Cooper becomes an Applied Certified Partner, with Epic connectivity included

What happened

On September 28, 2026, Cooper announced it is now an Applied Certified Partner for agencies and brokerages on Applied Epic. Cooper sells an AI tool for retail agencies, wholesale brokers, MGAs, insurers and claims TPAs. Applied’s partner directory lists Cooper with that description.

According to Cooper’s post, Applied reviewed Cooper’s integration and data handling under its Vendor Certification Program. Cooper says it gets access to current Epic releases and works directly with Applied to keep the connection stable when Epic changes. Cooper also says Epic connectivity is included: no separate Applied API purchase and no custom integration. Most customers sign one contract with Applied, and Cooper handles the setup. Existing Cooper customers on Epic can move to the certified connection.

Cooper describes the Epic work this way. It reads documents, completes applications and online carrier raters, prepares proposals and coverage comparisons, and handles renewals and endorsements. It then writes supported updates back to Epic. Epic stays the system of record, and staff review Cooper’s output.

Applied launched the certification program on August 12, 2026. Its release said certified vendors pass an onboarding and certification process before reaching agencies, and that switching on a certified integration requires no extra purchase from Applied. The first group named was Ascend, Adapt, Coverflow, Fulcrum, Inteveo EcoLink, Lightspeed, Outmarket, Quandri, RecordLinker, Sonant and Xilo. Cooper was not in that first list.

Why it matters for agencies

In our view, the certification program matters more than any single vendor joining it. For Epic agencies, the hardest part of adding an AI tool has often been the integration: who pays for API access, who maintains it, and what happens after an Epic upgrade. Certification answers the first two and says the vendor commits to keeping up with releases.

What certification doesn’t tell you is how well a tool does the work. It covers the connection and data handling, not the accuracy of a filled ACORD form or a carrier portal entry.

Cooper’s homepage also lists AMS360, HawkSoft and EZLynx as systems it works with. Its post doesn’t say whether those connections have a similar vendor review.

What to do

• Epic agencies evaluating Cooper: ask which Epic objects it writes back to (activities, attachments, policies, contacts) and which it only reads.
• Ask what the “one contract from Applied” covers, and whether it carries any fee on your Applied invoice.
• Ask for a trial on your own files. Track how many fields staff correct on applications and rater entries.
• Already using another certified vendor? The program lets you compare AI tools on equal integration terms, so put them side by side on the same accounts.