How to win security and patrol contracts in BC

Security is one of the most steady service contracts in BC public work. Buildings need to be locked and unlocked, parkades patrolled, alarms answered and vacant sites watched. The contracts often run three to five years, and buyers would much rather keep a good firm than retender. The catch is that security is licensed in BC, and buyers check.

Who buys security services in BC?

• Municipalities and regional districts: city hall and rec centre guarding, park and parkade patrols, lock-up rounds, alarm response, and special event staffing.
• Health authorities: hospital guarding and patrols. These are large contracts, usually bid through BC Bid. See how to win health authority contracts.
• Transit, ports and Crown corporations: stations, yards and vacant land.
• Housing providers: BC Housing and non-profit housing societies buy concierge and patrol services.
• Colleges, universities and school districts: campus patrols, after-hours rounds and alarm response.
• Federal buyers: guarding at federal offices and sites through CanadaBuys, often with a security clearance requirement.

What licences do I need before bidding?

BC licenses the security industry under the Security Services Act, through the Security Programs Division. Two licences matter:

1. A security business licence for the company. You need it before you offer security services, which means before you bid.
2. A security worker licence for every guard, patroller and alarm responder. Applicants must be 19 or older and pass criminal record and fingerprint checks. The government lists fees of $60 for a 90-day licence, $120 for one year, $180 for two years and $240 for three years.

Tenders often ask for licence numbers for the business and for named supervisors, and some ask you to confirm every person on the contract will hold a valid licence before they start. Build a simple licence register with expiry dates. A lapsed licence on a public site is the kind of thing a buyer remembers at renewal.

Federal work can also need personnel and organisation security clearances through the federal Contract Security Program. Check the security requirements section of the solicitation early, because clearances take time.

What does a security tender ask for?

• Posts and hours: each static post, its hours, and whether it is 24/7. A single 24/7 post is about 8,760 hours a year.
• Patrol routes: the sites, visits per night, and minimum time on site.
• Alarm response times, often as a maximum number of minutes.
• Reporting: incident reports, daily logs and often a guard tour system with time-stamped checkpoints.
• Training: first aid, de-escalation, and site-specific orientation.
• Uniforms, vehicles and equipment.
• Insurance, usually commercial general liability plus automobile liability for patrol vehicles. See insurance requirements for tenders.
• WorkSafeBC clearance and a safety program covering working alone. See WorkSafeBC coverage for contractors.

How do I price a security contract?

Price by the hour, built up from real costs:

• Wage rate, plus statutory costs (CPP, EI, vacation, WorkSafeBC premiums).
• Relief and overtime: a 24/7 post needs more than four full-time people once you count vacations, sick days and training.
• Supervision: a supervisor or mobile lead, and on-call management.
• Vehicles and fuel for patrol routes, priced per visit or per route.
• Overhead and margin.

If the buyer pays a living wage or the contract is retendered with existing staff, check how successorship applies. Security services are one of the service types covered by BC's retendering successorship rules, which can carry a union agreement over to the new contractor. Read successorship when contracts are retendered before you price a contract that already has a unionised workforce.

What wins security contracts?

Price matters, but security RFPs usually score the plan heavily:

• Coverage: show how you cover every shift when someone calls in sick. Name your bench depth.
• Supervision and quality: site checks by supervisors, guard tour data, and monthly reports to the buyer.
• Response: where your patrol cars are based, and realistic response times.
• Transition: how you take over from the current firm on day one, including keys, post orders and any staff you will hire.
• References from similar sites. See references and experience for tenders.

Start smaller if you are new: alarm response and lock-up rounds for a single town or school district are a common way in. Then grow toward guarding contracts once you have references.