Vendor Verification

Muin’s Vendor Verification agent automatically checks vendor credentials against authoritative sources. Verify business registration, tax status, insurance coverage, and compliance—reducing manual due diligence from hours to minutes.

Why Verify Vendors?

Manual vendor verification is:

• Time-consuming - Hours of research per vendor
• Error-prone - Easy to miss outdated information
• Inconsistent - Different people check different things
• Hard to track - No central record of what was verified

Automated verification ensures:

• Consistent checks - Same process for every vendor
• Up-to-date data - Direct source verification
• Complete records - Full audit trail
• Continuous monitoring - Re-verify on schedule

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Verification Checks

Business Registration

Confirms the vendor is a legitimate registered business:

Check	Source	What’s Verified
State registration	Secretary of State	Business exists, status active
Entity type	State records	LLC, Corp, Sole Prop, etc.
Registration date	State records	When business was formed
Registered agent	State records	Legal contact on file

SAM.gov Status

For vendors doing government work:

Check	What’s Verified
SAM registration	Active registration in SAM.gov
CAGE code	Valid CAGE/NCAGE code
Exclusions	Not on exclusion list
Entity status	Current and active

Tax Identification (TIN)

Verifies tax information:

Check	What’s Verified
TIN format	Valid EIN or SSN format
TIN match	Name matches IRS records
1099 readiness	Can receive 1099 forms

Insurance Coverage

Confirms vendor has required insurance:

Check	What’s Verified
Policy active	Coverage currently in force
Coverage amounts	Meets your requirements
Expiration date	When coverage ends
Certificate holder	Your company listed if required

OFAC Screening

Checks against sanctions lists:

Check	What’s Verified
SDN list	Not on Specially Designated Nationals list
Entity matches	No matches to sanctioned entities
Country sanctions	Not in sanctioned jurisdiction

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Running Verification

From Vendor Detail Page

1. Navigate to Vendors → Directory
2. Click on a vendor to open their profile
3. Find the Verification Summary card in the sidebar
4. Click Start Verification
5. Select which checks to run (or keep all selected)
6. Click Start Verification

What Happens During Verification

Start → Queue → Execute → Analyze → Report
  │       │        │         │         │
Submit  Added   Run each   Review   Update
 checks  to     check      results  status
        queue

1. Checks queued - Selected checks added to processing queue
2. Execute - Each check runs against authoritative source
3. Analyze - Results compared to requirements
4. Report - Summary generated with pass/fail status

Verification Progress

While verification runs:

• Status shows “In Progress”
• Individual check statuses update as they complete
• You can navigate away—verification continues in background
• Notification when complete

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Understanding Results

Verification Status

Status	Meaning	Action
✅ Verified	All checks passed	No action needed
⚠️ Partial	Some checks passed, some failed	Review failed checks
❌ Failed	Critical checks failed	Investigate before using vendor
⏳ Pending	Verification in progress	Wait for completion
❓ Unknown	Never verified	Run verification

Individual Check Results

Each check shows:

• Pass/Fail status
• Details of what was found
• Source where data came from
• Timestamp when checked
• Confidence level of result

Verification Summary Card

The summary card on vendor profiles shows:

• Overall verification status
• Last verification date
• Quick summary of each check type
• Button to start new verification
• Link to full verification history

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Verification History

Viewing History

1. From vendor profile, click View Details in Verification Summary
2. Or navigate to vendor → Verification tab

History Shows

• All past verification runs
• Date and time of each run
• Who initiated the verification
• Results of each check
• Any changes from previous runs

Comparing Results

Track changes over time:

• See when status changed
• Identify what failed that previously passed
• Monitor for compliance gaps

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Configuring Verification

Default Check Selection

Set which checks run by default:

1. Navigate to Settings → Vendors → Verification
2. Enable/disable check types
3. Set required vs. optional checks
4. Save configuration

Verification Requirements

Define what vendors must pass:

Setting	Description
Required checks	Checks that must pass for “Verified” status
Optional checks	Run but don’t affect overall status
Blocking checks	Failures prevent vendor activation

Automatic Re-verification

Schedule periodic re-checks:

• Frequency - Monthly, quarterly, annually
• Trigger events - Re-verify when documents expire
• Notifications - Alert when status changes

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Verification Workflows

New Vendor Onboarding

Integrate verification into onboarding:

1. Vendor submits information
2. Automatic verification triggered
3. Results reviewed by procurement
4. Vendor approved or flagged for follow-up

Periodic Re-verification

Keep vendor data current:

1. Schedule runs automatically (e.g., quarterly)
2. Only vendors due for re-verification are checked
3. Changed statuses flagged for review
4. Compliance dashboard updated

Document Expiration Triggers

Re-verify when documents expire:

1. Insurance certificate expires
2. Verification automatically runs insurance check
3. If failed, vendor status updated
4. Notification sent to appropriate team

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Best Practices

Before Verification

1. Ensure data quality - Verify vendor name and TIN are correct
2. Have documents ready - Insurance certs, W-9 on file
3. Set expectations - Some checks take longer than others

Interpreting Results

1. Investigate failures - Don’t auto-reject, understand why
2. Consider context - New business may lack history
3. Document decisions - Record why you accepted/rejected

Ongoing Management

1. Schedule re-verification - Don’t rely on one-time checks
2. Monitor expirations - Insurance and licenses expire
3. Review periodically - Adjust thresholds based on experience

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Troubleshooting

Verification Taking Too Long

Some checks take longer:

• SAM.gov can be slow during peak times
• State registrations vary by state
• Try running fewer checks at once

Check Failed Unexpectedly

Common causes:

• Name mismatch - Legal name differs from display name
• TIN error - Typo in tax ID
• Stale data - Information changed since last check

Cannot Find Vendor

If business registration check fails:

• Verify the exact legal name
• Check the state of incorporation
• Business may be registered under different name

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API Access

Programmatic Verification

For integrations, use the verification API:

POST /api/v1/vendors/{vendor_id}/verifications
{
  "check_types": ["business_registration", "tin_verification"]
}

Webhook Notifications

Receive notifications when verification completes:

{
  "event": "vendor.verification.completed",
  "vendor_id": "...",
  "status": "verified",
  "checks": [...]
}

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Next Steps

Now that you understand vendor verification:

• Vendor Directory - Managing your vendor list
• Compliance Tracking - Document requirements
• Risk Scoring - Understanding vendor risk