What Universal Background Screening does

Universal Background Screening, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a private employment screening and occupational health provider owned by SNH Capital Partners. The company delivers a modular screening platform spanning criminal background checks (county, federal, and statewide court research; national criminal and sex offender databases), motor vehicle and credit reports, drug and alcohol testing (instant oral, five-panel, ten-panel, DOT-compliant, and medical professional panels), employment physical exams, Form I-9/E-Verify, social media screening, and primary source verification of education, employment, professional licenses, and references. Underlying technology centers on the HR-XML certified Universal Web Services.NET integration platform, a proprietary client portal, the Smart Tags AI-assisted report review module, the UHealth healthcare credentialing and compliance monitoring add-on, and integrations with dozens of ATS and HRIS systems including Bullhorn, Workday, SuccessFactors, Taleo, Greenhouse, and HealthcareSource Position Manager. Universal operates as a PBSA-accredited Consumer Reporting Agency and licensed Private Investigator Agency in Arizona, adhering to FCRA and DPPA standards.

The business model is a transaction-fee, enterprise-led services model with multi-year contracts, custom enterprise pricing, and dedicated account teams, supplemented by self-service portal ordering for mid-market clients. Revenue is generated per screen or package across background checks, drug testing, verifications, occupational health, I-9/E-Verify, and compliance management, with bundled offerings such as UHealth unified ordering driving attach. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, channel partnerships (notably the exclusive preferred vendor relationship with the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association), and ATS/HRIS integration partners that drive bottom-of-funnel demand.

The customer base is concentrated in healthcare and healthcare staffing (approximately 70% of customers), with additional exposure across education, financial services, transportation/DOT-regulated, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, energy/utilities, and enterprise/Fortune 500 segments. Universal has been ranked #1 in HRO Today's Baker's Dozen Enterprise Background Screening Customer Satisfaction Rankings for 14 consecutive years, expanded via the OPENonline acquisition in July 2020 and the Global Safety Network acquisition in July 2022, and refreshed its executive leadership in December 2025 with a new President (Val Poltorak), CFO (Claire Martin), and SVP of Sales (Susan Horn), signaling an active growth phase under PE ownership.

Name

Universal Background Screening

Legal name

Universal Background Screening, Inc.

Website

https://universalbackground.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment Background Screening Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Employee Verification & Background Check Coordination (BPAAAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Sanctions & Exclusions Screening (OIG/SAM/OFAC) (BPACALAH), Global / International Background Screening (BPACALAI), Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD), Occupational Health & Pre-Employment Diagnostic Testing Centers (HLAFAKAM), Investigations & Background Screening Services (IMAIAEAK)

Keywords

• Employment background screening
• Drug testing services
• Occupational health screening
• Credential verification services
• ATS HRIS integrations

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Background Screening Services: Criminal background checks, database searches, driving records, credit reports, social security tracing, and comprehensive screening packages for employment purposes. Revenue generated on a per-screen or package basis.
2. Drug Testing Services: Instant oral tests, laboratory testing (5-panel, 10-panel), DOT-compliant testing, and medical professional panel screening.
3. Verification Services: Education verification, employment history verification, professional license verification, reference interviews, and automated employment/income verifications through VerifyToday partnership.
4. Occupational Health Services: Employment physical exams and related health screening services managed in-house.
5. Form I-9/E-Verify Services: Digital I-9 compliance and E-Verify verification services.
6. Compliance Management Solutions: Pre-Adverse Action letter handling, FCRA permissible purpose logging, and compliance audit documentation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Universal Background Screening provides employment background checks (criminal, court, driving records, credit, identity/SSN trace), primary source verification services (education, employment, professional license, references), employment drug testing (instant and laboratory oral, 5-panel, 10-panel, medical professional, DOT), occupational health physical exams, digital I-9/E-Verify compliance, automated employment and income verifications, and social media screening. The company also offers specialized healthcare screening packages including OIG/sanctions checks and continuous monitoring via its UHealth platform. Services are sold on a per-transaction or package basis to enterprise clients primarily in healthcare, staffing, education, transportation, financial services, hospitality, and other regulated industries, with delivery through a self-service client portal and HR-XML certified ATS/HRIS integrations.

Product overview

Universal Background Screening is a unified background screening platform offering comprehensive employment screening services including criminal background checks, drug testing, occupational health, and verification services. The platform operates through a modular architecture combining core screening products (Background Checks, Drug Testing, Employment Physical Exams, I-9/E-Verify, Social Media Screening) with specialized add-on modules including Smart Tags (AI-powered report review automation), UHealth (healthcare credentialing and compliance monitoring), and eForms (electronic disclosure and consent). The product integrates with dozens of leading ATS and HRIS systems including Bullhorn, Workday, SuccessFactors, Taleo, HealthcareSource Position Manager, and TargetRecruit.net via HR-XML certified integrations. Primary delivery is through a web-based Client Portal with real-time access to orders and reports, supplemented by ATS-native ordering for integrated clients. The company also offers VerifyToday for employment and income verifications, and acquired OPENonline in 2020 to expand its investigative services capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Background Checks Comprehensive employment background screening service including criminal record searches (county, federal, statewide, multi-jurisdictional database), driving records, employment credit reports, identity/SSN trace, and specialty packages for healthcare, international, and extended workforce screening. Used by employers across regulated industries to verify candidate history and reduce hiring risk.
• Drug Testing Employment drug testing services including instant oral tests, laboratory oral fluid testing with confirmation, five-panel and ten-panel urine screens, DOT-compliant five-panel testing, and medical professional panels with MRO review, for pre-employment, post-accident, and periodic screening.
• Employment Physical Exams Pre-employment physical examinations and structured occupational health screening programs coordinated in-house to evaluate candidate fitness for duty for safety-sensitive and regulated positions.
• Digital I-9 and E-Verify Compliance Services Electronic I-9 completion, retention, and E-Verify employment eligibility verification services to help employers comply with USCIS employment eligibility requirements and reduce Form I-9 compliance risk.
• Employment and Income Verifications Automated employment and income verification services delivered through the VerifyToday partnership, providing fast, accurate verifications for lenders, landlords, and other authorized requestors, with direct verification prioritized before third-party database use to lower client cost.
• Social Media Screening Social media screening service that reviews publicly available online content to provide employers with additional candidate insights consistent with FCRA and EEOC requirements.
• Verification Services Primary source verification services including education degree verification, employment history verification, professional license and certification verification, and structured employment reference interviews, conducted directly with original record-holders for defensibility.
• UHealth Integrated healthcare credentialing and continuous compliance monitoring platform combining background checks with occupational health services, including unified ordering of background checks and UHealth services in a single order, license expiration tracking, immunization tracking, and UHealth notification controls, targeted at healthcare employers and staffing firms.
• Healthcare Background Checks Specialized background screening package for healthcare employers that combines standard criminal screening with OIG/SAM sanctions and exclusion list checks, license verification, and clinical credential verification to support Joint Commission and CMS Conditions of Participation compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Results delivered in under 2 days for criminal searches and under 3 days for verifications
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• GreenhousecoreTechnology or Integration · 15 May 2026Formalized partnership creating integrated hiring workflows between Greenhouse Recruiting platform and Universal Background Screening. Enables hiring teams to manage recruiting decisions and background screening execution within Greenhouse, reducing system switching and improving visibility into screening progress.
• BullhorncoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner. Bullhorn users can now initiate eForms directly inside Bullhorn, eliminating manual steps and reducing time-to-order. Streamlines workflow, reduces clicks and errors for high-volume staffing agencies.
• WorkdaycoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner enabling candidates to receive SMS notifications when background checks are launched from Workday.
• SuccessFactorscoreTechnology or IntegrationATS integration partner supporting SMS candidate notifications when screening is initiated through SuccessFactors.
• TaleocoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified integration partner. Universal Background Screening is certified by Taleo to provide integrated background checks through Taleo Enterprise and Business Edition. Taleo Enterprise Passport certification achieved in 2011.
• HealthcareSource Position ManagercoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred partnership for integrated healthcare HR solutions. Position Manager and Universal Background Screening alliance provides integrated applicant tracking and screening services for healthcare organizations. Renewed preferred partnership status.
• VerisysstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership to address healthcare compliance gaps. Conducted joint webinar on closing hidden compliance gaps in healthcare screening, focusing on exclusion screening and credential verification.
• VerifyTodaycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership providing automated solution for managing employment and income verifications. UBS attempts direct verification first before using VerifyToday, significantly lowering costs for high-volume healthcare staffing clients.
• OPENonlinestrategicOthersOhio-based leading provider of employment background checks and investigative services acquired by Universal Background Screening in July 2020. Combined company operates under Universal brand, leveraging expanded industry expertise.
• Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive preferred vendor relationship. AzHHA Service Corporation, a subsidiary of Arizona's largest healthcare association, offers Universal as part of its Preferred Vendor Program. Renewed exclusive contract for screening prospective employees.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Certn: Certn is a faster-growing, tech-first background screening platform focused on consumer-grade candidate experiences and API-first integrations. Competes with UBS for digitally native buyers and staffing-tech platforms; partial overlap with UBS in healthcare and enterprise segments.
• Veremark: Veremark is an international background screening and credential verification platform with growing presence in the U.S. market. Comparable to UBS in offering reusable candidate credentials — directly relevant to UBS's announced Candidate-Owned Profiles concept — though more international in footprint.
• Verisys: Verisys specializes in healthcare credentialing, exclusion screening (OIG/SAM/OFAC), and provider data verification. Direct overlap with UBS's UHealth and healthcare sanctions screening offerings; UBS has run joint webinars with Verisys, indicating adjacent rather than directly competing offerings in healthcare compliance.

Broad incumbents

• ADP Screening and Selection Services: ADP offers background screening as part of its broader HR/payroll outsourcing portfolio. Comparable to UBS as an HR operations outsourcing channel for background check coordination, but ADP is a broad incumbent with screening as a complement to payroll rather than the core offering.

Direct peers

• Sterling (formerly Sterling Talent Solutions): Sterling is one of the largest global background screening providers, offering criminal checks, verifications, drug testing, and identity services across multiple verticals including healthcare, financial services, and gig economy. Direct competitor to UBS in enterprise screening with significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Cisive: Cisive is a privately held background screening provider focused on regulated industries including healthcare, financial services, and transportation. Directly comparable to UBS in vertical specialization, regulatory expertise, and enterprise customer profile, though smaller in scale.
• Accurate Background: Accurate Background is a privately held background screening company offering employment background checks, drug testing, and verification services with strong vertical focus on healthcare, staffing, and education. Closely comparable to UBS in size, vertical mix, and service-led enterprise model.
• Checkr: Checkr is a leading AI-powered background screening platform serving enterprise, gig economy, and staffing customers. It is directly comparable to Universal Background Screening in core offering (criminal checks, drug testing, verifications) but competes primarily on a modern, API-first, developer-friendly model versus UBS's white-glove service model.
• First Advantage: First Advantage is a global background screening and identity verification provider publicly listed, serving enterprise customers across multiple verticals with a particular strength in regulated industries. Direct peer to Universal Background Screening in product scope, customer profile, and healthcare vertical exposure.
• HireRight: HireRight is a global background screening provider offering employment background checks, drug testing, and workforce solutions across transportation, healthcare, financial services, and other regulated industries. Directly comparable to UBS in service breadth, vertical specialization, and enterprise customer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/universalbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/universal-background-screening-inc-83426344351
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universal-background-screening

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Universal Background Screening