Badge methodology

Qualifying threshold

A vendor qualifies when all three conditions hold simultaneously:

1. Breadth score: compliance_score.total is 4 or above (out of 6 possible signals).
2. Mandatory signal: Revenue Integration is confirmed true.
3. Mandatory signal: PAYE Modernisation is confirmed true.

A vendor that scores 4/6 but lacks Revenue integration or PAYE Modernisation does not qualify. The badge is an Irish-tax-compliance credential, not a generic "good software" mark - the two mandatory signals confirm the vendor handles Irish statutory obligations directly.

The six compliance signals

Each signal is a boolean derived from public data - vendor documentation, the CRO register, and our own periodic verification runs. No signal is self-reported without cross-check. Mandatory signals are marked.

Data sources and update cadence

Signal data is populated from three sources, in order of authority:

1. Automated verification cron (weekly, Mondays 09:00 UTC): a Perplexity Sonar web-search pass checks each vendor's live pricing and compliance pages against the stored signals, writing confirmed changes directly to the vendor record. Each vendor record carries a last_verified_at timestamp.
2. CRO enrichment cron (weekly, Mondays 04:00 UTC): the cro_active signal is set from a live query to the CRO public register against the vendor's registered legal entity name.
3. Editorial review: signals that cannot be machine-verified (e.g. Irish bank feed depth) are confirmed by the Vendors.ie editorial team against vendor documentation before being marked true.

Earned not bought - what payment unlocks

Payment (EUR 99 founding listing) unlocks:

• The copy-paste HTML embed snippet for your site
• A PR kit (badge assets, press language)
• A verified, indexed profile on Vendors.ie (noindex lifted, active status set)

Payment does not change any compliance signal, the badge verdict, or the vendor's position in ranked listings. A vendor that does not meet the threshold cannot purchase the badge. A vendor that does meet the threshold earns the badge before any payment occurs - payment only controls whether the embed snippet is visible on the profile page.

Dispute and correction

If you represent a vendor and believe a signal is incorrectly set, use the "Claim this profile" link on your vendor profile to open a review. Provide a source URL (your live integration or compliance page); we update the signal after verification. Corrections apply immediately to the badge and to all Vendors.ie listings - no payment is required to correct data.