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The
Need for Bid Specifications:
From all indications, most businesses that utilize contract security
guard services handle the selection through normal purchasing
channels, perhaps with limited input from the administrator who will
have to live with the choice. In the majority of cases, the
selection is made based on one criterion, the lowest bid. When
this occurs, rather than attaining an increased level of security,
the company may, in effect, end up paying the contractor a fee for
providing a substandard service which increases
exposure. We have seen
many cases where the quality of the contract security operation and
its personnel was so bad, the facility would have attained a higher
level of protection by having no guards at all. (We have also
seen the same situation with proprietary security.)
Low Bids Should be Based On
Specifications:
Purchasing agents generally
have no interest in what the officers are paid or what kind of
background and pre-assignment training is provided. They
believe the details of the security operation are the contract
services problems, and if things go wrong, all the responsibility
will rest with the contractor. This is not the case and
vicarious liability is a term quickly learned by these folks in many
cases. It would seem logical to assume that persons who earn
less than a livable wage might be tempted to supplement their income
while patrolling a facility alone and unsupervised. However, this
logic is seldom considered by purchasing departments. The low
bid should certainly be one factor in the selection process, even
the primary factor, but the bids should all be based on well thought
put specifications developed by the client or an outside consultant.
Our Experience in Developing
Bid Specifications:
At L.P.C., Ltd., we have
acted as consultants for businesses interested in designing such bid
specifications. After all, the average business manager,
purchasing agent or facility manager usually does not have enough
knowledge of the security business to know what requirements are
appropriate or even what questions should be asked of prospective
providers. While we have been employed solely to prepare such
specifications, this work is more often something clients request in
conjunction with a survey or as a part of a more comprehensive
consulting project.
Proprietary Development of Bid
Specifications:
This is one security related
project which can easily be handled in house if proprietary
personnel are willing to spend an hour or so to learn the
basics. We have been told by many businesses that contract for
security services that the information provided in the
"Tips" section of this Web Site is all they needed to know
in order to handle this project on their own. The quality
providers appreciate prospects with enough knowledge to ask specific
and appropriate questions. The questionable ones prefer their
prospects to be naïve. While we are happy to handle this
service for clients, we sincerely believe that the information
provided on this site is all that is necessary for most businesses
to avoid the pitfalls of contracting with the wrong security
agency. To go directly to that section, please click on
Contract Tips below.
For Rate
Information On This Service, Please Click Below:
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