Insurance certificate tracking · UK

Subcontractor insurance tracking for UK main contractors

Running a job with twenty subbies means twenty insurance certificates on twenty different renewal dates. Track them all in one dashboard and get reminded before any policy lapses — so no one works uninsured on your site.

3 vendors free · Plans from £29/mo · Billed in USD · No card needed

The job

Where this gets hard

The risk rolls up to the principal contractor

Under CDM 2015 and most main contracts, you carry duties for who works on your site. If a subbie’s cover lapsed and something goes wrong, the question is whether you checked. Tracked expiry dates are your answer.

Pre-start checks go stale mid-project

You collected every certificate at induction — then the job ran nine months and three of them expired. A one-off check at the start doesn’t cover a long programme. Continuous expiry tracking does.

Chasing renewals by email eats your day

Manually emailing subcontractors for updated certificates is admin no one has time for. COI Tracker sends the reminder and a one-click “request update” so the chase runs itself.

Typical vendors uk main contractors track

Examples we see in this dashboard

  • Groundworkers & bricklayers
  • M&E subcontractors
  • Roofers, scaffolders & plant hire

How COI Tracker handles it

  1. 1Add each vendor with name, email, certificate type, and expiry date — or bulk-import a spreadsheet on Growth+.
  2. 2Upload the certificate PDF on each row. Files are stored privately and surfaced through short-lived signed URLs.
  3. 3Get reminders 30, 14, and 7 days before each expiry. Click “Request Update” to ping the vendor for the new cert.
Try it with your first 3 vendors free

FAQ — UK main contractors

How do UK main contractors track subcontractor insurance?

The reliable way is one dashboard with every subcontractor’s public liability and employers’ liability certificate, each tagged with its expiry date and automatic reminders before it lapses. COI Tracker replaces the site spreadsheet — it tracks and reminds, it does not verify cover, so confirm policies with the broker.

What happens if a subcontractor’s insurance lapses mid-project?

If a policy lapses while they’re still on site, any incident in that window can leave the exposure with you as principal contractor. COI Tracker flags the certificate as expiring before the date arrives and prompts you to request the renewal, so the gap is caught early rather than after the fact.

Can I manage subcontractors across several sites at once?

Yes — add the site or project to each subcontractor’s name and filter the dashboard by status. Growth adds CSV import so you can bulk-load an existing tracker, and Pro adds team members so each site manager can maintain their own subbies.

Is this just for construction, or any trade with subcontractors?

Any business that engages subcontractors uses the same workflow — fit-out, facilities, maintenance, events. You add each subcontractor, record the certificate type and expiry, and reminders fire automatically before renewal.

Not legal or insurance advice. Verify your specific contract and policy requirements with a licensed broker or attorney.

Ready to take vendor compliance off your plate?

3 vendors free, no credit card required. Upgrade only when you outgrow it.