You must purchase and use at a minimum, 1 personal computer or tablet per staff member and 1 printer (with scanning and faxing capabilities). You must also purchase modems, routers, and access points for secure Wi-Fi throughout your Franchised Business and security systems and cameras for your Franchised Business. All of these items must meet our specifications, including those related to model, brand, and functionality, but can be purchased from any vendor. Each of the computers discussed above must contain the computer software and technology services we require, or have access to the software and technology services we require, which currently include the EMR/PR System we designate, medical and insurance billing software, accounting software, inventory management, point of sale (POS) and client relations management (CRM) systems, phone and security software, educational systems and software, payment and invoicing software, business management software, learning management system, appointment management system, booking system, event ticketing system, and Google Workspace and QuickBooks Online. All of these items must meet our specifications, including those related to model, brand, and functionality, but can be purchased from any vendor unless we specify
From the filings
ACT
Health servicesSoftware purchasing authority at ACT sits with a tight executive team led by Chairman Christopher Pena and VP of Operations Laura Bradbury. The system currently mandates Electronic Medical Records/Practice Management software and QuickBooks (Intuit) across its 13-unit health-services footprint. With only 8 franchised locations but 60% year-over-year unit growth, the addressable market is small but expanding rapidly for vendors who align with ACT’s mandated tech stack.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ordinary royalty terms
7% component; full terms unconfirmed
Complete royalty terms are not confirmed for the selected filing.
Recorded percentage components
These are recorded percentage components. Each has its own base and conditions; the chart does not state the total payment or confirm ad-fund completeness.
1recorded components (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 technology requirement is recorded in this filing. A required choice lists alternatives for one obligation. Read each cited clause for its conditions.
Note 5. Certain Other Operating Costs and Expenses. For purposes of this Item 19, this Selected Expense includes other material expenses incurred in connection with the Affiliate-Owned Outlets during the Reporting Period, including: (i) bank, credit card, and other merchant processing fees; (ii) dues and subscriptions; (iii) insurance; (iv) janitorial and cleaning supplies; (v) office supplies; (vi) utilities; (vii) training and therapy materials; (viii) software and apps such as Squarespace, Google, QuickBooks; and (ix) software licenses and other technology-related expenses that were incurred in connection with the Affiliate-Owned Outlets’ operations. This range only accounts for the specific operating costs and expenses noted above, and does not include or account for any other operating costs and expenses not specifically identified and listed above, including those attributable to professional fees, depreciation and/or amortization, repairs and maintenance, or that are included in any other Selected Expenses category.
Note 5. Certain Other Operating Costs and Expenses. For purposes of this Item 19, this Selected Expense includes other material expenses incurred in connection with the Affiliate-Owned Outlets during the Reporting Period, including: (i) bank, credit card, and other merchant processing fees; (ii) dues and subscriptions; (iii) insurance; (iv) janitorial and cleaning supplies; (v) office supplies; (vi) utilities; (vii) training and therapy materials; (viii) software and apps such as Squarespace, Google, QuickBooks; and (ix) software licenses and other technology-related expenses that were incurred in connection with the Affiliate-Owned Outlets’ operations. This range only accounts for the specific operating costs and expenses noted above, and does not include or account for any other operating costs and expenses not specifically identified and listed above, including those attributable to professional fees, depreciation and/or amortization, repairs and maintenance, or that are included in any other Selected Expenses category.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 10 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We currently require that you use our designated accounting and bookkeeping systems through QuickBooks Online and the EMR/PR System.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have independent access to all of Franchisee’s computer systems, excluding any employment records and, except as provided in Section 19(d)(6), client records containing personal health information.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall provide to Franchisor such monthly and/or annual financial reports as Franchisor may specify.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We or our affiliates are also the sole approved supplier of training.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may revoke our approval of a supplier at any time for any reason.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, we did not receive any revenues from the sales or leases of required goods and services to our franchisees.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
40Item 8
Once you begin operating, you can expect that these required purchases and leases you make will represent 40% to 65% of the total purchases and leases you will make in operating your Franchised Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must also pay our current fee in consideration of our evaluation of an alternative supplier (up to $5,000 per request, plus reimbursement of our actual expenses).
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to require Franchisee to obtain the written approval of Franchisor prior to the use of any supplier not previously approved by Franchisor
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
acknowledges that, as between Franchisor and Franchisee, Franchisor has the sole right to and interest in all telephone numbers, directory listings, domain names profiles, user names, and accounts associated with the Names and Marks, or any word, phrase or symbol confusingly similar to any of the Names and Marks…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right to audit or cause to be audited the sales reports and financial statements delivered to Franchisor, and the books, records, and sales and income tax returns of Franchisee, and if Franchisee is a limited liability company, corporation, or partnership, the owners of Franchisee, excluding…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may unilaterally modify or otherwise change the Confidential Manual(s).
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall operate the Franchised Business from the location approved by Franchisor.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Other than this website listing or subpage, Franchisee shall not establish or maintain, or have established or maintained on its behalf, either alone or in concert with others, any other digital or electronic medium or method of communication, including a website, home page, HTML document, Internet site, web page…
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 6
In addition to the Brand Fund Contribution, once your Franchised Business opens, you must spend at least $1,500 per calendar month on approved local advertising and marketing activities for your Franchised Business (see Item 11).
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
If Franchisor designates a specific supplier for any items, Franchisee must purchase the items from the specific, designated supplier.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must pay fees and other amounts due to us via electronic funds transfer or other similar means.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
Subject to applicable law related to patient privacy and medical records, we have independent access to your information and data.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
We may also provide mandatory additional assistance in addition to our refresher training.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
If Franchisor chooses to hold such a conference, Franchisee must attend such conference or send a representative approved by Franchisor.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at ACT
ACT operates in health services, headquartered in Illinois, with a total of 13 units — 8 franchised and 5 company-owned. The system posted 60% year-over-year unit growth, suggesting an aggressive expansion trajectory. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is the 8 franchised locations, though the 5 company-owned units may also fall under HQ purchasing control. The franchise disclosure document (FDD) for 2026 provides the most current snapshot of mandated technology and decision-making structure.
Who controls software purchasing
The FDD’s Item 1 identifies four executives: Christopher Pena serves as Chairman; Shaden Kassar holds the roles of Director, President, and Secretary; Wassim Al Mala is General Manager; and Laura Bradbury is Vice President of Operations. In a system of this size, software evaluation and purchasing authority likely concentrates at the HQ level, with the VP of Operations and General Manager playing central roles in vendor selection and deployment. There are no named franchisee operators in our corpus, which further suggests top-down technology governance rather than a multi-unit-owner-driven model.
Mandated and current tech stack
ACT mandates two categories of technology. First, Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management Software — referred to in the FDD as EMR/PR System — is required. The specific vendor is not disclosed in the FDD, leaving an open question for vendors offering complementary or replacement solutions. Second, QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit are mandated for financial management. This dual mandate means any software pitch must integrate with or sit alongside Intuit’s ecosystem and the existing EMR/PM infrastructure. Vendors selling into ACT should be prepared to demonstrate interoperability with these mandated systems.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2026 FDD does not include a procurement extract, so whether ACT uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process is not disclosed. Vendors should clarify this directly during initial conversations. On the renewal side, Item 17 outlines a clear process: franchisees in good standing may renew for an additional 10-year period by giving at least 210 days’ written notice, signing a new franchise agreement (which may contain materially different terms), upgrading the business and equipment to then-current standards, providing evidence of property control and licensure, signing a general release, and paying a renewal fee. These renewal-triggered upgrade requirements create predictable windows when franchisees must evaluate and potentially adopt new technology.
How to read the ACT FDD
The full 2026 ACT Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. It contains the franchisor’s mandated technology requirements, executive roster, unit counts, financial performance representations, and renewal conditions — all filed with state franchise regulators. Reviewing the FDD directly gives software vendors the factual foundation needed to build a relevant, well-timed pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, reach out to FranCloud.
Ordinary royalty terms
Complete royalty terms are not confirmed.
Questions vendors ask
ACT, answered from the filing
Read the filing itself
Read the original document for the filing figures and their terms, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
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Operator footprint
ACT’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Ownership
The portfolio behind ACT
Ownership: Autism Care Therapy Inc..
Related Health services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Read the original filing for definitions, conditions, and qualifications.