This is the “inference” gap that typical tools miss—explained well in our piece, Beyond Extraction: Why Document Scraping Isn’t Just Web Scraping for PDFs.

Real-time Q&A: Ask Doc Chat to, “List every endorsement that grants additional insured status on GL for 2024, with edition dates,” or “Draft a Description of Operations matching Section 6 of the owner’s contract.” You’ll get precise answers and reusable text, with source links.

White-glove service: Our team co-creates with you—capturing unwritten rules, preferred phrasing for ACORD 25 and ACORD 101, and your escalation paths—so the AI works like your best Compliance Analyst, every time. Learn more about our approach to scalable data entry automation in AI’s Untapped Goldmine: Automating Data Entry.

Security, governance, and auditability

Insurance documentation contains sensitive information, and certificate workflows are subject to scrutiny from clients, auditors, and carriers. Nomad Data operates under rigorous security controls (including SOC 2 Type 2), and Doc Chat maintains a transparent, document-level trail for every assertion. When a requestor challenges wording or a carrier audit asks for proof, you can click through to the exact page where the policy grants or limits the term in question. That end-to-end defensibility is why enterprise claims and legal teams trust the platform, as described in Reimagining Insurance Claims Management.

From backlog to flow: a construction-focused vignette

A national general contractor’s Compliance team was processing hundreds of additional insured certificates per week across multi-state projects. Requests arrived with diverse insurance requirements: completed ops for up to five years, PNC on GL and Auto, waiver of subrogation, per-project aggregates, and strict notice-of-cancellation expectations. Policies and endorsements changed at renewal, and the team kept a spreadsheet to track which jobs needed updated ACORDs. The cycle time per request varied wildly—from 20 minutes for a clean copy to 90 minutes for a complex contract—leading to periodic backlogs and jobsite access delays.

After implementing Doc Chat, intake and triage became automated. The AI immediately classified each request and ran a one-pass analysis against current policies and endorsement libraries. It then drafted ACORD 25 forms and ACORD 101 remarks with the correct Description of Operations, citing each endorsement by form number and edition. Where the contract demanded five years of completed operations AI but the policy didn’t support that promise, Doc Chat flagged the issue, drafted a broker outreach request for the correct CG 20 37 endorsement, and diarized follow-up.

The Compliance Analysts retained full control. They reviewed the AI’s proposed ACORD package—complete with citations—and made final approvals. Average handling time dropped from 45 minutes to under 5 minutes for clean requests, and exception handling sped up thanks to pre-drafted outreach and explicit gap summaries. Most importantly, the quality and defensibility of each certificate improved. When counterparties challenged language, the analyst simply clicked through to the cited policy page and shared carrier-backed verbiage.

What changes in Commercial Auto workflows

For fleets and transportation-heavy operations, Commercial Auto certificates require careful mapping of coverage symbols, additional insured endorsements for lessors or project owners, and HNOA evidence for contractors using hired vehicles. Doc Chat extracts and validates these details across CA policy forms and endorsements and translates them into accurate ACORD 25 lines. If the agreement requires additional insured status for a vehicle lessor and the policy attaches a CA AI endorsement with specific conditions (e.g., leased autos listed on the policy schedule), Doc Chat will include the correct language and flag any schedule gaps. It also checks MCS-90 filing status when contracts reference federal motor carrier requirements, ensuring ACORD remarks do not imply filings that do not exist.

That discipline protects your organization from overstatement while ensuring counterparties get exactly what they requested—no more, no less.

Measuring ROI across the certificate lifecycle

Organizations adopting Doc Chat for additional insured certificate workflows typically see:

Cycle time reduction: From 30–90 minutes per request down to minutes, even when contracts span dozens of pages. Rush requests stop derailing the day.

Cost savings: Fewer manual touchpoints and overtime hours; the same team handles significantly more volume, especially during peak construction seasons and fleet renewals.

Accuracy and compliance: Consistent alignment between contract requirements, policy grants, and ACORD representations, backed by page-level citations to withstand audit and challenge.

Scalability: Spikes in COI requests—from new project mobilizations, annual renewals, or vendor onboarding pushes—are absorbed without adding headcount. Teams redeploy time to higher-value work like coverage optimization and contract negotiation.

These outcomes mirror what insurers experience when they apply Doc Chat to other document-heavy workflows—moving reviews from days to minutes with stronger quality and explainability. For a broader view of how this shift plays out across claims and operations, see Reimagining Claims Processing Through AI Transformation.

Implementation: white-glove, fast, and tailored

Nomad Data delivers a personalized solution, not a one-size-fits-all tool. We start by capturing your certificate playbooks: preferred Description of Operations templates, typical ACORD 101 structures, escalation paths for deficiencies, and the precise wording your legal and carrier partners have approved. Within 1–2 weeks, Doc Chat reflects your standards and connects to your inbox or portal for live processing. As adoption grows, we integrate with your RMIS or agency management system so prefilled ACORDs and audit trails flow automatically into the systems of record.

Throughout, our team remains your partner. As new contract types and endorsement variants appear, we co-create updates and tune outputs. Your Compliance Analysts stay in the loop, approving certificates and exceptions while the AI handles the rote, error-prone steps.

Governed AI, not a black box

Some teams worry that AI will “make things up” in legal contexts. With Doc Chat, outputs are bound to your documents and your rules. The agent does not invent coverage; it quotes, cross-checks, and cites. If a requirement is unsupported, the certificate text remains faithful to the policy, and a deficiency report instructs how to fix the gap. This alignment—documents in, governed text out—reflects Nomad’s philosophy that the highest-value document automation is about inference with accountability, not generic summarization. That’s the core message behind our post, Beyond Extraction.

Getting started

If your Compliance Analysts are spending hours each day parsing contracts, searching endorsement libraries, and handcrafting ACORD 25s, the fastest path to relief is a pilot on real work. Drag-and-drop a representative set of contract packets, policies, and prior certificates into Doc Chat. Ask, “Does our GL meet the owner’s AI/PNC/WOS language?” Watch the system draft a defensible ACORD 25 and an ACORD 101 with exact citations. Iterate on Description of Operations phrasing to match your house style. Within days, you’ll have a living production workflow.

Whether your team supports hundreds of subcontractors on a single megaproject or thousands of vendor agreements across a national footprint, Doc Chat is built to “read everything” and surface the right answer now. That is the point of enterprise-grade document intelligence: to transform certificate issuance from a manual bottleneck into a governed, scalable flow.

Explore how Doc Chat can streamline your additional insured and certificate operations: Doc Chat for Insurance.