Authority Network America

Authority Network America: Provider Onboarding Process

The provider onboarding process governs how licensed tradespeople, contractors, and service companies enter the Authority Network America ecosystem and become listed across its member verticals. This page describes the structural steps, eligibility thresholds, verification checkpoints, and decision logic that determine whether a provider qualifies for inclusion. The process applies uniformly across all 8 member sites in the network, with vertical-specific licensing requirements layered on top of shared baseline criteria.

Definition and scope

Provider onboarding within Authority Network America is the structured intake and verification sequence that converts a candidate service provider — licensed plumber, HVAC contractor, electrician, general contractor, roofer, or pool professional — into an approved, listed entry within a member site's directory. The process is not a registration form or marketing submission; it is a compliance-gated qualification pathway that cross-checks licensure status, insurance coverage, geographic service area, and business entity standing before any public listing is generated.

The scope of onboarding spans all trade categories covered by the network's member sites, from residential plumbing and electrical to commercial roofing and pool installation. Each vertical operates under the licensing frameworks established by its respective state licensing board and, where applicable, federal occupational standards maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and trade-specific bodies such as the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA).

The provider listing standards that govern eligibility are not uniform across verticals — a master plumber license carries different documentation requirements than a C-10 electrical contractor license in California — but the onboarding mechanism applies the same structural logic regardless of trade category.

How it works

Onboarding proceeds through four sequential stages. Each stage is a gate: a provider cannot advance without satisfying all requirements at the current step.

  1. Initial intake and vertical assignment — The candidate submits business entity details, primary trade classification, and the states or counties where active licensure is held. The system assigns the submission to the relevant member vertical based on trade type.
  2. License verification — Licensing data is cross-referenced against state licensing board databases. The National Contractor Authority maintains aggregated licensing reference data across general contracting classifications in all 50 states, making it the primary cross-reference layer for multi-trade entities. Specialty trades are routed through their corresponding vertical: electrical candidates are validated against the framework maintained by the National Electrical Authority, which covers master electrician, journeyman, and C-10/C-11 contractor classifications.
  3. Insurance and bonding confirmation — Providers must demonstrate active general liability coverage meeting the minimum thresholds specified in the network compliance requirements. Most residential trade verticals require a minimum of $1,000,000 per-occurrence general liability; commercial roofing and pool construction categories require $2,000,000 per-occurrence coverage, consistent with standards published by the Insurance Information Institute.
  4. Geographic and capacity mapping — Approved providers are mapped to service areas using county-level data aligned with the network geographic coverage framework. This step determines which member site directories the provider appears in and at what geographic scope.

A provider operating in HVAC, for example, would be routed through the National HVAC Authority, which documents EPA Section 608 certification requirements, state contractor license classifications, and equipment-type endorsements. A roofing contractor would be evaluated against the standards tracked by the National Roof Authority, which covers both residential and commercial roofing classifications across state licensing jurisdictions.

The distinction between single-vertical and multi-vertical onboarding is structural: a single-vertical provider completes one license verification pathway; a multi-vertical provider (e.g., a licensed plumber who also holds a general contractor license) must satisfy each vertical's requirements independently, even if business entity documentation overlaps.

Common scenarios

Scenario 1 — Licensed specialty contractor, single state. A licensed master plumber operating only in Texas submits credentials through the National Plumbing Authority, which maintains state-by-state plumbing license classifications including Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners requirements. Verification is completed against the state board database; the provider is listed in the Texas service area of the plumbing vertical only.

Scenario 2 — Regional pool and spa contractor. A pool construction company licensed in Florida and Georgia applies through the National Pool Authority, which documents Certified Pool/Spa Inspector (CPSI) requirements alongside state contractor licenses. Because the company operates across 2 states, the geographic mapping step generates 2 separate county-level service area records.

Scenario 3 — Multi-trade general contractor. A construction company holding a general contractor license, an electrical subcontractor classification, and a plumbing subcontractor classification in 3 states initiates the multi-vertical pathway described in the contractor verification framework. Each trade classification is verified independently; the provider appears in 3 separate vertical directories upon full approval.

Decision boundaries

The authority designation explained framework defines three outcome categories at the conclusion of onboarding:

The cross-network referral protocol activates only for Approved providers, enabling a listed plumber or electrician to receive referrals routed from adjacent verticals. Providers in Pending status do not appear in any public directory until documentation gaps are resolved. The network quality benchmarks establish the ongoing re-verification cadence: license status is re-checked at 12-month intervals, and insurance certificates must be renewed annually.

References

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