The Colony Authority was an agency closely related to, but officially separate from, the New Republic Scout Service. It founded and supported new colonies established on recently-discovered planets. As a result, it worked closely with the Scout Service, which often assisted the Authority.
The Colony Authority also paid out bonuses to scouts who discovered habitable worlds or new species willing to join the New Republic. These bonuses started at 1,000 credits and could get as high as .005% of the planet's net worth—but the largest bonuses were almost never paid out in full by the cash-strapped New Republic, and were instead doled out as monthly installments of 1,000 credits.
Members of the Colony Authority exhibited a competitive streak toward the Scout Service (and vice versa).