How CharterTrades vets the GCs you bid for.

We publish the numbers first, the methodology second. If the numbers shift, we publish that too. No back-channel deals, no founder's-friend exceptions.

284

GCs reviewed, lifetime

171

Currently approved

Removed in last 12 months

22 days

Median pay-app to funds

The approval funnel

Lifetime, since 2023

Applied348 · 100%
Passed initial screen284 · 82%
Cleared reference calls198 · 57%
Approved & active171 · 49%

Distribution

Days from approved pay-app to funds in sub's account.

Across all approved GCs, weighted by pay-app count. Q1 2026. Lower bands trend toward the Net-15 guarantee window.

≤ 15 days
41%
16 – 30 days
38%
31 – 45 days
14%
46 – 60 days
5%
> 60 days
2%

This quarter, in detail

Q1 2026

Approved pay-app volume: $84.2M
Net-15 advances triggered: 11
Recovered from GCs: 100%
Substantiated sub flags: 4

Methodology

The four checks the numbers above were produced from.

Check 01

Lien history, last five years.

Public records across every state the GC has operated in. A clean record isn't required — a pattern of unresolved disputes is.

Check 02

Payment cadence on prior jobs.

Six anonymized prior subs interviewed. Median and worst-case days to pay reported.

Check 03

Change-order ratio.

Approved COs ÷ original subcontract value, across ≥4 completed projects. Above 18% triggers follow-up.

Check 04

Sub references, named.

Three supplied, three we pick from public rosters. We talk to all six.

See something?

Any sub can flag a GC, anytime.

Write vetting@mortar.build. Reviewed in five business days. Three flags trigger interim re-vetting. Your identity is never shared with the GC.

Past reports, raw data.

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