Verification standards
This page is generated from the same configuration the verification engine uses, so it always matches what we actually check. Every change is versioned and logged.
Levels and checks
A contractor holds a level when every required check at that level and below is verified and current. Optional checks show on the profile but don’t gate the badge. Each check has exactly one status: not started, submitted, in review, verified, rejected (with the reason and how to fix it), expiring (within 30 days), expired, flagged, or waived (client-specific only).
Level 1: Identity Verified
Typical turnaround: MinutesLegal entity in good standing, EIN matches the name, owner ID and selfie check, business address.
| Check | Pass rule | Data source | Re-check | For the badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entity good standing | Registered status is active with the Secretary of State | Secretary of State | Quarterly | Required |
| EIN / TIN match | Legal name and EIN match IRS records | IRS TIN matching via provider | On change | Required |
| Owner identity | Government ID and liveness check pass | ID verification provider | Once, and again if the owner changes | Required |
| W-9 | W-9 on file and matches the EIN | Upload | Annually | Required |
Level 2: Licensed & Insured
Typical turnaround: 1-5 business daysTrade licenses active for each state, general liability, workers' comp, auto and umbrella at platform minimums.
| Check | Pass rule | Data source | Re-check | For the badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade license | Active, not suspended, correct classification for each listed trade | State/city board API | Every 30 days, plus 30 days before expiry | Required |
| Disciplinary actions | No open disciplinary actions in 3 years (flagged otherwise) | License board | Monthly | Optional |
| General liability | Meets the platform minimum and each client's own rule | COI + broker confirm | Reminders 30/14/7/1 days before expiry; re-verified on renewal | Required |
| Workers' comp | Active policy or valid state exemption | COI or state exemption form | Reminders 30/14/7/1 days before expiry; re-verified on renewal | Required |
| Auto liability | Active policy when the trade uses vehicles | COI | Reminders 30/14/7/1 days before expiry; re-verified on renewal | Required |
| Umbrella / excess | Optional; shown when present | COI | Reminders 30/14/7/1 days before expiry; re-verified on renewal | Optional |
| Professional / E&O | Optional; shown when present | COI | Reminders 30/14/7/1 days before expiry; re-verified on renewal | Optional |
| Bonding capacity | Optional; shows bonding capacity | Surety letter | Annually | Optional |
| Diversity certification | Valid certificate from the certifier | Upload + certifier lookup | Per certificate expiry | Optional |
| Worker certification | Valid certificate held by the named worker | Upload per worker | Per certificate expiry | Optional |
| Manufacturer dealer / partner status | Listed on the manufacturer's dealer locator or confirmed by letter | Dealer locator + letter | Per certificate expiry | Optional |
Level 3: Safety & Financial Reviewed
Typical turnaround: 3-7 business daysOSHA 300/300A logs, TRIR and DART, EMR, written safety programs, citations, credit, liens and sanctions.
| Check | Pass rule | Data source | Re-check | For the badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA recordables (300/300A) | TRIR and DART computed and compared with the industry average for the NAICS code | 300/300A upload | Annually | Required |
| Experience modification rate (EMR) | Up to 1.0 is good, 1.0 to 1.25 is caution, over 1.25 is flagged | Insurer/NCCI letter | Annually | Required |
| OSHA citations | Willful or repeat citation in 3 years is flagged; a fatality is a severe flag | OSHA enforcement data | Monthly | Required |
| Written safety programs | Written programs required by the listed trades are present (e.g. fall protection, LOTO, HazCom) | Written program upload | Annually | Required |
| Financial health | Business credit above threshold; no bankruptcy in 5 years | Business credit provider | Quarterly | Required |
| Litigation / liens | No open judgments over threshold | Court and lien data | Quarterly | Optional |
| Sanctions / exclusions (OFAC, SAM.gov) | No match on OFAC or SAM.gov exclusion lists | OFAC, SAM.gov | Weekly | Required |
| Adverse media | No confirmed serious events | News monitoring provider | Weekly | Optional |
| Client references | 2 or more positive responses from 3 client references | 3 client references via platform form | Once at onboarding | Required |
Level 4: Audited
Typical turnaround: Scheduled, 2-4 weeksAn auditor visits a live job: training records, PPE, equipment, housekeeping, hazard controls, and private interviews with 3 or more workers.
| Check | Pass rule | Data source | Re-check | For the badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site audit | Auditor visit with standard checklist; badge valid 24 months | Platform auditor network | Every 24 months | Optional |
If a data source is unavailable we show “Source unavailable, last checked” with the date instead of guessing a status. Documents go through virus scanning and tamper checks. AI extraction with high confidence is auto-verified and 10% of those are sampled for analyst review; everything else goes to an analyst.
How the Trust Score is calculated
The Trust Score (0-100) is a weighted sum of five sub-scores. It’s separate from a company’s own Fit Status and from the star rating; we never blend them on screen. Current weights are version 1, in effect since November 3, 2026. Every stored score records the weights version used.
25%
Compliance
Share of required checks verified and current; penalties for expired items and days lapsed in the last 12 months.
25%
Safety
TRIR and DART against the NAICS average, EMR, citations weighted by severity, safety programs present, and the L4 audit score if any.
15%
Financial
Business credit band, years in business, liens and judgments, bonding capacity.
25%
Performance
Bayesian-adjusted average of verified review dimensions, on-time rate and rehire rate.
10%
Responsiveness
Median response time to requests, bid response rate and on-time document renewals.
Rules applied to everyone
- “Not yet rated” shows until Level 2 is complete. A “Limited data” label shows with fewer than 3 reviews.
- An expired license or insurance policy caps the grade at D until it’s fixed.
- An open sanctions match sets the grade to F and hides the contractor from search.
- A fatality citation in the last 3 years caps the grade at C pending analyst review.
- Ratings use a Bayesian average weighted as 5 reviews at the platform mean, so one review can’t dominate.
- Scores recompute whenever an input changes and nightly. Each profile shows the top factors raising and lowering the score in plain language.
- No paid product changes a score, ranking, review visibility or badge.
What each grade means
- A90-100Strong across compliance, safety and performance, with current documents.
- B80-89Solid. A few areas below the top band, or limited history.
- C70-79Meets basics with notable gaps. Read the factors before hiring for high-risk work.
- D60-69Significant gaps, or capped because a license or insurance policy expired.
- Funder 60Serious issues, such as an open sanctions match. Hidden from search.
Worker and company certifications
Every certification belongs to a person, not just the company, and rolls up on the profile (for example “7 CTS, 2 CTS-D, 3 Crestron Certified Programmers”). Self-reported certifications without proof show as “Claimed” and are never shown as verified. If the same certificate number appears under two companies we ask the worker which employer is current.
AVIXA
- CTSHolder ID + certificate upload; issuer lookup. Renews every 3 years
- CTS-D (Design)Holder ID + certificate upload; issuer lookup. Renews every 3 years
- CTS-I (Installation)Holder ID + certificate upload; issuer lookup. Renews every 3 years
Crestron
- Crestron Certified ProgrammerCertificate upload + training transcript
- Crestron Masters Programmer (Silver)Certificate upload + training transcript
- Crestron Masters Programmer (Gold)Certificate upload + training transcript
- Crestron Masters Programmer (Platinum)Certificate upload + training transcript
- Crestron Certified Technology ArchitectCertificate upload
- DigitalMedia / DM NVX technicalCertificate upload
- Crestron Flex technicalCertificate upload
Q-SYS
- Q-SYS Level OneTraining-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS Level TwoTraining-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS Control 101Training-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS Control 201Training-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS Video 101Training-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS QuantumTraining-portal certificate upload
- Q-SYS ArchitectTraining-portal certificate upload
Extron
- Extron AV AssociateCertificate upload
- Extron Control Specialist (ECS)Certificate upload
- Extron Control Professional (ECP)Certificate upload
- Extron Authorized ProgrammerCertificate upload
- Extron Network AV SpecialistCertificate upload
- Extron ProDSP SpecialistCertificate upload
- Extron XTP Systems TechnicianCertificate upload
Audinate
- Dante Certification Level 1Certificate upload
- Dante Certification Level 2Certificate upload
- Dante Certification Level 3Certificate upload
Biamp
- Biamp Tesira certificationCertificate upload
Shure
- Shure product certificationCertificate upload
Microsoft
- Microsoft Teams Rooms deploymentCertificate or partner listing link
Zoom
- Zoom Rooms deploymentCertificate or partner listing link
ETCP
- ETCP Certified Rigger (Arena)Certificate upload + ETCP lookup. Renews every 5 years
- ETCP Certified Rigger (Theatre)Certificate upload + ETCP lookup. Renews every 5 years
- ETCP Entertainment ElectricianCertificate upload + ETCP lookup. Renews every 5 years
PMI
- PMPCertificate upload. Renews every 3 years
BICSI
- BICSI Installer 1Certificate upload + BICSI lookup. Renews every 3 years
- BICSI Installer 2 (Copper / Fiber)Certificate upload + BICSI lookup. Renews every 3 years
- BICSI TechnicianCertificate upload + BICSI lookup. Renews every 3 years
- RCDDCertificate upload + BICSI lookup. Renews every 3 years
- DCDCCertificate upload + BICSI lookup. Renews every 3 years
CompTIA
- Network+Credly or verification code. Renews every 3 years
- Security+Credly or verification code. Renews every 3 years
Cisco
- CCNACredly or verification code. Renews every 3 years
OSHA
- OSHA 10Card upload
- OSHA 30Card upload
Safety
- Aerial and scissor lift (MEWP)Card upload. Renews every 5 years
- NFPA 70ECard upload. Renews every 3 years
- First aid / CPRCard upload. Renews every 2 years
How reviews are verified
- Only a company with a verified engagement can review: a job created on the platform and marked complete by both sides, or a PO or invoice that an analyst or AI matched to the contractor.
- One review per engagement, editable for 90 days.
- Reviews rate quality, safety, schedule, budget, communication, cleanliness and closeout documentation, plus AV-specific dimensions like programming stability, commissioning and source-code handover.
- We block reviews from companies that share owners, emails, IP addresses or payment methods with the contractor, and screen for velocity, copied text, profanity, personal data and threats.
- Reviewers appear by company type and role by default (for example “Facilities Manager, Healthcare, 500+ employees”).
- Negative reviews are never hidden for payment, in line with the FTC rule on fake reviews and review suppression.
Disputes
- Contractors can see every input to their score and report a data error against a specific input from their Score page. An analyst responds and corrects the record if it’s wrong.
- Contractors can respond publicly to any review once, message the reviewer privately, and dispute with a reason: not our job, factual error, harassment, or conflict of interest.
- Disputed reviews stay visible labeled “Under review” unless they break the content policy. A moderator decides within 10 business days and both sides are told the outcome.
- Anyone can raise a concern through our contact form. Read the full review and content policy.