If you're tracking vendor certificates in your head or across email threads, a simple spreadsheet is a big step up. Here's a free one built for venues.
Download the COI tracking spreadsheet (CSV) — open it in Google Sheets (File → Import) or Excel.
What's in the template
One row per vendor, with columns for everything you check:
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Vendor name / category / contact | Who the vendor is |
| Event name / date | Which event |
| COI requested / received | Where they are in the process |
| GL per occurrence / aggregate | General liability limits |
| Liquor liability | For bar and catering vendors |
| Additional insured / waiver of subrogation | Required wording |
| Policy expiration | So you catch coverage that lapses |
| Status / notes | Approved, needs fix, requested |
Honest take: where a spreadsheet stops
A spreadsheet is a great place to record what you've checked. What it can't do is the actual work:
- It won't read a certificate or pull out the limits and dates.
- It won't tell you the venue is only certificate holder, not additional insured.
- It won't email vendors or chase the ones who haven't sent anything.
In practice, a spreadsheet works well for about five events. Past that, the manual reading and follow-up is where the hours go.
What this means for your venue
Use the spreadsheet to get organized now, and pair it with the vendor agreement template and your vendor insurance requirements. When the manual checking and chasing outgrows the spreadsheet, VenueCOI does it for you — reading each certificate, checking it against your rules, and reminding vendors automatically. You can check a COI free to see how the automated check works.