How do I request a certificate of insurance (COI) for a client?

Summary: Email coi@ascen.com with the client's legal name and address and anything specific the client needs to see on the certificate. Because Ascen is the employer of record for the workers on your assignments, the insurance covering that work is ours — so the certificate is issued in Ascen's name, not your agency's. Allow 24–48 hours, and longer if the client wants custom wording.

Why the certificate comes from Ascen

Clients almost always ask for proof of insurance before they award work. Since Ascen is the legal employer of the people you place, it is Ascen's general liability, professional liability and workers' compensation coverage that applies to them on assignment. That means your agency generally can't satisfy the request from its own policies for the assigned workers — you send the request to us and we produce the certificate.

This is one of the most common things a client asks for before awarding work, so it is worth requesting early rather than on the day a bid is due.

What to send us

Email coi@ascen.com and include:

• The client's full legal name and address, exactly as it should appear on the certificate.

• Which client or assignment it relates to, so we can match it to your account.

• Anything specific the client has asked for — ideally the wording from their contract or their own request, pasted in.

• When you need it by, if there is a deadline.

A plain proof-of-coverage certificate is the quickest thing to produce. Anything customised has to go to our insurance broker, which is what adds time — so send the client's exact requirements the first time instead of finding out after we have issued a standard certificate.

Requests clients commonly make

These are all normal and we can usually accommodate them. Tell us which ones apply:

• Naming the client as certificate holder — the client is listed as the party the certificate is issued to. This is the default for most requests.

• Adding the client as an additional insured — the client is extended cover under the policy, rather than just being sent evidence of it. Clients often require this in their contract.

• Specific wording in the description of operations — a line describing the work being performed, a contract or project reference, or a site name.

• A waiver of subrogation — the insurer gives up its right to recover from the client after paying a claim. Again, usually a contract requirement.

If your client needs the certificate to reflect that the workers are supplied through your agency as well as employed by Ascen, say so in your request and we can ask for that to be added.

Timing and what we can't promise

• Usually 24–48 hours, depending on what is being asked for.

• Custom wording, additional insured status and waivers of subrogation are issued by our insurer, so we cannot confirm exact wording until they do. If your client's contract demands specific language, send it across as early as you can rather than committing to it on their behalf.

This is not the same as your contractors' own insurance

Requesting a certificate from us is the opposite direction from the insurance an independent contractor has to carry in their own name before they can start. If that is what you are looking for, see Insurance requirements for independent contractors and Your contractor's insurance documents were rejected — what we need and why.

For anything else, email support@ascen.com.