September 7, 2026
The client already sent the dec pages. Your team still has a blank application to complete. That is a good place for AI to help: move supported facts into a draft, then spend your attention on what has changed and what the source cannot answer.
A declarations page describes an existing policy. It is not a complete answer sheet for a new application. Preparing a useful ACORD draft means preserving that distinction throughout the work.
Choose the destination before extracting the details
Identify the application the receiving market needs, including the form number, edition, and any supplements. Then gather the client documents relevant to that task. A generic extraction of every number in a packet creates more review work than a focused draft.
Use your authorized form provider or the ACORD Forms Portal to confirm access to the forms. ACORD provides a searchable forms service; a PDF found elsewhere is not evidence that it is the edition your market requires.
For a general explanation of reading existing forms, see our ACORD extraction guide. Here, the focus is the next step: deciding which facts belong in the new draft.
Walk through a fictional client file
Imagine a homeowners quoting request for Jordan Whitaker. The current declarations show a property address, the existing term, and a dwelling limit of $625,000. A prior application shows a 2016 roof year. A new email says the roof was replaced but does not give the year.
Here is how the team could organize that information before reviewing a draft:
| Source fact | Use in preparation | What still needs an answer |
|---|---|---|
| Named insured on current dec pages | Candidate applicant information | Confirm the applying person or entity |
| Insured property address | Candidate risk location | Confirm it is the property being quoted |
| Existing policy dates | Context for the current policy | Confirm the requested new term |
| Existing $625,000 dwelling limit | Reference for the review | Confirm the requested coverage and valuation process |
| Roof year in prior application | Historical source fact | Resolve the newer email before using it |
| No occupancy answer in supplied file | Leave unresolved | Obtain a current answer |
This is a fictional review example, not a completed ACORD form or a coverage recommendation. The point is that extracting a value correctly and choosing it for a new application are different decisions.
Keep three piles of information
Supported draft facts: The source provides a clear value relevant to the destination. Carry the source reference with it so the reviewer can check it quickly.
Facts needing confirmation: A value exists, but it is old, conflicts with another document, or may not represent the requested policy. Keep the question visible instead of silently choosing the easiest answer.
Missing answers: The file does not establish the fact. Leave the question unanswered. A blank is different from “no,” zero, or “not applicable.”
This makes a generated draft easier to review. The team can see which work is straightforward copying and which work still requires a conversation.
Use a prompt that preserves the gaps
A practical starting prompt is:
Prepare a draft of the requested ACORD application using these client documents. Reference the source of each important fact. Keep prior-policy terms separate from requested terms. List missing and conflicting answers for my review. Do not supply signatures or guess answers that are absent from the file.
Name the form and intended task when you use it. If the tool cannot produce that form, ask for an organized field summary rather than treating a generic document as the required application.
ACORD also describes AI-driven extraction through Transcriber on its Forms Portal. An extraction capability, from any provider, should be evaluated separately from preparing the destination form and completing its review.
Review the actual output
Open the resulting document. Check applicant identity, locations, dates, requested coverage information, and the unresolved questions against the sources. Inspect repeated schedules and the final page, not only the first screen of a preview.
Confirm the form edition, visible field placement, and any required supplements. Check that long text has not been clipped and that a blank answer has not become an unchecked “no.” Follow your agency's process for confirmation, signatures, and submission.
Download the ACORD draft review worksheet to keep the source, proposed value, and review decision together.
Make the first test look like your agency's day
Bring a clear PDF, a scan, and a packet with one known conflict. Measure preparation and correction time together. Count how many missing or conflicting facts the reviewer identifies, including ones the tool did not flag.
Relay's ACORD generation workflow is a place to evaluate that document-to-draft task. Start with the form and sources your team uses, inspect the result, and confirm what remains before moving into quoting.
Less retyping starts with the documents you already have. Join the Relay waitlist to explore your first application workflow.