Certificate of Insurance & Proof of Coverage

If you do business with outside parties you may receive requests for Certificate of Insurance (COI) or proof of coverage. Likewise, Liberty University has a policy on requiring certificates of insurance from vendors and contractors with which it does and intends to do business or allows to utilize Liberty University property and facilities.

INTRODUCTION

A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is an indicator of adequate insurance coverage in force to protect the interests of Liberty University and other parties when necessary:

Certificates required to be sent to Liberty – Such Certificates of Insurance are to be sent to the University by the third parties insurance carriers underwriting risks incurred by:

• Independent contractors performing construction or any type of work or activity under a service agreement or any other contract entered into by the University
• For businesses providing services to the University
• Third party use of University facilities

Certificates Liberty is to send to others – Such certificates are issued by the University or University insurance carriers to non-University parties in connection with risks incurred by the University.

GUIDELINES

Certificates of Insurance Issued to Liberty University:

Independent Contractors, Consultants and Vendors performing work under contract or agreement for other services to the University are required to:

• defend and hold  Liberty University harmless from any loss, injury, or damage occurring during the performance of work
• indemnify Liberty University for any loss it suffers as a result of the negligence of the contractor, consultant, affiliate, or service provider including the employees, agents, and sub-contractors thereof
• show evidence of adequate insurance coverage by furnishing a Certificate(s) of Insurance (COI) with accompanying policy endorsements and forms indicating compliance with all requirements.

General Insurance Requirements

Vendor Specific Insurance Requirements: The typical limits and forms of coverage required for Commercial General liability (only acceptable when written on occurrence basis), Automobile liability, Umbrella, Professional, and Workers Compensation can be found here.

All Certificates of Insurance issued to Liberty University must:

• Name Liberty University, its Trustees, Officers, Employees and Agents as Additional Insured as it pertains to the work done/service provided and/or product delivered to Liberty University
• Policy terms should provide for thirty (30) days advance written notice to the University of any material modification, change, or cancellation of any of the insurance coverage
• It is important to note that a Certificate of Insurance (COI) is only evidence of insurance coverage in effect at the time of issuance of the certificate; it is not an insurance policy nor does it convey any rights to the certificate holder. It is not foolproof and is provided as information only. Some have referred to the COI as providing “the illusion of protection.” Therefore;
  • Along with the Certificate of Insurance, the Vendor must supply:
    • a copy of the declaration page and schedule of endorsements along with the corresponding Automatic Additional Insured by Contract Endorsement (typically ISO form CSG-G-010 0809) or,
    • a copy of the actual endorsement to its policy adding the University as additional insured or,
    • a copy of the Blanket Additional Insured endorsement to the policy which is typical when the vendor/contracts has automatic additional insured coverage when there is a contract that requires it.
• Vendors selling machinery and equipment as well as Contractors are to provide evidence of Products and Completed Operations coverage with the university as an additional insured. It is part of the General Liability coverage and is typically automatically included in a commercial general liability policy. However, it is not always, especially for higher risk installers, manufacturers and contractors and the additional insured interest can be excluded under the products and completed operations section even if included under the general liability.
  • An example of such an exclusion can be found in the ISO Additional Insured—Owners, Lessees or Contractors (CG 20 10 07 04) endorsement
  • The additional insured has no coverage for any injury or damage that occurs after work is completed
  • The Vendor/Contractor will sometimes need to buy back this coverage which is required by Liberty University, and should take this into account when submitting a bid

Property Insurance, when required, must be ‘All Risk’ covering on a full replacement cost basis  to the supplier or to others for which the supplier may be legally liable or has agreed to insure, and used in connection with the work:

• Equipment
• Tools
• Materials
• Supplies

Third Party Use of University Facilities: On occasion, University facilities are rented out to other organizations or groups not affiliated with the University. To avoid unnecessary assumption of liability and protect the interests of the University, it is imperative that prior to agreeing to rent out University facilities, the individual or group renting the facilities has an insurance policy in place and provides a Certificate of Insurance (COI). Specific limits, terms and conditions of the event should be verified with the Office of Risk Management at (434) 592-3582.

TULIP (Tenants’ and Users’ Liability Insurance Policy): Should a third party not currently have insurance they can purchase insurance for their event by visiting this link and requesting an online quote.

Certificates of Insurance Provided by Liberty University:

Proof of Liberty University’s liability insurance coverage (certificates of insurance) may be required under the following circumstances:

• Students who study off-campus as part of their course requirements (clinical, practicums, internships, etc.)
• University-approved social activities
• Off-campus research or teaching activities

Certificate of Insurance Request Form:

• Complete and return the form at least THREE work days before the event and include:
  • Name and address of the certificate holder (i.e., party requesting coverage)
  • Contact name and number of the certificate holder
  • Effective dates and duration of activity
  • Description of planned activity (i.e., Student Placement)
  • Insurance limits required (include Additional Insured coverage if required)
  • Copy of contract, license, permit, memorandum of understanding, and/or purchase order
  • Approval by Departmental Chair, Dean’s Office (in the case of student events)
• Send via email to the Office of Risk Management or by Campus Mail to the Office of Rsk Management in Green Hall, allowing at least THREE work days before the event

Verbal requests are not honored due to the very specific insurance requirements of each requesting institution. Unless otherwise specified or requested, (e.g., by government institutions, hospitals, etc.) the certificate will be issued for a preferred amount of $1 million.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• All University Departments and designees will ensure that requirements as described in these guidelines are met before the effective date of a contract or agreement for services
• Following risk identification and evaluation in certain situations, the Office of Risk Management, in conjunction with the responsible University administrators, may develop exceptions to the insurance limit requirements outlined above
• In some instances, they may determine that additional risk is involved and higher limits should be required while in other instances they may find that lower limits are justified
• In the absence of risk identification and evaluation, the minimum insurance limits as specified in these guidelines will be required
• Copies of Certificates of Insurance must be sent to Liberty University, Office of Risk Management, Finance Department, Green Hall, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24515
• The Office of Risk Management will review and approve requests for Certificates of Insurance to be issued on behalf of Liberty University
• Exposure to high risk may be associated with small purchase orders, contracts or minor events; in such cases, the Office of Risk Management is available to advise the University Community on minimum acceptable limits
• The Office of Risk Management is also available to advise the University Community on any requests for Certificates of Insurance made by Liberty to non-University entities, contractors, agencies, or others providing services to Liberty