Security Contracts – Ensuring Success

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23 August 2021 | Updated 03 September 2021

When you're between contracts, how can you make sure the transition between security providers is a success?

Jason Pope from Expeditious Services looks at the most frequently asked questions when it comes to taking on a new security service provider.

Jason Pope has worked for Expeditious Services since 2015, as Group Operations Director, and has been Service Excellence Director since 2018. His background encompasses a six-year employment in the British Army, leading to beginning work in the security industry in 2008. Throughout his career, Jason has held roles such as security contracts manager and national account manager.  At Expeditious Services, Jason is responsible for the success of UK operational delivery and building solid relationships with clients for high achieving results.

 

Asking Questions

 

Starting with a new security contract, whether outsourced or insourced, can be a worrying time for FMs and account managers. Throughout my career, I’ve supported the mobilisation of hundreds of new security contracts. With so many changes happening all at once, it can take time to work through teething problems for full contract engagement and buy-in from all parties whilst adjustments settle.

During this transient time between contracts, many questions are asked. In my experience, the more questions that are asked, the better. It creates transparency, limits presumptions, and ensures a greater level of clarity for all involved. It means a contract is mobilised with a total team understanding of what is to be achieved and the changes to be brought into effect. It leads to better security team engagement and ultimately, a higher rate of success.

These are some questions we’re frequently asked during our mobilisation and transitional stages of contract delivery.  Each is important to gauge an understanding of how it impacts different people throughout the organisation and to ensure they have the information they need to feel secure throughout this time. The questions are also crucial for reassurance, ensuring the contract achieves what it set out to do, and that desired objectives are reached. I believe these are poignant questions for any FM or AM to be asking a new security service provider throughout a mobilisation.

As well as the suggestions of questions to ask your new service provider, I’ve outlined how we respond in each situation. I hope this demonstrates the level of clarity and understanding which can be achieved through open communication and asking great questions during this critical stage of the security contract’s success.

 

Picture: a photograph of three people gathered around a computer

 

How Do You Communicate With Employees?

 

Immediately after winning a contract, we swiftly action a schedule of site visits and TUPE meetings with all employees to transfer over to our team. We do this to give us optimal time to get to know the employees face-to-face, their grievances with the site or incumbent and to gain insight on any issues we can mitigate from the offset.

After these meetings, we follow the standard TUPE process of consultations and letters to inform of changes. These are all supported by our TUPE booklet, so all employees are completely clear on the process.

Before the contract start date, we ensure all employees have their contracts for reassurance, our employee handbooks to understand how we work and how we can benefit their security career, as well as any incentives they may wish to get involved in.

It is important to us that the employees are clear in what we are to achieve under the new security contract, and they understand it’s a working collaboration between all team members. It is also important to us, that whilst they follow the values of both companies for best brand alignment and representation. Even though they will be wearing our brand on their uniform, it’s the brand of the client site which needs to be in their heart and lived every day.

 

How Do You Communicate With Other Stakeholders?

 

Concurrently with communicating with employees, we also communicate with other key team members and stakeholders regarding the new security contract. This includes introductions and meetings taking place with our critical operations team; account nominated customer success coordinator, senior operations coordinator, myself as service excellence director and any others instrumental in the mobilisation.

We maintain open lines of communication on all levels, to ensure clients and stakeholders have complete transparency and reassurance throughout this time, and that objectives, values, processes, costs and timescales are in alignment.

 

How Do You Ensure Best Value for Money Throughout the Contract?

 

We continually conduct comprehensive market analysis to create pathways to support accurate cost forecasting, presented through open-book costing models, further driving certainty in costs. 

Before the contract starts, and throughout the contracts, we conduct risk assessments to allow for accurate costings and ensuring the services proposed are the best fit for the job, helping us to deliver the best value. These are audited and continually reviewed to ensure the services remain the best match for costs, or if efficiencies can be found, e.g. implementation of technologies. We use these audits and assessments to hold ourselves accountable to a program of service enhancement, in delivering the best fit services for the job and budgets.

We also leverage continual, finger-on-the-pulse innovation to drive further reductions in cost to you. Our approach to security is as a complete category and not individual services. Our holistic approach to security consultancy and service provision not only means you receive the exact services you need instead of “one size fits all” and prevents you from over-paying for unnecessary ones you don’t need.

 

What is the Escalation Process for Raising Incidents or Issues?

 

In the event of an emergency or incidents, our Critical Control Helpdesk (CCHD) is open 24/7/365 to answer your calls. The controllers will either work to resolve and support or will raise to Senior Operations Coordinator and then to myself, if needed. If emergency services are needed, we will liaise with them as the key contact, and ensure the client is kept updated as the incident progresses.

If there are any other issues, e.g. with an officer or our service or anything else to do with the contract, there will be a clear path of escalation from your nominated customer success coordinator, to the senior operations coordinator and then to myself, as service excellence director.

 

What if There are Problems With the Mobilisation of the Contract?

 

Following a contract win, we create a unique 90-day mobilisation plan specifically for your contract. If at any time there is a significant problem throughout the mobilisation, we will revert back to the start of this process to resolve the issues from the source. We’ve found this resilient structure ensures true contract success and hugely positive results for our clients.

 

How Often Will the Service Provider be in Touch Throughout the Transitional Stage?

 

Throughout the mobilisation stage, we have a structured minimal communication model. This ensures you are fully informed of the progress at the start of the contract, and to give plenty of opportunities for questions or issues to be raised. This structure is inclusive of the full operational hierarchy; from our CCHD coordinators, up to myself, supporting the contract success with multiple touchpoints.

Picture: a photograph of Jason Pope

Article written by Jason Pope | Published 23 August 2021

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