Expiring certificates: a follow-up schedule that keeps subs covered

A schedule you can copy

1. 30 days before expiration: email the sub and their agent asking for the renewal certificate. Restate the same requirements as the original request.
2. 14 days before: second reminder, copy your project manager.
3. 7 days before: call the agent. Renewals are often bound but the certificate hasn’t been sent.
4. On the expiration date: if nothing has arrived, mark the sub as expired on any active project and tell the field team.
5. After a lapse: follow your contract. Many subcontracts let the GC hold payments or stop work until proof of coverage is received; check yours.

What the renewal certificate needs

Check a renewal the same way as the original: new policy numbers and dates, the same or higher limits, the certificate holder, and the additional insured and waiver boxes. If endorsements were required, ask for the renewal endorsements, because a renewed policy can change.

Make the agent your main contact

The agent issues certificates and usually knows about the renewal first. Keep the agent’s email on file for each sub and copy them on every renewal request.

Keep a record

• Date of each reminder and who it went to.
• Date the renewal arrived and who reviewed it.
• Any period where a sub worked without current proof, and how it was resolved.