By Becky Serbin, National Tile Contractors Association Education and Curriculum Director
The NTCA Five-Star Contractor Program started in the early 2000s with an application process for tile installation contractors to distinguish themselves from novice contractors and those who may not be following industry standards. Five-Star members applicants were NTCA members who could be relied on to install complex commercial and residential projects, and develop a group of peers who could work together and share best practices.
Over time, qualified labor language was developed within the industry and added to specifications. The qualified labor language includes NTCA Five-Star Contractors, other tile trade association-recognized groups, certified tile installers and US Department of Labor (DOL) approved tile setters. The association decided to seek accreditation to truly create a distinction between a Five-Star contractor and other contractors, and to ensure the contractor meets the qualified labor language.
Accreditation establishes high standards for contractor companies whose focus is tile installation, who demonstrate rigorous business practices and are committed to advancing the professionalism of the tile industry. By achieving and maintaining accreditation, the contractor company demonstrates their quality and value.
A contractor company is no longer required to be a member of the NTCA to be considered for the Five-Star Accredited Contractor program, and that is far from the only change. The application process was expanded to take a comprehensive look at each company with four main categories: general requirements, personnel, company and project information. A third-party review has also been added.
Additionally, the NTCA developed three categories of accredited members: residential, commercial and large commercial. Each category has different application requirements, application/review fees and annual renewal fees. Since there are so many changes, all current Five-Star contractor members must re-apply to become Five-Star Accredited Contractors.
Even with three categories of accreditation, there are some similarities. Each category is required to be engaged in the industry such as attending industry events and educational opportunities; and each must employ Certified Tile Installers (CTI) or US DOL approved tile setters, sign a code of ethics document and attend a yearly summer Five-Star meeting.
To meet the minimum requirements, residential contractors must do a minimum of $150,000 in tile installations each year for the past five years, maintain a minimum of 30% CTIs or US DOL approved tile setters as a part of their tile setting staff (not including helpers), provide a list of 50 projects completed in the past five years, and submit three projects completed in the last five years with $25,000 or more in tile installations on each project.
To meet the minimum requirements for commercial, a contractor must do a minimum of $500,000 in tile installations each year, carry $1 million in contractor liability insurance and $1 million umbrella, submit three projects completed in the last five years with more than $100,000 and two projects with more than $150,000 in tile installations, and employ a minimum of 10% of CTIs or US DOL approved tile setters as a part of their tile setting staff.
Large commercial is the most comprehensive application and requires in-person consultant visits to the contractor company office and two job sites once the online application is completed and approved. This company must install a minimum of $6 million annually, submit four projects completed in the last five years with more than $750,000 and one project with more than $1 million in tile contracts, and show the company holds $1 million contractor liability insurance and $5 million umbrella.
The application process is online and companies can apply for multiple categories. Any application, review or membership fees will be based on the highest cost category in which the company applies. There is a fee to start the application and then again before NTCA staff and third-party reviewers look over the applications. The fees can be purchased on the NTCA Store and the paid receipt may be uploaded to the site. Below are the fees to be a Five-Star Accredited Contractor.
| Request Application Fee | Application Review Fee (due prior to Application Submission) | Annual Renewal Fee |
| NTCA Member (non-refundable) | NTCA Member (non-refundable) | NTCA Member |
| Large Commercial – $100 | Large Commercial* – $1,500 | Large Commercial – $2,300 |
| Commercial – $100 | Commercial – $1,000 | Commercial – $1,300 |
| Residential – $100 | Residential – $500 | Residential – $800 |
|
Non-NTCA Member (non-refundable) |
Non-NTCA Member (non-refundable) | Non-NTCA Member |
| Large Commercial – $200 | Large Commercial* – $2,500 | Large Commercial – $3,000 |
| Commercial – $200 | Commercial – $2,000 | Commercial – $2,000 |
| Residential – $200 | Residential – $1,000 | Residential – $1,500 |
| *Additional site visit fee for Large Commercial after application approved |
If approved, the applicant will receive a membership certificate, welcome letter, and once the NTCA membership fee is paid, they will receive vouchers, rebates and extended warranty information from manufacturers that support the program. If they are denied, they can go through an appeal process.
As the program gets up and running, the NTCA staff has plans to continue to grow the program. This includes reaching out to the Association of General Contractors (AGC) to explain the need for qualified tile contractor companies to install and not just focus on the lowest bid, working with artisan tile manufacturers to promote Five-Star Accredited Contractors as the installers of choice for their products, participating in CSI to promote qualified labor to specifiers, and connecting these contractors with their peers to share ideas.
To learn more about the Five-Star Accredited Contractor program, including the full application process, please visit https://www.tile-assn.com/page/ntca-five-star-accreditation or email Becky Serbin at becky@tile-assn.com.
