a method is provided for validating one entity , say a business or job applicant , for another entity , say another business , that includes the steps of , classifying the entity type to be validated based on one or more predefined classifiers of an entity , applying one or more validation rules based on the classification for the entity type to produce a validation request , providing a validation request to one or more validation entities that perform at least a portion of the validation in accordance with the validation rules , and providing a validation outcome to the requesting entity that allows the requesting entity to assess the business or job applicant based on the validation rules and the source of the validation outcomes . such a system and framework allows businesses to perform checks in a more structured and efficient way and allows for the sharing of validation outcomes amongst like entities .