> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://watchmycover.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Verdicts explained

> The five statuses a subcontractor can have, how they are decided, and what each finding shows.

Every subcontractor has one status, decided by the findings from their latest check. There are three verdicts (**Compliant**, **Needs review**, **Non-compliant**) and two further statuses (**Expiring soon**, **No certificate**).

| Status             | What it means                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | What to do                                                                                                          |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Non-compliant**  | At least one definite failure on a mandatory coverage: a coverage missing, a limit short or not stated, a required endorsement not evidenced, a policy expired or not yet in force. Also shown when no requirement template is assigned. | Read the findings. Chasing asks the subcontractor and broker to fix gaps straight away and chases expired policies. |
| **Needs review**   | Nothing has definitely failed, but the certificate cannot settle a question on its own: an endorsement only stated on the certificate, or a certificate issued more than 365 days ago (or dated in the future).                          | Get the endorsement form or a current certificate. Chasing asks for the documents.                                  |
| **Expiring soon**  | Compliant today, with a mandatory policy expiring inside your warning window (30 days unless you change it).                                                                                                                             | Nothing yet; the renewal is chased on the ladder.                                                                   |
| **Compliant**      | Every mandatory coverage is present and in force, every limit meets its minimum, every required endorsement is evidenced by the form, and nothing expires inside the window.                                                             | Nothing.                                                                                                            |
| **No certificate** | A template is assigned but nothing has been recorded.                                                                                                                                                                                    | Record the certificate, or let chasing ask for one.                                                                 |

## How the status is decided

Findings have four severities, shown as badges on the vendor's page:

| Badge             | Severity                                                      | Leads to                                 |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Critical**      | A definite failure on a mandatory coverage                    | **Non-compliant**                        |
| **Cannot verify** | A question the certificate cannot answer                      | **Needs review**                         |
| **Warning**       | A mandatory policy expiring inside the window                 | **Expiring soon**                        |
| **Info**          | Something on an optional coverage, or a coverage not required | Nothing. Not shown on the vendor's page. |

The worst severity wins, in this order: Critical, then Cannot verify, then Warning. So a subcontractor with one short limit and one unverifiable endorsement is **Non-compliant**; fix the limit and they become **Needs review**.

**Needs review** outranks **Expiring soon** because an open question about cover today is more urgent than a date that has not arrived.

## What a finding shows

On the vendor's page, the card **Why this vendor is not cleared** (or **What needs renewing** for an expiring vendor) lists each finding with:

* a sentence saying what is wrong and why, for example "General Liability aggregate limit of \$1,000,000 is below the required \$2,000,000.";
* **Required:** the figure or condition the template asks for;
* **On file:** what the certificate provided.

The sentences are written so they can be forwarded to a broker as they stand. The full list, one per finding type, is in [Every finding explained](/docs/certificates/findings).

When nothing is outstanding, the card reads **Nothing outstanding**: "This vendor satisfies every requirement on their assigned template. They are cleared to work."

## When checks run

A subcontractor is checked again:

* when a certificate is recorded, the vendor is edited, or their template changes;
* when you choose **Re-check** on the vendor's page, or **Re-check all** on the dashboard;
* when a template they use is edited, or you change the time zone or warning window;
* on the hourly sweep, so an expiry takes effect on the day it happens.

Dates are judged by the calendar day in your organization's time zone (**Settings → Organisation** or **Settings → Renewal chasing**). A policy is expired **on** its expiry date: policies run from 12:01 a.m. to 12:01 a.m., so the expiry date itself has no cover.

## Changing the warning window

**Settings → Renewal chasing → Warn me this many days before expiry** sets the window for **Expiring soon**, from 1 to 180 days. The default is 30. Changing it re-checks every subcontractor. It does not change when chase emails are sent; see [How chasing works](/docs/chasing/how-chasing-works).