Free resource
COI renewal tracker template
The exact columns to keep, the ones to drop, and a monthly rhythm that catches renewals before they lapse.
3 min read · Written for anyone still tracking certificates in a spreadsheet
Columns worth keeping
- Vendor name (one canonical spelling — decide it now).
- Document type.
- Carrier or issuer.
- Policy or reference number.
- Effective date and expiry date as real dates, not text.
- Status derived from the expiry date, never typed by hand.
- Last requested date and number of requests sent.
- Owner: the person responsible for chasing this one.
Columns to drop
- Free-text status like 'ok', 'chasing', 'Bob has it'.
- Colour coding with no underlying value.
- Anything duplicated from your accounting system.
The monthly rhythm
- Sort by expiry ascending and look at the next 60 days.
- Send requests for anything expiring inside your lead time.
- Chase anything requested more than 7 days ago with no reply.
- Escalate to a call after the third unanswered request.
- Record every exception as a waiver with a reason and an end date.
If the monthly rhythm is the part that keeps slipping, that is the part worth automating.