Q&ALicense Requirements and Big "I" Benefit |
1) Who requires an End User License to use ACORD Forms? Agencies with membership in ACORD Advantage Plus, or some other ACORD membership programs, have an ACORD Forms license included with their membership (contact ACORD for details). Agents accessing ACORD Forms through an agency management system or other authorized software will need to obtain their own End User License directly from ACORD, but will still access ACORD 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.
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3) What is the benefit to Big "I" member agencies? The end-user license cost savings will depend upon the size of the agency. Based on agency size, the savings could be between $20-$2,500 per year.
| 4) How often does the End User License need to be renewed? ACORD requires license holders to renew their license annually. Licenses expire at the end of each calendar year. The renewal process for agencies covered under the Big “I" benefit is extremely fast and simple – essentially one click on the ACORD website. Remember to renew your license toward the end of each year in order to ensure continued access to ACORD Forms
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EUL (End User License)
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5) 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!
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Agency Workflow Impacts
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6) How does this affect my agency workflow? 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 create a free account on acord.org (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 annually.
IN ADDITION, Big "I" general counsel has negotiated license terms with ACORD in order to be most balanced and fair to our agent members.
| 7) 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.
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8) 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 can gain access to ACORD Forms by subscribing 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.
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Big "I" Member Validation
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9) 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.
| 10) 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 (for example, if a new Big "I" member agency that has not yet been entered in our database). For issues like this, first contact ACORD at (800) 444-3341 or MemberServices@acord.org. If ACORD determines the issue is related to our Big "I" membership database, you can then email Logon@iiaba.net, describing the issue.
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11) 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.
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Use of Data
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12) 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.
| 13) Does ACORD use data from the forms I complete for my customers?No, ACORD does not have access to any of the data entered into ACORD Forms through your agency management system.
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Where to Turn with Questions
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