How Facilities Managers Select Security Providers

Before speaking to providers, agree internally:

• The outcome. For example, controlled access to a multi-tenant office, deterrence of trespass on a vacant floor, or out-of-hours alarm response.
• The posts and hours. Reception security on weekdays, a night patrol officer, weekend mobile patrols, or a combination.
• The tasks. Visitor management, key control, patrol routes, CCTV monitoring, lock-up checks, fire alarm duties, contractor permits.
• The systems. Access control, CCTV, intruder alarms, radios and any reporting platform the client already uses.
• The constraints. Tenant lease obligations, insurer requirements, building rules and budget.

If the requirement is not yet clear, a site survey by two or three providers can help, but the client should still own the final specification. Our article on what to include in a security tender sets out a full specification structure.

A provider that does not meet them should not progress, regardless of price.

The SIA approved contractor scheme is voluntary, but GOV.UK describes it as a quality hallmark, with approved companies assessed against a published standard. Buyers should check which activities a company is approved for: approval in one activity does not extend to others. The SIA also notes that buyers can ask a contractor for permission to see its assessment report.

BS 7858 is the British Standard for security screening of individuals employed in a secure environment. It sets out checks on identity, employment history and other areas. It is worth asking how a provider’s screening compares with it, while recognising that providers may describe their screening in different ways.

Agree it with stakeholders before reading any bids. A typical structure for a facilities contract might look like this:

These weightings are illustrative. Public bodies must follow their own procurement rules, which are covered in our tender article.

Security is labour-intensive, so most of the charge rate is pay and on-costs. Ask each bidder to break the rate down into:

• officer hourly pay and any premiums for nights, weekends and bank holidays;
• holiday pay, employer’s National Insurance and pension contributions;
• supervision, management and control room support;
• training, uniform, equipment and licensing support;
• overheads and margin.

From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 per hour, according to GOV.UK. A charge rate that leaves too little above lawful pay once on-costs are added is a warning sign: it may mean unpaid breaks, excessive hours, high turnover or a provider that will seek a price increase soon after award. Our guide to security guard costs in the UK explains the main cost drivers.

Useful questions include:

1. Who will be our day-to-day contact, and who covers them when they are unavailable?
2. How often will a supervisor or manager visit, and what do they check?
3. How do you cover sickness or absence at short notice, and how do you make sure relief officers are inducted?
4. What happens when an officer does not arrive for a shift? Who is alerted and how quickly?
5. How do you record patrols and incidents, and what will we receive each day and each month?
6. Will any part of the service be subcontracted? If so, to whom, and how do you manage them?
7. How do you manage lone working for officers on night shifts?

HSE guidance makes clear that employers must manage health and safety risks before people work alone. A provider should be able to describe its lone worker monitoring in practical terms.

A reference that only confirms that a contract exists adds little.

Before award, agree:

• the start date and a mobilisation plan with named responsibilities;
• whether TUPE applies to incumbent officers, and the timetable for employee liability information and consultation;
• site inductions, assignment instructions and sign-off by the client;
• the handover of keys, codes and system access, with an audit trail;
• the first performance review date.

When a security contract moves from one provider to another, TUPE will often apply to the officers assigned to it. GOV.UK explains that a service provision change includes a contract ending and being given to a new contractor. Factor this into timelines and costs from the outset.

Use the reviews to adjust patrol routes, posts and hours as the site’s needs change.

• Inviting bids against an unclear scope, then comparing prices that cover different services.
• Accepting a claim of SIA approval without checking which activities it covers.
• Choosing on rate alone without testing whether it supports lawful pay and adequate supervision.
• Ignoring TUPE until after award.
• Allowing assignment instructions to be written after the officers have started.

Client references are available on request. See our facilities management security page and security guarding service, or request a quote to start a conversation about your site.