This document defines what Solvo Index compares for pest control providers, the maximum data tier each criterion can reach, and how each is sourced. It's published ahead of and independent from the comparison data itself, so the rules don't quietly shift page to page as regions are added.
Every criterion below has a maximum tier it can reach, not just a typical one. A ceiling exists wherever the nature of the fact makes a higher tier impossible to source honestly. Service Area, for instance, is capped at Reported: it is inherently the business's own claim about where it operates, and no third-party record makes that Verified or Public. Publishing a ceiling ahead of time is what keeps a future shortcut, like quietly upgrading a self-reported field to look more authoritative, from happening unnoticed.
The Six Criteria
1. Licensing & Credentials (License / Credential)
What
Massachusetts Pesticide Applicator license status, issued by the MA Department of Agricultural Resources, Pesticide Bureau.
Ceiling
PublicReported
Why this ceiling
License status is set by the state, not by a business's own operating system, so it can never be Verified through a data connection. It reaches Public only when independently confirmed against the state record.
Sourcing
State license portal lookup where searchable by company name; otherwise, a provider's own published license number, tagged self-reported (Reported) until independently confirmed.
Known limit
The state's own portal indexes by individual applicator name, not company name, so most providers currently show this field as open rather than sourced.
2. Track Record (Active Customers, Recurring Plan Rate, Avg. Tenure, Years Operating)
What
Operating metrics describing scale and customer retention.
Ceiling
VerifiedPublic
Why this ceiling
Active customers, recurring plan rate, and tenure are never Reported: a self-reported customer count can't be distinguished from an inflated one, so those three fields stay blank until a real system connection exists. Years operating can reach Public via a state record.
Sourcing
Direct read-only connection to the provider's own field service, CRM, or accounting platform (e.g. FieldRoutes, ServiceTitan).
3. Reputation (Google Rating)
What
Aggregate rating and review count.
Ceiling
Public
Why this ceiling
Pulled live from the provider's own public Google Business Profile, a platform Solvo Index doesn't control, so this can never be Reported or Verified, only Public.
Sourcing
Live pull from the provider's Google Business Profile at time of compilation.
4. Certifications
What
Trade credentials such as NPMA membership, QualityPro, or GreenPro.
Ceiling
PublicReported
Why this ceiling
Reaches Public when confirmed against a member directory; otherwise Reported, since it's the provider's own claim.
Sourcing
NPMA or equivalent member directory search; provider's own site where no directory match is found.
5. Service Area
What
Self-declared coverage area.
Ceiling
Reported
Why this ceiling
Inherently the provider's own claim about where it operates. No third-party record makes this Verified or Public.
Sourcing
Provider's own website, in their own words.
6. Pricing
What
Self-declared price range.
Ceiling
Reported
Why this ceiling
Set by the provider, not independently checkable, so it's Reported only, where a provider publishes one at all.
Sourcing
Provider's own published pricing, where available.
What "Open" Means
A blank field on a comparison means Solvo Index could not independently source a claim for that criterion within its tier ceiling, not that the provider lacks the underlying fact. It is not a penalty, and it is not permanent: a business that connects a system or independently confirms a claim gets that field filled in for real.
Refresh Policy
Tier
Cadence
Mechanism
Verified
P7D (weekly)
Automated pull from the connected system
Public
P90D (quarterly)
Manual re-check against the source record
Reported
P90D or on provider request
Provider-submitted update, re-labeled if unconfirmed
Matches the sitewide refresh policy documented in How It Works.
Version History
Version
Date
Change
1.0
2026-08-19
Initial standard published alongside the Boston comparison launch.