ConsultantRegistry.Org members are categorized as Registered Consultants, Certified Consultants and Project Holders.

• Consultants are subject matter experts within the communications, IT & security industries.
• Project Holders are commercial or government entities who have temporary need for a subject matter expert.

All members are required to register a confidential profile on CRO. Consultant members pay membership fees based on their profile type. Project Holder profiles are free, however a small transaction for $10 is debited and then immediately credited to validate the profile. Registered Consultant and Project Holder profiles are immediately active based on successful payment and email validation.

Certified Consultant Profiles initially follow the same immediate activation process and capabilities as a Registered Consultant. To complete the certification process and receive full Certified Member access, an independent professional investigative agency will confirm information & references.

Project Holder verification is expected to take no longer than 2 business days. Certified Consultant verification is expected to take no more than 10 business days.

Registered Consultant:

• Receive a Registered Listing and general use of the CRO Site.
• Inclusion in consultant search results by Project Holders and Certified Consultants.
• Send, receive & respond to messages with Certified Consultant members in their geographic region. Up to 5 per day.
• Search active project lists within their geographic area.
• Send, receive & respond to messages with Project Holder members in their geographic region. Up to 5 per day.
• Registered consultant members may vote on CRO issues and Council Member Elections.

Certified Consultant:

• Upon successful background check by an independent professional investigator, Registered Consultants receive an upgraded Certified listing and enhanced use of the CRO Site.
• In addition to the CRO Website capabilities of a Registered Consultant:
  • Certified Consultants are highlighted more prominently in consultant search results.
  • Certified Consultants have unlimited access to search consultant member.
• Consultant search results can be added to "Associates" for large or future collaboration.
• Certified Consultants members can act as project holders.
• Certified Consultant projects will be displayed prominently as a public project in the project search results.
  • Certified Consultants have unlimited access to search Project Holder Project postings.
  • Sending, receiving & responding to messages with all CRO member profiles on an unlimited basis.
  • Certified Consultants showing national coverage are able to list satellite offices (Available Q2 2009).
  • Certified Consultants may use the CRO Certified Consultant Logo and install the CRO News Widget on their site to offer their visitors up-to-date news and information in their industry.
• Certified Consultants may be voted to hold a CRO Council Member Seat for 12 months.
• Certified Consultants can submit their projects to the CRO Council for consideration as the Project of the Month.

Project Holder:

• Receives a confidential Project Holder Listing.
• Project holders can post projects and search for consultants.
• Projects can be general listings where consultants can find them in project searches, or they can be private listings where only invited consultants can see them.
• Consultant searches are filtered based on project parameters such as geography, industry, specialty or product niche. Consultant search results can be added to Associates for large or future collaboration.
• Until verified, Project Holders can post up to 3 active projects and contact 5 consultants per week. Verified project holders can maintain up to 10 active projects and unlimited messaging with Consultants who match active projects.

Council Member Seats:

• Certified Consultant Members are nominated for five (5) elected Council Member seats annually in November for occupancy of office in January.
• Council Members are elected by majority vote of all registered and certified consultant members.
• CRO Council Members receive a prominent permanent reference on their profile.
• CRO Council Members responsibilities may include some or all of the following:
  •  Cultivate marketing to increase membership, attract project holders, attract market recognition and build the CRO brand.
  •  Develop training and webinar ideas/speakers.
  •  Develop programs to support new consultants.
  • Moderate a CRO forum, blog or Wiki topic.
•  Project holders and sponsors may be named a temporary special interest committee by a majority vote of the current CRO Council for a set duration. Special interest seats are un-compensated positions.
  

General Membership Requirements & Restrictions

Listed below are Membership Requirements for All Member Classifications:

• All members shall register as individuals, not entities. Members from the same independent consulting firm are welcome.
  •  Independent consulting firms are defined by CRO as small businesses having no more than 3 full-time active consultants. Firms with more than 4 locations and / or a high number of licensed engineers will be subject to review by CRO Council as meeting the definition of independent consultants.
  • Please contact CRO for additional clarification if required prior to registering (no refunds will be given for invalid registrations).
  • Known “Big E” consulting firms will be restricted from registering as consultants but may join as Project Holders and are welcome to build teams of consultants for their projects.
• All members shall engage in full or part-time consulting in the Security, IT and Communications industries as their primary focus.
• Members shall not join CRO to represent a product vendor. Direct solicitation for the sale of a product or service (not related to the member’s consulting services) is strictly prohibited.
  •  Any person who pays or accepts a fee, a commission, or other valuable consideration from an individual or organization is expected to inform their clients of the conflict of interest.
  • Any violation can result in expulsion from membership and loss of membership dues.
  • CRO offers advertising placement to vendors as a CRO sponsor.
•  Active & current members may sell books, manuals, computer programs, programs, videotapes or similar training materials that they have authored through the member store. Subject to council approval.
• Active & current members may present on relevant subjects to which they are a subject matter experts through CRO hosted Webinars as public or member only events. Webinars can be structured as for-charge or free events. Subject to council approval.
• Certified Consulting Members agree to undergo an annual background check upon renewal.
• Any person who has been convicted of any felony, or who has been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude, or who has engaged in any act which constitutes moral turpitude, shall not be admitted to membership or continue as a member.
• ConsultantRegistry.Org industry guidance is determined by 5 seats in the CRO Council which are elected annually and representative of the membership.
• The CRO Council will meet regularly to discuss opportunities to increase and market the current subscription base talent, to draw project holders, and recommend relationships with outside complimentary organizations and service providers.
  • Council members may be removed by majority rule of the sitting council for non-performance or misconduct.
•  Consultant and Project Holder members will communication between profiles through the CRO message center. Either side may contact the other; however personal contact information will not be visible on CRO unless a member enters it in the website hosted messaging system body.
• Active Consultant Members can earn referral credit which can be applied to their next year’s membership dues.
• Active Project Holder Projects are automatically converted to Inactive if the Project Holder is inactive for 30 days.

Specific Qualifications for Certified Consultant Membership

• CRO Certified Membership is open to full-time and part-time consultants who meet the above qualifications, after approval of a background check and confirmation of details provided under their profile by an independent professional investigator:
• A successful Background Check is required for Certified Membership to be approved and will include:
  • No Felony or Relevant Misdemeanor Convictions or Pending Infractions.
  •  No lawsuits or judgments or UCC filings which are relevant to a practicing consultant.
  • Valid Liability and Errors & Omissions Insurance
• Upon successful background check, the investigator will confirm other non-mandatory reference items provided at time of application such as:
  •  Education from accredited college or university.
  •  Certifications which may include:
    •  Professional Associations
    • Membership in the Bar of any state, commonwealth, or country.
    • Government, regulatory or industry recognized certifications.
    •  Other certifications may also be accepted at the discretion of the Council.
  •  Project or Industry References demonstrating responsibilities, capabilities or subject matter expertise.
    A “confirmed” identifier will be added to each confirmed reference item. Erroneous items will be removed with notice to the Certified Member and may result in cancelation of profile and loss of membership fee.
• Unconfirmed reference items and items added after investigator’s initial review will not be confirmed until the Certified Consultant’s annual renewal. Unconfirmed items will remain on a member’s profile with a note indicating status.
• Membership Year runs from date of subscription payment acceptance for duration of 12 months.