nFACT vs. Field Nation: Subcontractor relationships, not gig work orders.
Field Nation built the leading marketplace for one-off IT field service work orders. It's a different model than nFACT. If you need a tech at a site tomorrow for a break-fix, Field Nation solves that. If you need an ongoing subcontractor company to trust with recurring installations, compliance, and performance over years, you need something different. Here is how they compare.
nFACT
Field Nation
The two platforms solve fundamentally different problems.
Field Nation is transactional. You post a work order, a tech picks it up, the work gets done, the tech gets paid. nFACT is relational. You build a network of verified subcontractor companies, onboard them into a private network, and manage performance over time. The choice depends on what you're actually trying to accomplish.
| Dimension | nFACT | Field Nation |
|---|---|---|
| Core Model | ||
| What you're hiring | Subcontractor companies with business credentials, insurance, and crews documented in one profile | Independent 1099 technicians picking up individual work orders |
| Relationship type | Ongoing, relationship-based subcontracting with private network management | Per-work-order gig transactions; relationships build over repeat work |
| Best use case | "We need trusted subs for recurring commercial installations across our footprint" | "We need a tech at this site tomorrow for a break-fix call" |
| Workforce Model | ||
| Network composition | 24,350+ subcontractor companies with full crews, licenses, and insurance | 20,000+ independent technicians working as 1099 contractors |
| Trade coverage | 21 commercial trade categories including fire/life safety, HVAC, civil works, elevator controls, guard services | Primarily IT, A/V, low-voltage, networking, and similar tech skillsets |
| Scope of work | Full installations, multi-day projects, ongoing service contracts, system integration | Discrete work orders, typically measured in hours or single-day visits |
| Verification Approach | ||
| What's verified | Business credentials, GL insurance, workers' comp, state licenses, DBE, cyber policy, employment policy | Individual tech skill assessments, ratings, completed work history |
| Compliance depth | Two tiers (SP Verified, nFACT Certified) signaling profile completeness, with annual re-submission | Platform-level vetting; compliance not the primary focus |
| Cost Model | ||
| Provider fees | Completely free. Providers never pay. | 10% of each work order value, taken from the technician's payout |
| Buyer fees | Tiered enterprise subscription based on linked provider network size | Tiered subscription plans (Standard, Plus, Premier) plus per-work-order costs |
Three reasons commercial trade buyers choose nFACT over Field Nation.
You can't subcontract a multi-day fire alarm install to a 1099 tech.
Commercial trade work isn't a break-fix visit. A fire alarm installation needs a licensed contractor with a crew, proper insurance, NFPA certification, permit authority, and the ability to pull in specialty sub-trades. A commercial HVAC retrofit needs a company that can mobilize a team for 3 weeks, not a tech who showed up with a laptop. Field Nation's model works for "send someone to install a router." It breaks for actual commercial construction.
Field Nation
Individual technicians operating as 1099 contractors. Best for discrete work orders where a single person can complete the job in hours or a day.nFACT
Subcontractor companies with crews, licenses, bonding capacity, and the corporate infrastructure to deliver multi-day commercial projects.Commercial trades need business-level compliance, not individual skill tags.
When a systems integrator subcontracts to a fire/life safety company, the compliance surface is a business surface: commercial general liability, workers' comp, state contractor licenses, DBE certification, EIN and tax documentation, cyber policy for network-connected installations, employment policies for the technicians being sent to customer sites. Individual tech ratings don't address any of this. Most commercial trade customers won't permit non-licensed companies on site, period.
Field Nation
Tech-level vetting through skills, ratings, and work history. Appropriate for on-demand IT work, not for commercial subcontractor compliance documentation.nFACT
Business-level documentation covering insurance, licensing, safety, cyber, and employment. The paperwork commercial buyers actually need to authorize a sub on site.Private Network vs. public marketplace.
When your integrator finds a great fire alarm sub who crushes a project, you want to link them into your network, score their performance, and use them again across your footprint without your competitors seeing the relationship. Field Nation's marketplace is public by design — any buyer can reach any tech who's available. nFACT's Private Network architecture treats your subcontractor relationships as the competitive asset they are.
Field Nation
Open marketplace. Same techs available to every buyer. Relationships form through repeat work, but the marketplace itself is shared.nFACT
Private Network keeps your subcontractor roster, performance history, and scorecards invisible to other buyers on the platform.What Field Nation takes from each tech's work order.
It's their transparent, public pricing. nFACT doesn't take a percentage of anything subs earn. Our revenue comes from enterprise buyer subscriptions, not from taxing the providers doing the work.
Field Nation is best in class for what it does.
If your need is dispatch-style, work-order-based, individual technician coverage across the US, Field Nation has 20,000+ techs, 1 million+ work orders per year, and a mature operational platform. They built it well. It just isn't the same problem as verified commercial subcontractor management.
Common questions from buyers comparing both.
See how nFACT works for commercial subcontractor programs.
A 20-minute demo walks through the platform with your trade categories and your geography.