Microsoft Dynamics GP
Mandatoryertising investments to ensure optimal campaign performance and brand continuity. You must use the Athena Business System (“ABS”), the accounting software we designate (currently, Microsoft Dynamics G
From the filings
+6.166% units YoYHQ-led decisions
BrightStar Care
Health servicesSoftware purchasing at BrightStar Care is controlled at the headquarters level, where Chief Technology Officer Chris Kapcar oversees a mandated tech stack that includes ABS Mobile, Athena Business System, and Microsoft Dynamics GP. The franchise operates 427 total units (396 franchised, 31 company-owned) across 264 mapped operators, all single-unit owners, giving vendors a concentrated but fragmented addressable market of 396 franchised locations.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
427
396 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+6.166%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
5.25%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$103K–$220K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7.75%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Acuity Scheduling
w), to hire and maintain a part-time Director of Nursing during the initial period, or to maintain a full-time Director of Nursing if required by state licensure or the census and acuity of patients r
Hireology
System Agency’s Opening from your bank approved solutions (i.e., and Email Service Date (including for a account by Microsoft Enterprise Fee Medium Density and BrightStar Package, Hireology, Small Mar
WorkBright
reology, Small Market Technology via CRM, payroll, EVV Agency), you will EFT. (Electronic Visit pay the higher of Verification), $250 per month or HR/workforce, or 1% of the prior WorkBright), which m
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 5 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 8
You must use the Athena Business System (“ABS”), the accounting software we designate (currently, Microsoft Dynamics GP, also referred to as the Great Plains accounting software), the learning management software we designate (to support federal, state, and local license training requirements and other matters), the…
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to independently access all information collected or compiled by or in accordance with your use of the Athena Business System, Great Plains, or other software used in your Agency’s operation.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Upon our request, you must prepare and send us signed reports and returns of Net Billings, bank statements, quarterly unaudited financial statements, use and gross receipt taxes, and complete copies of any business and personal state or federal income tax returns covering the Agency’s operation and such other reports…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesFranchise agreement
We, our affiliate, and/or a third party may be one of several, or the only, approved supplier of any item.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
We reserve the right to change or modify the Licensed Marks, the Agency concept, the Operations Manual, and any proprietary software we require you to use.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
6175995Item 8
Based on its internal records, during the year ended December 28, 2025, our affiliate, BrightStar Technology Group, LLC, derived revenue in the amount of $6,175,995 from required franchisee purchases.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
An approved supplier, Quill, currently pays us compensation in the form of volume rebates based on the purchases you make for office supplies, ink & toner, cleaning & breakroom, and general practice supplies.
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?
82Item 8
We estimate that the costs of your purchases from designated or approved sources, or according to our standards and specifications, are approximately 91% of the total cost of establishing your Agency and approximately 82% of the total cost of operating your Agency (excluding field staff costs) after that time.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge you up to $5,000 for the evaluation if we ultimately approve the supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you wish to purchase from an unapproved supplier any item or service designated to be purchased only from an approved supplier, you may request our evaluation of a proposed supplier, a description of the item you wish to purchase, and purchase price of the item, if known.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Immediately cease using all telephone numbers and listings used in operating the Franchised Business and direct the telephone company to transfer all such numbers and listings to us or our designee pursuant to the Conditional Assignment of Telephone Numbers attached as Exhibit I or, if we direct, to disconnect the…
Franchise management
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 8
We have the right to change our standards and specifications, including those for products, services, signs, and medical supplies, by written notice to you or through changes in the Operations Manual.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You will operate your Agency from a location we approve (“Approved Location”).
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Except as we expressly permit, you may not maintain a Web Site, as defined below, or otherwise maintain a presence or advertise using any public computer other than on the Web Site we host pursuant to the ABS.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Beginning on your Agency’s Opening Date, you must expend for local consumer marketing the greater of: (i) 1.5% of your Agency’s monthly Net Billings up to $200,000 (for a 4-week month or $250,000 for a 5-week month) and 0.5% of your Agency’s monthly Net Billings over $200,000 (for a 4-week month or $250,000 for a…
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
You also agree to participate at your sole expense in all client loyalty, caregiver engagement, gift certificate, and similar programs we create.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must use our designated suppliers for medical supplies (where alternative sources of supply are unavailable), marketing materials, credit card processing services, payroll services (unless we approve your request to use an alternative supplier), drug screening, insurance brokerage for all types of…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all signs, uniforms, drug screening services, and medical supplies (where alternative sources of supply are unavailable) from us, designated suppliers or approved suppliers.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must use our designated suppliers for medical supplies (where alternative sources of supply are unavailable), marketing materials, credit card processing services, payroll services (unless we approve your request to use an alternative supplier), drug screening, insurance brokerage for all types of…
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All Royalties will be collected via EFT 28 days after the end of the weekly billing period.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
You must have a full-time salesperson making daily sales calls.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
All employees engaged in operating your Franchised Business during working hours must dress conforming to our standards, must present a neat and clean appearance (wearing our uniforms, if required) in conformance with our reasonable standards, and must render competent, empathetic service to your Agency’s clients.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to independently access all information collected or compiled by or in accordance with your use of the Athena Business System, Great Plains, or other software used in your Agency’s operation.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
We may require your owners, branch manager/operations manager, DON, and/or sales manager to attend these programs and/or courses.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
We require you to attend the Annual Conference and pay our then-current registration fees.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
- Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at BrightStar Care
BrightStar Care operates 427 total units, of which 396 are franchised and 31 are company-owned. The system grew 6.166% year-over-year, adding units across a footprint concentrated in California (31), Florida (25), Texas (23), Pennsylvania (16), and Illinois (15). For software vendors, the addressable market is those 396 franchised locations, all run by 264 single-unit operators—no multi-unit owners exist in the system. This fragmentation means no franchisee controls more than one location, so any vendor selling into the franchise base must win 264 individual decisions or rely on a headquarters mandate to drive adoption.
Average unit volume is not disclosed in the 2026 FDD, and the royalty rate sits at 5.25%. The initial franchise term is also not disclosed, which limits visibility into renewal-driven technology refresh cycles. Despite these gaps, the mandated tech stack creates a clear entry point: any software that integrates with or replaces ABS Mobile, Athena Business System, or Microsoft Dynamics GP has a defined path to adoption if HQ approves it.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists five C-suite executives in Item 1: Andrew Ray (Chief Executive Officer), Dean Ulizio (Chief Strategy Officer), Pete First (Chief Development Officer), Brandon Allison (Chief Financial Officer), and Chris Kapcar (Chief Technology Officer). Kapcar, as CTO, is the most direct buyer for operational and IT software. However, given the mandated nature of the tech stack, any vendor pitch should anticipate involvement from the CEO and CFO, particularly for systems that touch financial workflows or strategic operations.
Because all franchisees are single-unit operators, there is no multi-unit owner with independent purchasing power. The decision-making structure is effectively HQ-driven: franchisees adopt what the franchisor mandates. This makes BrightStar Care a top-down sales target rather than a bottoms-up one.
Mandated and current tech stack
Item 11 of the 2026 FDD mandates three systems: ABS Mobile, Athena Business System, and Microsoft Dynamics GP. ABS Mobile likely handles mobile care management or field operations, Athena Business System is commonly associated with healthcare practice management or EHR, and Microsoft Dynamics GP serves as the ERP backbone for financials and supply chain. No other systems are listed as recommended or optional, which suggests the franchisor has standardized tightly around these three platforms.
For vendors, this means any software that duplicates or conflicts with these mandated systems faces an uphill battle unless it can demonstrate clear integration value or a replacement case strong enough to warrant a system-wide mandate change. Conversely, tools that complement these platforms—such as analytics layers, scheduling add-ons, or compliance modules—may find a receptive audience if they can prove interoperability.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD provides no Item 8 procurement extract, so the formal supplier designation process (designated supplier, approved supplier, or open procurement) is not publicly known. Given the mandated tech stack, it is reasonable to infer that HQ exerts strong control over technology procurement, but vendors should verify directly whether there is an approved vendor list or if franchisees have any discretion to purchase complementary tools.
Item 17, which typically covers renewal, termination, and transfer terms, also yields no extract in the available data. Combined with the undisclosed initial term length, this makes it impossible to estimate when franchise agreements come up for renewal and, by extension, when technology refresh decisions might cluster. Vendors should approach BrightStar Care as an always-on prospecting target rather than timing outreach around a known contract cycle.
How to read the BrightStar Care FDD
The 2026 BrightStar Care FDD is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team and background), Item 11 (mandated technology systems), and Item 19 (financial performance representations, if any). Note that average unit volume is not disclosed in the available data, so Item 19 may be absent or limited. The FDD is filed with state franchise regulators and serves as the definitive source for the franchisor’s obligations and franchisee requirements. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on tech stack, growth rate, and decision-maker structure.
Questions vendors ask
BrightStar Care, answered from the filing
The Chief Technology Officer, Chris Kapcar, is the named technology executive. Other C-suite officers—CEO Andrew Ray, CFO Brandon Allison, and CSO Dean Ulizio—likely influence major procurement decisions, though the FDD does not detail a formal buying committee.
The 2026 FDD mandates ABS Mobile, Athena Business System, and Microsoft Dynamics GP. No other operational or POS systems are listed as required or recommended, meaning these three form the core stack franchisees must adopt.
BrightStar Care has 427 total units: 396 franchised and 31 company-owned. All 264 mapped operators are single-unit owners, concentrated in California (31), Florida (25), Texas (23), Pennsylvania (16), and Illinois (15).
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model is not publicly disclosed. Vendors should assume purchasing is centrally influenced given the mandated tech stack and single-unit operator base.
The FDD does not disclose initial term length or Item 17 renewal signals, so contract cycles are unknown. Vendors should monitor executive changes or tech stack updates for potential openings, as no predictable renewal window is evident.
The 2026 BrightStar Care FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to read the full document, including Item 1 executive disclosures and Item 11 tech mandates.
Source
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
266 operators run 266 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit266
Top states by locations
| CA | 31 |
|---|---|
| FL | 25 |
| TX | 23 |
| PA | 16 |
| IL | 15 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind BrightStar Care
strategic_multibrand of BrightStar Group Holdings.
Sibling brands
Related Health services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.