AutismCOE

The vendor opportunity at AutismCOE

AutismCOE operates in the health services sector with a headquarters in North Carolina. According to its 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the system consists of 5 total units, all of which are company-owned. The number of franchised units is not disclosed in the FDD. For software vendors, this represents a small but concentrated addressable market where purchasing decisions are centralized at the corporate level.

Average unit volume (AUV) is not reported in the 2025 FDD. The royalty rate is 5.0% of gross revenue, and the initial franchise term is 5 years. Year-over-year unit growth is not available. These metrics suggest a young or tightly held system where technology decisions are likely made with direct involvement from ownership.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority at AutismCOE rests with its two Managing Members: Esha Bhasin and Rajesh Kumar Bhasin. No additional officers, IT directors, or procurement personnel are listed in Item 1 of the 2025 FDD. Vendors pitching software solutions should expect to engage directly with these individuals. The absence of a layered management structure means the sales cycle may be shorter but requires a clear value proposition tied to clinical and operational outcomes.

Mandated and current tech stack

AutismCOE mandates several technology systems for its operations. The FDD explicitly requires Clinical Software Training, a CRM software platform, and an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system. On the administrative side, Gusto by Gusto, Inc. is mandated for payroll and HR, and QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. is mandated for accounting. No specific vendors are named for the clinical software, CRM, or EHR beyond these categorical mandates, which may indicate flexibility or that those selections are made at the HQ level and communicated directly to operators.

No point-of-sale system is mentioned, consistent with a health services franchise where billing and patient management flow through the EHR rather than a retail POS. Vendors offering complementary solutions in scheduling, telehealth, billing, or compliance should note the existing Gusto and QuickBooks integrations as potential entry points.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The 2025 FDD does not include an extract from Item 8 regarding procurement or purchasing requirements. This means the franchisor’s policy on designated versus approved suppliers is not publicly available. Vendors should clarify during initial conversations whether AutismCOE maintains a preferred vendor list or allows operators to select their own technology within mandated categories.

Franchise agreements run for an initial term of 5 years. Item 17 outlines a renewal option for additional 5-year terms, subject to several conditions: the franchisee must give advance notice, be in compliance with all obligations, renovate to then-current standards, and sign the then-current form of franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms. A general release is also required unless prohibited by law. These renewal triggers represent natural windows when software contracts may be re-evaluated, particularly if the successor agreement imposes new technology mandates.

How to read the AutismCOE FDD

The full AutismCOE 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (officers and decision-makers), Item 11 (franchisor’s obligations and mandated technology), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, if present), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). Because this is a small system with centralized control, the FDD provides a direct line of sight into who buys software and what they require. For a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category, FranCloud can help.