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A Buyer's Guide · From the Director

Ethical Security Procurement:
Why the Cheapest Quote Should Worry You

If one security quote comes in dramatically cheaper than the rest, the right response isn't relief — it's suspicion. In this industry, a rate that looks too good to be true almost always means someone is being underpaid, under-vetted, under-insured, or all three — and when that unravels, the liability lands on you, the client. This is an honest guide to buying security properly: the real maths behind a compliant guard, the corners cheap providers cut, what the regulator itself tells you to check, and how to procure in a way that's legal, ethical and actually protects you. — David Foster, Director & Co-Owner

The regulator agrees: cost-alone
buying is a risk.

This isn't just our view. In 2026 the SIA — the statutory regulator of the UK private security industry — launched a new Security Buyer's Charter, a framework for responsible, transparent procurement developed with buyers of security themselves. Its message is unambiguous.

The SIA's own Chief Executive has stated that contracts awarded simply on lowest cost, with little or no due diligence, rarely work out well. The SIA's published buyer guidance goes further: buying security on cost alone is a risk — not just to safety, but to the buyer's own brand and reputation. Responsible buying isn't merely good practice any more; it's the direction the regulator is actively driving.

The maths of
a compliant guard.

Let's be transparent — something this industry rarely is. A security officer must be paid at least the National Living Wage. That's the floor, not the cost. On top of the officer's gross wage, a legitimate employer must pay:

  • Employer's National Insurance on earnings above the threshold
  • Holiday pay — 5.6 weeks of statutory paid leave, which adds roughly 12% to the wage cost (at the time of writing)
  • Workplace pension contributions
  • The officer's SIA licence, BS7858 vetting, training and uniform
  • Employer's liability and public liability insurance
  • Supervision, management, and cover for sickness and absence

Add the statutory on-costs to minimum wage and the break-even cost to the employer — before a single pound of overhead, equipment, reporting technology or margin — already sits well above the headline wage. The conclusion is uncomfortable but simple: a provider charging a bargain hourly rate cannot be covering all of that. The numbers don't allow it. The SIA says the same in plainer terms — very low hourly rates can indicate a breach of legal requirements, which may affect your insurance cover, and the SIA prosecutes offenders through the courts.

What a suspiciously low rate
is really telling you.

When a quote undercuts the legal cost base, the saving has to come from somewhere. In practice it's one or more of these — none of which you want attached to your business:

  • Officers paid below minimum wage, or "self-employed" to dodge NI, holiday and pension — often unlawfully
  • Vetting skipped or faked — you may be putting an unchecked person on your site
  • No proper insurance — leaving you exposed if something goes wrong
  • No supervision, no cover — the guard who doesn't turn up isn't replaced
  • No real reporting — you can't prove the service happened, which matters to your own insurer

A cheap guard isn't a saving. It's a transfer of risk — from the provider, onto you.

Why the client
carries the risk.

This is the part lowball providers don't mention. If your contractor is breaking employment law, mistreating staff or operating uninsured, the consequences don't stay with them.

The SIA puts it bluntly: when low-quality security goes wrong, it's the buyer's high-profile name that makes the headlines, not the contractor's. Modern supply-chain and corporate-responsibility expectations — and in places the law — put a duty on the buyer to know who they're contracting with. The SIA also notes that organised crime tends to target businesses that fail to carry out due diligence and buy on price alone.

If an under-vetted officer causes harm on your site, if an uninsured incident occurs, or if there's an unlawful-employment issue in your supply chain, it's your premises and your reputation in the firing line. Buying ethically isn't just principle. It's self-protection.

How to buy security properly —
the regulator's checklist.

You don't need to be a security expert to procure well. The SIA's own guidance sets out what to verify — ask these of any provider, and be wary of any that can't answer cleanly:

  • Are directors, managers, supervisors and frontline officers all properly SIA-licensed? Verify on the SIA register.
  • Does the supplier have audited accounts (unless genuinely new), a PAYE scheme and VAT?
  • Are the appropriate insurances in place — employer's and public liability?
  • Are proper employment conditions met — National Living/Minimum Wage, holiday entitlement, statutory sick pay, pension, Working Time Directive?
  • Is there ongoing auditing, and out-of-hours spot checks confirming officers are actually on site?
  • Is the company genuine and not a "phoenix"? Check directors and shareholders at Companies House.
  • Is the business you contracted with actually the one supplying the service — and who do the officers believe they work for?
  • Is pricing transparent — can you see what you're paying for?

A provider doing it properly will welcome every one of those questions. A provider cutting corners will get uncomfortable. (The SIA notes that choosing an ACS Approved Contractor means many of these checks are already done for you — more on that below.)

Hold us to
the regulator's checklist.

The SIA's simplest advice is to choose an ACS Approved Contractor, because the checks are then done for you. We'll be straight with you: we are working toward ACS accreditation, planned for 2027 — we're not there yet. But the SIA sets out exactly what to verify when buying from a non-ACS provider, and we meet every one of those marks today:

  • SIA-licensed officers — directors, managers and frontline — verifiable on the SIA register
  • BS7858 screening and vetting on every officer
  • Proper employment: PAYE, National Living Wage, holiday entitlement, statutory sick pay, pension, Working Time Directive
  • Appropriate insurances — employer's and public liability
  • Ongoing audit practices and out-of-hours spot checks confirming officers are on site
  • Transparent, open-book pricing — you see what you're paying for
  • A genuine, established company — not a "phoenix" — checkable at Companies House

The SIA also lists the British Standards a non-ACS buyer should look for: BS10800:2020 (provision of security services), BS7499 (static guarding and mobile patrols), BS7858 (screening and vetting), and BS7984 (keyholding and response). We operate in line with these standards' principles.

Don't take a badge's word for it — hold us to the SIA's own checklist, and we'll show you the evidence for every line. That's the honest version of accreditation.

How we do it — and why
we'll never be the cheapest.

We'll say it plainly: we are not the cheapest quote you'll get, and we wouldn't trust anyone who is. Every Risk Secured officer is individually SIA-licensed and vetted to BS7858, properly employed, properly paid, properly insured. Every patrol and check is logged in real time through DOB·Live — timestamped and tamper-evident — so you have hard evidence the service happened, for your records and your insurer. Our pricing is bespoke and open-book. And you deal with the Director, not a call centre.

Ethical procurement starts with ethical recruitment. Rather than racing to the bottom on staff cost, we invest in attracting genuine professionals — many from former HM Forces and police backgrounds — through our own platform, UK Security Jobs. The people on your site are chosen, screened and properly paid — not just whoever was available.

What we can promise is that you'll get more than you pay for, because we genuinely go above and beyond for our clients — which is why our client and staff retention is among the best in the field. Ethical procurement and good security are the same thing. Buy one and you get the other.

Next: read our insider's guide to the questions that expose a weak security provider — how firms really sell, the checks almost no buyer makes, and why "no such thing as a bad officer" tells you everything. And if your current contract is already struggling, read why security contracts go bad — the structural death-spiral, the warning signs, and what to do about it. And for an honest look at what ACS accreditation really means for buyers, read ACS accreditation: the truth. And if you're thinking of switching provider, read TUPE explained for security buyers.

Common Questions

Ethical Security Procurement — FAQ

Why is one security quote so much cheaper than the others?

Almost always because the legal cost base isn't being covered. A compliant guard costs an employer well above minimum wage once National Insurance, holiday pay, pension, vetting, licensing and insurance are added. The SIA itself warns that very low hourly rates can indicate a breach of legal requirements. A quote far below the others usually means officers underpaid, vetting skipped, or insurance missing — and that risk transfers to you as the client.

Is it legal to charge very low guarding rates?

The rate itself isn't illegal, but it raises serious questions about whether the provider is meeting its legal obligations — minimum wage, NI, holiday pay, pension and proper insurance. The SIA works with other agencies and prosecutes offenders. If those obligations aren't met, something unlawful is likely happening behind the quote, and as the buyer you can be drawn into the consequences.

What's my responsibility as the buyer?

More than many realise. The SIA's buyer guidance and its new Buyer's Charter make clear that buyers should carry out due diligence and not buy on price alone. Using a provider who breaches employment law or operates uninsured can expose your business, premises and reputation — and the SIA notes it's the buyer's name that makes the headlines when things go wrong.

How do I check a provider is ethical and compliant?

Follow the SIA's own checklist: verify SIA licences (including directors) on the SIA register, confirm BS7858 vetting, ask how officers are employed and paid, get evidence of employer's and public liability insurance, ask about auditing and out-of-hours spot checks, and check the company at Companies House. A compliant provider will answer all of it openly.

Procuring Security?

Talk to the Director.
Not a sales team.

David Foster — Director & Co-Owner, Risk Secured Ltd
David Foster — Director & Co-Owner · Ex-RAF Police · 30 years across all security sectors

When you contact Risk Secured, you reach David Foster — Director and Co-Owner. Ex-RAF Police, three decades across every sector of the security industry. The person who'll actually run your security.

I know security can feel like a grudge spend — so my job is to make it work for you, not just bill you. We start with an honest conversation about your business and its risks, and I'll tell you straight where your money should go, including where you're paying for cover you don't need.

No call centres, no sales reps. Just expertise from someone whose name is on the door — and who stays close enough to the work that you'd think we were in-house.

Speak to the Director — 0121 751 9038 Or send me a message
Call 0121 751 9038