Suppliers and Caterers with Insurance

Vendors performing services for Cornell University must meet minimum levels of insurance coverage and submit evidence of adequate insurance coverage as requested before performing work or services for the university. If you are unsure whether the intended service provider must provide proof of insurance, contact Risk Management and Insurance. See below for information on Verifying a Caterer's Insurance Coverage.

When Is Insurance Requried? | Verifying a Vendor's Insurance Coverage in KFS | Verifying a Caterer’s Insurance Coverage

When Is Insurance Required?

Vendors must have insurance to mitigate any risk or harm to individuals or the university (e.g., financial impact, legal, and regulatory concerns) when:

• Providing a service.
• Providing programming, hosting, or data storage services, or accessing Cornell systems (cyber insurance required).
• Providing academic consultanting from other universities, or when a project is funded with grants and contracts managed through the Office of Sponsored Programs.
• Cornell is reselling a good or service.
• Performing high-risk activities (see below).

High-Risk Activities

Certificates of insurance must be on file before work can begin for activities identified as high risk. In addition, the procurement agent has the discretion to require a certificate of insurance beyond these instances.

To engage a vendor to perform high-risk work or services or to confirm insurance requirements, contact Procurement. Procurement will contact the vendor to obtain the appropriate insurance certificates.

High-risk activities are identified as those involving the following:

• Charter events (i.e., watercraft, aircraft, bus, van)
• The use of drones
• Catering services
• Alcohol service
• Equipment installation
• IT-related consulting services
• Software or website implementations
• Services that require human contact (i.e., massage or henna service)
• Contact with minors
• The use of entertainment-related equipment (i.e., bounce houses, concert equipment)

Verifying a Vendor's Insurance Coverage in KFS

To verify the vendor’s insurance coverage:

1. Use KFS to check a supplier's insurance coverage and expiration dates. You'll see the most current information by checking the KFS vendor record directly.
   1. From the KFS Main Menu, type Vendor in the Jump to field and select Vendor from the list of results.
   2. Enter the vendor name, using asterisks, or the vendor number and select Search.
   3. Select the name of the vendor you're looking for from the results.
   4. Select the Vendor Insurance Tracking tab in the vendor record to see the insurance coverage and expiration dates.

Verifying a Caterer’s Insurance Coverage

Before the event date and before placing any orders, all Cornell units arranging for catering services must verify that the select vendor/caterer has a certificate of insurance on file with Risk Management or Procurement Services. 

See the Caterer List on the Risk Management and Insurance website for caterers who have already provided proof of adequate insurance. 

For amounts over $10,000, you must use a purchase order for all catering events or services prior to the event. For contract and payment information, please refer to Paying for Catering and Event Space Rental.

If you are unsure whether the intended service provider must provide proof of insurance, contact Risk Management and Insurance.