How vendors are ranked
Every approved vendor that serves a buying catalog is listed in it. Vendors with a record are ranked, and the vendor at the top is marked Preferred. Churches always buy from whichever vendor they choose.
Preferred status considers each vendor's service record, price, and support for the program. How vendors are ranked
What counts
Each vendor gets a score out of 100 in each catalog:
Service record · up to 50 points
Verified reviews from churches that bought through the program, and the vendor's history under the Vendor Covenant: problems decided against it, and whether it made them right on time.
Price to the church · up to 35 points
The vendor's quoted and awarded prices, item by item, against the other quotes for the same items. The closer to the best quote, the higher the score.
Support for the program · up to 15 points
A vendor may offer United Under God more than the minimum rebate or referral fee in a catalog, often with help from its manufacturers. Offering more counts, but only a little.
When two vendors have the same score, the one with the better service record ranks first.
Fees count, but price counts more
A higher fee only earns credit as far as the vendor's price stays fair, and price is worth more than twice as much as the fee. A vendor that raises its prices to pay a higher fee loses more on price than it gains, so it ranks lower, not higher. The ranking is built so that the church's price comes before the program's income.
Who is ranked
To be ranked, a vendor must have accepted the current Vendor Covenant and must not be on probation, suspended, or revoked under it. A suspended or revoked vendor is not listed at all.
A score shows only once a vendor has a record: at least 3 verified church reviews, or a bid it won. Until then the vendor is listed as “New to the program” and is never placed above a vendor with a record.
Verified reviews only
Only a church that bought through the program can review a vendor. After a job, we send the church contact a private link to say how it went: overall, the quality of the work, whether it was on time, whether the final bill matched the quote, whether they would hire the vendor again, and a few words.
We publish honest reviews, good or bad. A review is hidden only if it is abusive, uses profanity, or shares private information, never for being negative, and every hide is recorded with its reason. A hidden review's ratings still count in the score. A review shows the church's name only if the church chooses; otherwise it says it came from a program church.
What is not ranked
Insurance, health and retirement benefits, banking and loans, payroll and payroll tax, and audit and tax preparation are handled through licensed or qualified providers by introduction. They are not ranked and carry no program fee.
A ranking is not a promise of sales to any vendor, and not a promise to any church about a vendor's work. If a program vendor doesn’t make it right, tell us.