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Big "I" Members Receive ACORD Forms Licenses

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (Big "I") and ACORD are launching a new Big "I" member benefit. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, Big "I" members with annual P&C gross revenue of less than $50 million will receive a complimentary license to use ACORD forms. *Note: This license requires annual renewal, starting Jan 1 each year - See FAQ #5 below for more information.* On Jan. 1, 2020, ACORD will begin charging all users of ACORD forms an End User License (EUL) fee including agents, brokers, and carriers. Currently, most agents access ACORD forms via their agency management systems or other ACORD-authorized third-party forms redistributors. The Big "I" has negotiated an agreement with ACORD, wherein Big "I" will cover the cost of the End User Licenses when accessing via a management system or redistributor, or provide an EUL discount when accessing directly through ACORD Advantage Plus Program. The result of this agreement is that your agency will not have to pay the End User License fee to ACORD, and agents will experience no change in your management system workflow or use of ACORD forms beginning on Jan. 1, 2020 - with the exception of an initial, and then annual, validation to confirm Big "I" membership. This will be executed via a clickthrough acceptance. NOTE that only one (1) representative per agency will need to obtain a license for each agency. See more detail in item #6 in the FAQ below Independent agencies and brokerages that do not belong to the Big "I" national association, will need to pay EUL fees to ACORD or join the Big "I" to take advantage of this benefit and so much more! For more help, call ACORD directly at 845-620-1700. Click to enlarge. For background on the various ACORD programs and licensing information, please see www.acord.org/forms-faq. Q&A:
Changes and Big "I" Benefit 1) What has changed with ACORD form and agent access? ACORD has maintained a complete library of industry-specific forms for almost 50 years and beginning Jan. 1, 2020 it will implement a new fee structure for End User Licenses ('EUL'). Previously, the license fees were built into management system fees for both forms and end-user licenses. The change beginning Jan 1, 2020, is that agents will need to obtain their own license directly from ACORD, but will still access forms via their management system provider. 2) How does this affect Big "I" member agencies? The Big "I" has worked to ensure that our members will not incur EUL fees when accessing necessary ACORD forms. All Big "I" members with less than $50 million in P&C revenue will receive a Forms End User License free of charge as part of their Big "I" membership. NOTE: The $50 million annual revenue threshold does not include non-P&C revenue such as from Benefits and other lines of business. 3) What is the benefit to Big "I" member agencies? The end-user license cost savings will depend upon the size of the agency - significantly less for small agencies. Based on agency size, the savings could be between $20-$2,500. EUL (End User License) 4) What is the EUL and what does it mean to me? This is, in essence, similar other click-through agreements you access for software and online interaction. In this case, ACORD is enacting an End User License to ensure you understand conditions such as ACORD Forms being ACORD intellectual property, rights to use, and other conditions. The great news is that our Big "I" general counsel has reviewed this EUL and worked with ACORD to ensure the conditions are not onerous on you as a Big "I" member agent! Agency Workflow Impacts 5) How does this affect my current agency workflow? After January 1, agents may be directed by their management system provider to navigate to the ACORD Forms License website (https://www.acord.org/FormsLicense). Agents will then need to register as a site visitor (if they are not already registered) and use a very short process to validate they are a covered Big "I" agent. Once that is completed, the agency rep goes back into your management system workflow to begin accessing forms. NOTE: This initial validation to obtain a license will need to be done once after January 1, and then annually. IN ADDITION, Big "I" general counsel has obtained the End User License and has negotiated changes with ACORD in order to be most balanced and fair to our agent members. 6) Does everyone in my agency need to navigate to the ACORD Forms License site to obtain a license? ACORD confirms that qualifying agencies should obtain the license at the company level - this means one license for each agency corporate entity, so only one person from each agency company (i.e. with the same agency corporate name) would need to sign in to the ACORD Forms License website (https://www.acord.org/FormsLicense) and obtain a license for your agency name. For agencies named differently under one agency parent, each agency name will have to obtain a license. SCENARIOS: Multiple Locations/Different Names = Each needs its own license. But remember, only one person needs to get the license for each location/name. Multiple Locations/Same Name = Only one (1) license is needed. Again, only one (1) person needs to get a license to cover all in this scenario. Multiple Locations/Different AMS = Each needs its own license. But remember, only one person needs to get the license for each management system under the overall agency name.	7) What if I don't use a management system, my management system doesn't have the specific form I need, or I don't use another authorized forms redistributor? In these scenarios, agents will need to subscribe to one of two ACORD fee-bearing programs based on agency revenue: ACORD Advantage Plus: This is for agencies with less than $1 million in annual P&C revenue. Big "I" member agents will get a $20 discount to offset the EUL cost. The Advantage Plus program covers the licenses and forms access for one agency location. ACORD Agent & Broker Redistribution Program: This is for agencies with over $1 million in annual group gross revenue. Fees for this program are based on agency annual revenue. The Big "I" does not cover a discount for this program. For both programs, more information can be accessed at acord.org/forms. Big "I" Member Validation 8) How will ACORD know that I am a qualifying Big "I" member agency? The Big "I" has worked with ACORD to identify all Big "I" member agencies under $50 million in annual P&C revenue. This validation will be transparent to agency users. We will share the absolute minimum information possible. NOTE: Information shared does not include any PII (Personally Identifiable Information), so agencies do not have to worry about exposure nor third-party data compliance for any cyber programs. In addition, Big "I" member agencies covered under this agreement will not have to supply financial statements to ACORD to confirm their annual revenue. 9) What if ACORD does not recognize my agency as a qualifying Big"I" member during the validation process? We are working to ensure we identify all qualifying members as accurately as possible. However, there could be circumstances where this could happen, like a new Big "I" member agency that has not yet been entered in our database, etc. For issues like this, first contact ACORD (845-620-1700). If ACORD determines the issue is related to our Big "I" membership database, you can then email Logon@iiaba.net, describing the issue. 10) What if I am not yet a Big "I" member? It's not too late to take advantage of this benefit by joining your Big "I" state association. Click HERE to see a US map and link to your state association. Use of Data 11) Will ACORD measure usage, restrict access, or require reporting from agencies? For the Big "I" vendor-supplied forms agreement, ACORD intends to use Big "I" data. For non-Big "I" agencies that want a license to use ACORD Forms through an AMS or another third-party system or access ACORD Forms directly, ACORD will work with prospective participants on determining the proper Forms program. Where possible, ACORD uses publicly-available financial information to identify the proper revenue tier. 12) Does ACORD user data from the forms I complete for my customers? No, ACORD will not copy or use individual data from off their forms.
Where to Turn with Questions 13) What if I have questions or need further help? More background on ACORD Forms is available at www.acord.org/forms, and members can also call ACORD directly at 845-620-1700.