COI tracking: spreadsheet or software?
4 min read · Last updated
A spreadsheet is enough to track certificates of insurance when one person manages a handful of vendors and checks the file every week. Dedicated software becomes worth comparing when several people need the same current status, reminders must go out on time and certificates arrive in many places. This guide shows where each option fits, where spreadsheets break, what software should do and how to compare them. General information, not legal or insurance advice; check your contracts and your insurer.
On this page (6 sections)
When is a spreadsheet enough?
A spreadsheet works when one person tracks a small number of vendors, the list of expiry dates is short and the same person reviews it on a fixed schedule. Keep one row per vendor and coverage, a column for the expiry date and a link to each file.
Where does a spreadsheet break down?
The main failures are quiet. A spreadsheet shows what someone typed, not what is true today, so a status can stay wrong for weeks without anyone noticing.
- Stale status: a typed status is not updated after an expiry date passes.
- Manual chasing: each reminder depends on someone remembering to send it.
- No change record: edits overwrite earlier values, so you cannot show what was on file on a past date.
- Scattered certificates: PDFs sit in email threads and personal folders, and nobody is sure which copy is current.
- Shared editing: two people change the same file and one change is lost.
What should COI software do?
Good software calculates each status from the dates and the requirement, rather than trusting a typed word, and it keeps the history of every change. Test these features before you buy.
- Computed status: expired, expiring, missing and compliant follow from the dates and the requirement.
- Reminders: messages go out before expiry, on the expiry date and when a document is missing.
- Vendor upload link: vendors send documents without creating an account.
- Change record: a clear note of who changed what, and when.
- Export: vendors, documents and history can be taken out as files you keep.
How does ShowMeTheDocs fit?
ShowMeTheDocs is a vendor compliance tracker. Plans are $49 per month for up to 25 vendors, $129 per month for up to 150 vendors and $299 per month for up to 500 vendors. The 14-day trial needs no card, and after the trial a Free plan covers up to 10 vendors.
Vendors never pay or need an account, and they upload through a private link. Reminders go out 30, 14 and 7 days before expiry, on expiry and when a document is missing, with one email per vendor per run. A person confirms every reading from a certificate before it is saved.
How do the two options compare?
Use this list to compare any spreadsheet or software option against the same questions.
- Status: typed by hand in a spreadsheet; calculated from dates in dedicated software.
- Reminders: sent by hand from a spreadsheet; scheduled in dedicated software.
- Vendor uploads: email attachments in a spreadsheet; a private link in dedicated software.
- Change record: usually none in a spreadsheet; kept for each change in dedicated software.
- Growth: a spreadsheet gets harder to read as rows multiply; software keeps the same structure for every vendor.
- Cost: a spreadsheet costs little to start; software has a monthly price, so weigh it against the time spent chasing.
Questions
When should I move from a spreadsheet to software?
Consider the move when a status is wrong more than once, when reminders are missed, or when more than one person must see the same current status. A trial lets you test the process with your own vendors first.
Can I keep my spreadsheet and add software?
Yes. Many teams keep the spreadsheet as a backup. Check that an export includes the dates and the history before you rely on it.
Does tracking software confirm that insurance is in force?
No tracker can confirm coverage from a certificate alone. Software records what was reported and flags dates, and a person checks the policy for the terms that matter to the contract.
Do vendors have to pay to upload documents?
No. In ShowMeTheDocs, vendors never pay or need an account, and they upload through a private link.
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