ICAP Certified Installer Network · Nationwide
Certified is earned,
not bought.
ICAP Certified crews are independent contractors who earned their place on our install list. Whether you’re buying a system or running the crew that installs it, this page shows you the same standards: what it takes to get on the list, and what the crew records before a system is called done.
When it’s full, it’s full
It cannot be purchased
by the crew at every pickup
references. We check all of it
A certified crew making the overhead connection on a fume extraction install. One tech on the lift, one spotting. That second person is not decoration, it’s the standard.
The Standard
What it takes to be ICAP Certified.
If you’re a facility owner reading this, these are the standards behind the crew that shows up on your floor. If you run a crew, this is the bar. Same words for both of you, on purpose. Transparency is the point.
Sixty seconds on what project support covers once the crates land: your crew builds it, your crew logs airflow at every pickup, and we check it against the design drawing.
- Current contractor license in the crew’s state. Verified against the state board, not taken on faith.
- Certificate of insurance on file. Commercial general liability, commercial auto, and workers’ comp, at limits we verify before the first job.
- Two commercial or industrial trade references. We call them. Both of them.
- A proving job, checked by us. On the crew’s first ICAP job, the airflow readings they log get checked against the design drawing before it counts. Pass it clean and the crew is certified. Certification is never granted on paperwork alone.
- Service calls are part of the program. Certified crews are who customers in their territory call back for a filter change or a repair. Install-only isn’t a certification track.
- Standing is earned on every job after that. We track logged readings and callback rates. Crews that hold spec see more work. Crews that don’t, stop seeing it. Nobody’s position on this list was purchased, so nobody’s position is safe.
Startup
The readings are the record.
Performance verification is the step that makes certification mean something. Before anyone calls it done, the certified crew measures airflow at every hood and pickup point, checks every duct connection against the drawing, cycles the controls and pulse cleaning, seats the filters, and closes the punch list. Those readings go in your file, and with project support we go through them against the design drawing with you.
We can stand behind a custom-designed system when the airflow readings your crew logs are checked against the design drawing. Curious what a full system involves before install even starts? Our 2026 cost guide walks through the whole build.
Both Sides of the Deal
Same standard, both sides of it.
One program, two seats at the table. Here’s what each side gets and what each side brings. Same words for both of you, on purpose.
For Customers
- A custom-designed system and a design drawing you own.
- An ICAP Certified crew: license, insurance, and references verified before anyone parks in your lot.
- Airflow readings logged at every pickup before the system is called done.
- One number to call for filters and parts.
- A direct contract with the certified crew for the install.
- Floor access for the crew to log airflow readings before the system is called done.
That’s the whole list.
For Crews
- Bid packages with a dimensioned layout drawing, written scope of work, and bill of materials. You never price blind.
- A direct contract with the customer. Your PO, your invoice, your terms. We take no cut of your install money.
- Service referrals in your territory. Customers contract you directly, same as the install.
- A territory capped at three certified crews, where standing is earned on the work.
- Current license and COI on file, plus two trade references we call.
- Install to the drawing. Field conditions get called in, not improvised.
- Service calls in your territory. The service work is part of the program.
- Log airflow readings at every pickup. Every job.
Run prevailing wage work? Tell us on your application. It’s not required for certification, but in some states it decides which bid packages we can send you.
When this is NOT right for you
It’s not right for crews without current licensing and insurance. Nothing personal, it’s the floor. It’s not right for crews that redline the drawing on the fly instead of calling it in, because field conditions get flagged and resolved, not improvised. It’s not right for install-only crews that won’t take service calls, because the customer needs a certified crew they can call back and the steady service work is half the value for both of us. It’s not right for parts-changers, because replace-to-bill habits show up in callback records fast. And it’s not right for crews that treat a startup checklist as a suggestion. If that reads as too strict, we’ve saved us both a phone call.
Looking to represent ICAP as an independent rep rather than run an install crew? Introduce yourself on our careers page instead.
Responsibility
Who is responsible for what.
You always know who to call. When a system we designed and supplied, duct included, is built to our design drawing and doesn’t perform, we work through it with you and the crew to find the cause. If the cause is in our design, we correct the design.
Your design is checked four times before anything ships.
- Layout and sizing. Your duct is laid out and sized in our planning software.
- Duct drawings. The duct manufacturer verifies the installation drawings.
- Collector and fan. The collector manufacturer sizes the motor horsepower and static pressure to your airflow and air-to-cloth ratio.
- Safety equipment. We verify your explosion protection against NFPA 660.
This covers systems we design and supply, duct included. It does not apply to:
- Equipment bought without a design from us, including anything ordered from the store on its own.
- Systems where we don’t supply the duct.
- Any design that is changed or modified, during installation or after. Field conditions get called in to us, not improvised.
| Dust testing and the dust hazard analysis (DHA) | You, or your qualified third party |
| System design and the design drawing | We design it. You own the drawing |
| Stamped drawings, if your site requires them | Your engineer |
| Equipment | We supply it. The manufacturer’s warranty covers it |
| Installation | The crew you contract. They warrant their work |
| Airflow readings at startup | The crew logs them |
| Filters and parts afterward | We supply them |
Territories
Three certified crews per metro. That’s the cap.
For customers, the cap is quality control: a short list we actually know, not a directory of strangers. For crews, it’s a real number. State totals vary because states have different numbers of metros, but no metro carries more than three. When a territory is full, new applicants wait for a slot. Slots open when we enter a market or when a crew stops holding spec.
Cover more than one metro? Tell us when you apply. We’ll consider it, but our default is keeping crews in their own beds. Your home territory is where your reputation, your suppliers, and your drive times live, and that’s where your work is best.
Running a smaller shop? Good. Two trucks and clean work beats twenty trucks and excuses. Bid packages scale to crew size, and we’d rather grow with a small outfit that holds spec than babysit a big one that doesn’t.
After the Install
Filters and parts come from us. Service stays with a certified crew.
After the install you still have one number to call. Filters and parts come from us, so every changeout uses the right media and your system’s record stays in one place. When the job needs hands on the equipment, we point you to an ICAP Certified crew in your territory and you contract them directly, same as the install.
We don’t recommend replacing parts early. Repairs and replacements happen on condition and on manufacturer schedule. If a component has service life left, it stays in service.
Questions Customers and Crews Ask
Frequently asked.
Can a crew pay to become ICAP Certified?
No, and that’s the backbone of the program. There are no fees, no paid courses, no equipment packages, no marketing kits. Certification is earned through verified credentials and a verified proving job, and standing afterward is earned through install quality. If anyone ever asks you for money in ICAP’s name, hang up and call us at (602) 456-9661.
I’m buying a system. Who actually shows up to install it?
An ICAP Certified crew in your area: a licensed, insured mechanical contractor that met every standard on this page, installing against the design drawings. You contract with them directly for the install, and the crew logs airflow readings at every pickup when the work is done. You always know exactly who is on your floor and what standard they were held to.
What does performance verification actually check?
Airflow measured at every hood and pickup point, every duct connection checked against the drawing, controls and pulse cleaning cycled, filters verified seated, and the punch list closed. The crew logs those readings for your file, and with project support we go through them against the design drawing with you. Crews with solid industrial mechanical background, HVAC, sheet metal, piping, rigging, or heavy equipment install, have the skills. Every job comes with detailed drawings, and we stay on the phone through a crew’s first few projects. The proving job and performance verification make sure the standard is met regardless of background.
What insurance and licensing does a certified crew carry?
Current state contractor licensing for mechanical and industrial work, commercial general liability, commercial auto, and workers’ comp, all verified before the first project. Customers can ask us or the crew for current certificates at any time.
Are territories exclusive?
Capped, not exclusive. No more than three certified crews per metro, and many metros carry fewer. Standing within a territory is earned by logged readings and callback rates, so the crew doing the best work sees the most bid packages. We never run crews against each other in reverse auctions.
Who handles service and maintenance after the install?
You still have one number to call. Filters and parts come from us. When your system needs hands on it for a filter change or a repair, we point you to an ICAP Certified crew in your territory and you contract them directly, same as the install. Repairs and replacements follow condition and manufacturer schedule, and parts with service life left stay in service.
Is a small shop at a disadvantage applying?
No. Most installs run with 2 to 4 people, and bid packages scale to crew size. A two-truck shop that holds spec outranks a twenty-truck shop that doesn’t, every time, because standing is earned on the work, not fleet size.
What happens after a crew applies?
We verify license, insurance, and references. If the territory has a slot, we talk for fifteen minutes, both directions, and you should ask to see a real scope package. Then the first proving job when one lands in your area. Pass the proving job clean and you’re certified and on the bid list.
Apply for your territory.
Four fields. Have your license number and COI ready for the vetting call, and bring your questions. Ask to see a real scope package, you’ll know within ten minutes whether we’re a real design outfit or a flyer on a windshield.
Buying a system?
You get a custom-designed system, an independent ICAP Certified crew held to everything on this page, airflow readings logged before it’s called done, and one number to call for filters and parts. Start with a free assessment of your floor.
Not an install contractor but interested in representing ICAP as an independent rep? Introduce yourself on our careers page.