ACORD maintains a complete library of industry-specific forms and has typically charged agents, brokers and carriers an annual End User License (EUL) fee for the use of its forms, with licensing renewal required each year.
However, thanks to a Big “I" benefit, members with annual property & casualty gross revenue of less than $50 million receive a complimentary license to use vendor-supplied ACORD forms. And new for this year, once Big “I" members renew their license for 2025, they will be licensed in perpetuity, as long as they remain Big “I" members and the Big “I" maintains this arrangement with ACORD.
This is the time to renew the ACORD Form license for 2025 and beyond. The user licensing agreement can be accessed online.
“This benefit greatly simplifies the process for Big 'I' members, not only providing free access to ACORD forms for qualified agencies but also removing the need to renew their license each year," says Charles Symington, Big “I" president & CEO and a member of the ACORD board of directors. “We are grateful to ACORD for its dedication to the independent agency channel and for its longstanding partnership with the Big 'I.'"
ACORD requires all users of ACORD forms—including agents, brokers, carriers and others—to obtain an ACORD Forms EUL. Currently, most agents access these forms via their agency management systems or other ACORD-authorized third-party forms redistributors.
The Big "I" has negotiated an agreement with ACORD where it will cover the cost of the EUL for eligible agencies accessing ACORD Forms via a management system or redistributor. The result of this agreement is that agencies will not have to pay an EUL fee to ACORD, and agents will experience no disruption in their management system workflow use of ACORD Forms. Agencies only need to execute the EUL with a simple clickthrough acceptance, upon which the Big “I" and ACORD will confirm membership and eligibility.
“Time after time, ACORD's research findings have demonstrated two major themes: that digitalization is the key to superior performance, and that independent agents add material, unquestionable value for carriers and customers alike," said ACORD CEO Bill Pieroni. “Our vision, shared with the Big 'I', is to make digital access to ACORD Forms data as simple and efficient as possible for the independent agent community. We are proud to partner with the Big 'I' to provide this complimentary license."
Alternatively, Big “I" members who do not use vendor-provided forms will receive a discount to access ACORD Forms directly through subscription to the ACORD Advantage Plus Program. Because of this member benefit, the EUL cost savings for qualifying agencies could be up to $6,300. More background on ACORD Forms is available on the ACORD website. For more help, call ACORD directly at 800-444-3341 or email member services.