Authority Industries Directory: Data Sources and Methodology

The Authority Industries Directory draws on structured, publicly verifiable data to classify and present commercial service providers operating across the United States. This page explains the specific sources used to populate directory records, the methodology applied to organize and evaluate that data, and the criteria that determine how a provider or category is included, weighted, or excluded. Understanding the data foundation is essential for any organization using directory outputs to support procurement, compliance research, or market analysis.

Definition and scope

Directory data methodology refers to the documented process by which a reference resource identifies, collects, validates, and organizes information about the entities it covers. For the Authority Industries Directory, this means a structured framework applied consistently across all commercial service classifications to ensure that listings reflect real, licensable, and operationally active providers rather than self-reported or unverified entries.

The scope of this methodology extends across all sectors covered in the commercial services industry classifications framework, from facilities management and logistics to professional services and specialized trade work. National coverage requires reconciling data from more than 50 distinct state licensing and regulatory environments, each of which may define provider categories, license types, and enforcement thresholds differently (National Conference of State Legislatures, Occupational Licensing).

Data sources fall into two broad categories: primary sources, which originate directly from government agencies and regulatory bodies, and secondary sources, which aggregate or interpret primary data. Primary sources carry higher evidentiary weight in every classification decision.

How it works

The methodology operates through a five-stage pipeline:

Source identification — Relevant licensing databases, court records, federal contractor registries, and state-level business registrations are catalogued. Federal sources include the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) for contractor records and the U.S. Small Business Administration's size standards data (SBA Size Standards).
Record acquisition — Data is drawn from official APIs, bulk data exports, and publicly accessible regulatory portals. No data is sourced from paywalled commercial aggregators without a corresponding public verification pathway.
Normalization — Provider names, license numbers, and classification codes are standardized against the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS provides 1,012 industry classifications across 20 sectors, enabling consistent cross-state comparisons.
Validation — Each record is cross-referenced against at least one independent public source to confirm active status. License expirations, disciplinary actions, and debarment records from the System for Award Management Exclusions list are checked against every provider in regulated categories.
Classification assignment — Validated providers are mapped to directory categories using the criteria described in authority industries credentialing criteria. Providers that do not satisfy licensing thresholds for their stated category are flagged or reclassified.

A key contrast exists between static directory models and dynamic methodology models. Static directories populate records at a fixed point in time and do not systematically update for license lapses or regulatory changes. This methodology employs a dynamic review cycle, where licensing status, disciplinary records, and classification accuracy are reassessed on a scheduled basis as described in the Authority Industries update and review cycle.

Common scenarios

Three situations illustrate how the methodology operates in practice.

Cross-state licensing discrepancies — A commercial electrical contractor licensed in Texas may hold a master electrician credential governed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), while the equivalent credential in California is administered by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). The methodology maps both to the same NAICS code (238210 — Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors) while preserving the state-specific license designation in the provider record.

Federal contractor status — Providers registered in SAM.gov with an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are eligible for federal procurement consideration. The directory records UEI status separately from state licensing, since federal registration does not substitute for state-level trade licensing requirements.

Specialty sector classification — Providers operating in commercial services specialty sectors — such as hazardous materials handling or healthcare facility maintenance — must satisfy additional regulatory requirements beyond standard business registration. These records are cross-checked against EPA, OSHA, and relevant state environmental agency databases before specialty classification is applied.

Decision boundaries

Not all provider data that exists in public records qualifies for inclusion. The following decision rules govern inclusion and exclusion:

A provider must hold a valid, non-expired license in at least one jurisdiction where services are actively offered.
Records showing active debarment from federal contracting through SAM.gov Exclusions are excluded from directory listings until debarment status resolves.
Providers whose primary NAICS code falls outside the commercial services scope defined in b2b commercial services categories are excluded regardless of licensing status.
Classification is determined by the provider's primary operational activity, not by self-reported service descriptions. Where NAICS primary codes conflict with licensing category, the licensing category governs.
Residential-only service providers, as distinguished by the criteria in commercial vs residential services distinctions, are excluded from the commercial directory regardless of license type.

Data that is publicly available but unverifiable against a second independent source is held in a provisional status and does not appear in active listings until verification is complete.

Authority Industries Directory: Data Sources and Methodology

Definition and scope

How it works

Common scenarios

Decision boundaries

References

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