TL;DR
iDharma Verified is a mark awarded to AI consultants and consultancies who pass five public criteria: government-ID identity verification, demonstrated AI work history (3+ years), two client-validated references, one reviewed case study, and a signed Code of Ethics. Review takes 7–14 days. Outcomes are Pass / Fail / Conditional with written reasoning. The mark renews annually and can be revoked for cause. The methodology is open — anyone can read it, cite it, or implement complementary tools using it. No pay-to-pass. The standard is the moat.
What ‘iDharma Verified’ Means
iDharma Verified is a mark awarded to AI consultants and consultancies who have passed an independent review of their identity, experience, client outcomes, and ethical conduct. It is the trust layer of the AI economy — a signal that buyers can hire with confidence and consultants can compete on substance rather than marketing.
Three tiers exist. The mark you see on a profile is one of:
Apprentice
Entry tier. Identity verified, ethics signed. Building track record toward full Verified status.
Verified
The standard. All five criteria met. Listed on the public marketplace with full badge privileges.
Senior
Recognized brand or five-plus named clients, with a passed technical-depth interview demonstrating deep practitioner credibility.
Why a Standard Matters
AI consulting is a $30B+ market in 2026 with no quality floor. Anyone can call themselves an “AI consultant.” Buyers cannot tell who has shipped real systems and who is reselling prompts. The result: bad projects, lost trust, slowed AI adoption.
Existing trust marks — UL for electrical safety, SOC 2 for data security, ISO 9001 for quality management — solved the same problem in their industries by publishing rigorous, auditable standards. iDharma Verified is that standard for AI consulting.
The Five Verification Criteria
All five must be met. None may be substituted, deferred, or waived.
| # | Criterion | Evidence required | How we verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verified identity | Government-issued photo ID, proof of address, business incorporation docs (if firm). | Identity check via Stripe Identity. Selfie + ID match. Sanctions screen (OFAC, EU, UN). |
| 2 | Demonstrated AI work history | Minimum 3 years paid AI work, or 2 years + 2 shipped production AI systems. | LinkedIn timeline review + employer confirmation, or shipped-product evidence (URL, screenshot, deployment log) reviewed by iDharma reviewer. |
| 3 | Client-validated outcomes | Two named client references reachable by an iDharma reviewer. | Email survey: 3 questions — scope confirmed, outcome delivered, would re-hire. References have 7 days to respond. |
| 4 | Reviewed case study | One written case study (1–2 pages): problem, solution, outcome, what went wrong. | Reviewed for plausibility, technical depth, and honest treatment of failure. Plagiarism scan. |
| 5 | Signed Code of Ethics | Signed iDharma Consultant Code of Ethics (see Appendix A). | DocuSign / e-signature. Stored with cryptographic hash + timestamp. |
How a Review Is Conducted
Five stages, two independent humans (reviewer + senior approver), one machine identity check.
Identity check
Stripe Identity runs ID + selfie + sanctions screen.
Document review
Reviewer reads LinkedIn, case study, references list.
Reference calls
Reviewer emails references with standardized survey; references reply directly.
Decision
Pass / Fail / Conditional. Written decision with reasoning. One senior approver counter-signs.
Outcomes — Pass, Fail, Conditional
Every review concludes with one of three written decisions.
Verified badge awarded
Listed on /ai-consultants. Badge available for profile, email signature, and personal site. Annual renewal.
Application denied
Written reason provided. Re-application allowed after six months with documented improvement.
Verified with caveat
e.g., “Verified — Apprentice Tier” for under-3-year applicants. Renews to full tier after 12 months of clean track record.
Annual Renewal
- Every Verified consultant must renew annually.
- Renewal review checks: new project work shipped, no unresolved client complaints, no sanctions or legal flags, continued Code of Ethics adherence.
- Renewal fee: 50% of initial verification fee.
- Free for consultants who completed 3+ engagements via the iDharma marketplace in the prior year.
Revocation
The Verified badge can be revoked at any time for cause. Causes include:
- Two or more substantiated client complaints in any 12-month period.
- Misrepresentation of credentials, experience, or outcomes.
- Violation of the Code of Ethics.
- Sanctions, criminal conviction, or regulatory action related to professional conduct.
- Failure to renew within 60 days of expiry.
Revocation process
Written notice → 14-day response period → independent review by 2-person panel → final decision posted on /transparency (anonymized).
Fees
Published. Identical for every applicant. No paid bypass of any criterion.
| Service | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Initial Verification — Standard (Individual) | $3,000 |
| Initial Verification — Apprentice Tier (0–2 yrs) | $1,500 |
| Initial Verification — Firm (2–10 consultants) | $8,000 |
| Initial Verification — Firm (11+ consultants) | Custom — contact us |
| Annual Renewal (Standard) | $1,500 |
| Annual Renewal (Active marketplace consultant, 3+ engagements/yr) | $0 |
| Vertical attestation add-on (HIPAA, FINRA, SOC, EU AI Act) | $2,000 each |
| Founding Cohort (first 25 — May–Aug 2026) | FREE |
Founding Cohort spots are limited. Apply at /founding-cohort.
Governance
This methodology is owned and maintained by iDharma’s Standards Committee, which includes:
- iDharma Founder + Chief Standards Officer
- 3–5 independent advisors (target Q3 2026):
- One from a US regulator background
- One from EU AI Act / GDPR background
- One academic (Stanford HAI / MIT CSAIL preferred)
- One Big-4 compliance partner
- One practicing senior AI consultant
Change process
Major changes to criteria require: a 30-day public comment period, 2/3 advisor approval, and a published changelog. Minor clarifications can be made by iDharma directly with public notice.
Transparency
iDharma publishes quarterly:
- Number of applications received, approved, denied, conditional
- Average review time
- Number of revocations and reasons (anonymized)
- Reviewer training hours
Available at /transparency. First report: October 2026.
Open Standard Commitment
This methodology is a public good. iDharma commits to:
- This document will always be free to read, cite, and reference.
- Third parties may build complementary tools or alternative implementations using these criteria, with attribution to iDharma.
- Material is licensed Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Source/changelog hosted at /methodology/changelog (public).
Consultant Code of Ethics (Summary)
Full text at /code-of-ethics. Five core commitments:
- HONESTY Represent capabilities, experience, and timelines truthfully.
- CONFIDENTIALITY Protect client data and business information per signed NDA.
- COMPETENCE Decline work outside demonstrated expertise; refer when appropriate.
- CLIENT INTEREST Recommend the right solution even when it costs the consultant a sale.
- ETHICAL AI Refuse to build systems intended to deceive, manipulate vulnerable populations, or violate human rights.
Reviewer Standards
- Reviewers complete 8-hour iDharma Reviewer training before conducting independent reviews.
- Reviewers cannot review applications from current or former employers, clients, or family members (conflict of interest).
- A random 10% of approvals are re-reviewed by a senior approver each quarter (quality audit).
- Reviewer accuracy and bias metrics are published in the quarterly transparency report.
- Document version
- 0.1 (May 2026 — first public draft, comment period open through July 31, 2026)
- Maintainer
- iDharma Standards Committee — standards@idharma.us
- Public comment
- standards@idharma.us (or /methodology/comment when form is built)
- Changelog
- /methodology/changelog
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 — see /licenses
Version history
Full changelog at /methodology/changelog.