Choosing a Nationwide Security Provider for Multi-Site Portfolios

Consolidation can bring:

• one contract, one set of terms and one renewal date;
• consistent assignment instruction templates, officer standards and uniforms;
• portfolio-wide reporting that makes sites comparable;
• a single escalation route for incidents anywhere in the estate;
• simpler procurement and supplier management.

The trade-off is dependency on one supplier, so the selection process needs to test resilience as well as capability.

Buyers should ask what sits behind that description:

• Where is the business managed from, and where are its operational managers based?
• How will officers be recruited and assigned for each site?
• How often will a supervisor or manager visit a remote site, and who will that be?
• Which services will be delivered directly, and which, if any, through partners?
• How quickly can the provider mobilise a new site in each region, and what does that depend on?

An honest answer is more useful than a broad claim. For example, Seccuro is headquartered in Birmingham and delivers services across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, managed from its Birmingham operations, with officers assigned to each contract and mobilisation timescales agreed per site.

The tender should require bidders to name:

1. an account manager responsible for the whole contract;
2. operational managers or supervisors responsible for each group of sites;
3. an out-of-hours escalation route, such as a 24-hour control room;
4. a senior sponsor within the provider for strategic issues.

Agree how often account reviews will take place, who attends and what information is presented. A single point of contact is only valuable if that person has the authority and information to resolve problems.

It is not a problem in itself, but it must be transparent and properly managed.

What the SIA approved contractor scheme says

SIA guidance states that, unless the SIA has given permission otherwise, approved contractors must only subcontract to other SIA approved contractors, because the customer expects an approved contractor. The SIA may permit subcontracting to an unapproved company in exceptional circumstances, such as a specialised service no approved contractor offers, a short-term demand that approved contractors cannot cover, or urgent work where people’s health and safety is at risk. Permission is typically limited to around three months. Even with SIA permission, the customer must also agree.

The SIA distinguishes subcontracting from the use of labour, such as hiring temporary workers who are directed and supervised by the approved contractor. For dog handling specifically, the SIA’s guidance expects the lead contractor to carry out due diligence on the subcontractor’s licences, qualifications and insurance and to audit its work, including dog welfare.

Questions to ask about subcontracting

• Which services or sites will be subcontracted, and to whom?
• How does the main provider vet, induct and audit subcontractors?
• Will subcontracted officers follow the same assignment instructions, reporting format and uniform standards?
• Will the client be told before any new subcontractor is introduced?

Build a subcontracting approval clause into the contract so that no subcontractor is introduced without the client’s written agreement.

• check the provider, and any subcontractor, on the SIA register of approved contractors, noting the approved activities and expiry date;
• require a licence register for all officers assigned to the contract and spot-check entries on the SIA public register;
• ask how licence expiry dates are monitored and how officers are prevented from working with an expired licence;
• request the provider’s ACS assessment report, which the SIA can share only with the contractor’s permission.

Our article on the SIA approved contractor scheme explains how approval and assessment work.

A credible plan will usually:

1. phase sites in groups, starting with those where the provider is best placed or the risk is highest;
2. survey each site and agree site-specific assignment instructions;
3. manage TUPE transfers for incumbent officers, with employee liability information received at least 28 days before transfer, as the TUPE Regulations require;
4. induct every officer, including relief officers, before they work alone on site;
5. hand over keys, alarm codes and system access with an audit trail;
6. hold early performance reviews for each phase.

Ask bidders for a mobilisation timeline, named mobilisation lead and examples of how they have handled similar transitions. Treat promises of very short mobilisation for large portfolios with caution, particularly where recruitment is needed.

Require:

Consistent data lets you compare sites, identify outliers and target investment. See our guide to security incident reporting for what each report should contain.

This allows sites to be added or removed without renegotiating the whole contract. Key provisions include common service levels, site-specific schedules for posts and hours, a rate card by region if pay rates differ, subcontracting approval, TUPE provisions at entry and exit, and termination rights for individual sites as well as the whole contract.

Checking the provider’s filing history on Companies House is a simple first step.

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