Bilal from Science Exchange here. The validations are blind in the sense that we match an investigator who has submitted a study to a provider who can validate it. The investigator doesn't have a choice of who validates their study though.
The fee-for-service actually helps to guard against biased results in two ways. Firstly, providers who validate studies are paid on completion, regardless of a reproducible or irreproducible outcome. Secondly, operating on a fee-for-service basis allows providers to operate outside academic incentives for publications, ensuring no incentive for biased-positive results.
The fee-for-service actually helps to guard against biased results in two ways. Firstly, providers who validate studies are paid on completion, regardless of a reproducible or irreproducible outcome. Secondly, operating on a fee-for-service basis allows providers to operate outside academic incentives for publications, ensuring no incentive for biased-positive results.