A manual for organisations awarding contracts for private guarding services

CoESS has developed a ‘Best Value Manual’.

This manual was written for those contracting authorities who are keen to ensure that they are selecting a provider to carry out guarding functions which can combine quality with a favourable price rather than settling for the
lowest price bidder.
 It aims to provide these contracting authorities with a user-friendly tool designed to assist them in defining their needs in the area of guarding security services more clearly in relation to different sites and guarding tasks. A special website has been dedicated to the Manual and its tools: www.securebestvalue.org.

Apart from the necessary attention to quality and best value, owners and operators of critical infrastructure must also be able to choose the right private security company, i.e. a company with the necessary authorisation, expertise, adequately trained staff and an operational structure in line with the requirements set out. From this follows the need for owners and operators to know private security companies are capable of delivering protection of critical infrastructure. Here, local police or other public security bodies can play a very crucial role.

As is the case with most organisations seeking to provide a service, the quality of the service rendered depends on a number of key factors. Of all these factors, the capabilities, skills and motivations of front-line staff is clearly the most important, as they are responsible for the day-today performance of the work, as well as the interaction with clients or the public. In addition, the operational planning and management of front-line staff and services has to be first-rate to ensure that the service is performed to the highest possible quality standard.

Of similar importance is the technical, operational and human resource infrastructure available to front-line staff and the contract management team. Finally, it is crucial that all operations are backed up by a company infrastructure which not only has the relevant track record to perform a quality service, but also displays a service philosophy which meets with the requirements of its client.

The four key areas in which the technical merit of a proposal for the supply of security services should therefore be assessed are as follows:
- Guarding personnel
- Contract management/operations
- Contract infrastructure
- The company

Source: www.coess.org