International. Several factors must be taken into account when choosing a security vendor. Most security guard providers are honorable, ethical, and fulfill their responsibilities in a professional manner. The problem arises when it comes to less professional providers.
Choosing a professional provider of security guards is not an easy process. If a company fails to conduct a due diligence investigation on the prospective supplier, it can result in considerable personal and financial liability for your organization. There are numerous issues that can arise and the advertising material should not be assumed to be real and will protect you from negligent security litigation.
Several factors must be taken into account when choosing a security guard provider. Most security guard salespeople are honorable, ethical, and fulfill their responsibilities in a professional manner. The problem arises when it comes to less professional salespeople. The owner or operator of a company, by law, cannot be released from liability for the safety of his property or persons on his property by hiring an on-call services firm. The business owner may outsource the operation of the security program to a vendor, but the smart business owner makes a business decision that only a professional security vendor will be responsible for security operations.
Unfortunately, the security guard industry is price-based and may not always meet the necessary legal standards and training required to protect the business owner. Organizations should be wary of claims of professionalism made by some contractors that can be found on a website or other marketing material, which may be exaggerations or outright falsehoods.
Key considerations and questions
The question every entrepreneur should ask himself is: how do I protect myself from suppliers of unscrupulous security guards? Companies need to realize that the lowest bid isn't always the right offer. As in any business decision, the return on your financial and personal investment should be the main decision factor. As the old adage goes, "you only get what you pay for." Quality is not an economic consideration.
There are several critical elements to consider when selecting a security vendor:
- Does the company have the required business and professional licenses?
- Does the company have professional liability, workers' compensation, and auto insurance?
- Are individual security officers licensed as required by law?
- Are individual security officers trained as required by law and your company's requirements?
- Are individual security officers properly equipped and professional-looking?
- How are security officers and individual security operations supervised and managed?
- Have the security company or its employees and officers been charged in a security negligence litigation?
