Do You Need COI Tracking Software, or Just Someone to Do It?
General information to help you weigh your options. FORGE Vendor Desk does administrative document tracking only. We don't give legal, WCB, or insurance advice.
If you've started looking into how to track your vendors' insurance and WCB, you've probably found software. Here's an honest map of the options, including one that doesn't show up in the software comparisons because it isn't software.
Tier 1: Enterprise platforms
Names like ISNetworld, Avetta, and Veriforce. Built for large companies managing hundreds or thousands of contractors, often in industrial or energy work. Powerful, expensive, and overkill if you have 10–40 vendors.
Tier 2: Self-serve software
Tools like myCOI, TrustLayer, and bcs. More accessible, and some have free tiers. But the catch: they're software you operate. You still set it up, chase the documents, and run the workflow. The tool helps, but the work is still yours.
The option people miss: done-for-you
There's a third choice that doesn't appear in “best software” lists because it's a service, not a product. It's a person who maintains your tracker for you: logs the documents, watches the dates, chases the renewals, and sends you a report. You don't log into anything. You just see who needs attention.
Which is right for you?
- Self-serve software if you have staff with time to run it and you like managing the system yourself.
- Done-for-you if you're busy, have roughly 10–40 vendors, and want it off your plate entirely.
The honest cost comparison
Software charges per vendor per month, plus your time to run it. Done-for-you is a flat fee with none of your time. For a lot of small property managers and contractors, the time is the real cost.
FORGE Vendor Desk is the done-for-you option, here in Winnipeg. WCB and insurance, both tracked, one clean report a month.