How to Assign Vendors on Mercury Network®

Overview

Use Mercury Network® vendor-assignment tools to match appraisal orders with qualified vendors based on approved service types, geographic coverage, eligibility, and selection criteria. Direct AMC assignment, the Intelligent Selection System (ISS), and manual assignment options help reduce manual effort, support compliance, and improve vendor selection.

How vendor assignment works

There are three primary methods for assigning a vendor to an order:

How to assign an AMC through an LOS integration

When placing an order through a loan origination system (LOS) integration, a customer can specify a preferred appraisal management company (AMC) for immediate assignment.

Note: This method supports direct AMC assignment only. It cannot be used to assign an individual appraiser.

How automatic vendor assignment works with ISS

The Automatic Vendor Assignment selection process applies to orders in the following statuses:

Requires Assignment
Requires Reassignment
Reassignment Requested by Vendor

Evaluate Vendor Profile Criteria:
1. The Intelligent Selection System (ISS) reviews the Assignment, Products, Coverage, and Eligibility tabs in each Vendor Profile.

Verify the VMP Client order configuration. For VMP Client orders, select Unattended Orders Assignment Configuration.
Verify the Secure order configuration. For Secure orders, select Automatic Vendor Selection.
Review Vendor Selection Settings. These settings are located under Preferences > Vendor Selection Settings.
For detailed information on managing these settings, refer to the following articles:

How to assign or reassign a vendor manually

When an order has a status of Requires Assignment, Requires Reassignment, or Reassignment Requested by Vendor, you can select a vendor manually from one of these tabs:

Fee Panel: Select a vendor from your company’s established Fee Panel.
ISS Rank: Review the Intelligent Selection System results and select a vendor from the ranked list.
Search: Find a specific vendor when automatic assignment is unsuccessful or your standard operating procedures require manual selection.

Note: The maximum number of automated assignment attempts is defined within the ISS Settings.

Select the order to be reassigned from the Order Management section.

Select Reassign within the order to assign an appraiser.

Select Modify selection settings - appraiser and click Okay.

Assign or Reassign the appraiser from either the Fee Panel, ISS ranked or Search for a specific vendor and click Next.

Click Finish.

Outcome

After you configure vendor assignment, Mercury Network® can route orders through direct AMC assignment, automatic ISS selection, or manual review. Vendors are evaluated using profile qualifications, approved products, eligibility, geographic coverage, Fee Panel membership, and ISS ranking. This creates a more efficient, data-driven assignment workflow while allowing manual oversight when exceptions or specialized selection criteria apply.