Journal of International Peace Operations
Volume 6, Number 1 – July/August, 2010
The choice of security can reflect on the client.
RISK management when it comes to security is not about the what: it is about the who. Who a security firm employs, and who they task to provide said security. What is important is the individual’s qualifications, his or her experience, the understanding of the client’s mission, the understanding of the environment, and, as always, the company’s best practices, lessons learned and resource allocation.
As recent events have vividly demonstrated, failure to carefully select a private security company (PSC) can result in significant problems for clients ― be they government agencies, NGOs or private firms ― seeking to protect people and assets both at home or abroad. Taking the time and making the effort to choose the right PSC is the surest way to minimize or all together avoid such problems. It also helps ensure you are working with a company that will deliver the services you need in the manner you require.
Good contracted security starts with hiring quality personnel and managing them throughoutthe contract period. In today’s economy, with tight budgets and an emphasis on cutting costs, there is an undeniable temptation for clients to make their security decisions based on cost alone. However, though cutting corners may reduce initial costs, chances are that such a strategy will result in longer-term problems.
If cost does form a very large component of the decision-making process, you must ask yourself: What skills are you willing to tradeoff quality for cost?
Good PSCs emphasize quality from the start: meticulous recruiting and vetting, rigorous training and close supervision. The more thorough these programs, the better quality services – and fewer headaches – you can expect in the long-run.
Selecting a good PSC for your organization begins at the Request for Proposal (RFP) draft stage. Three essential areas of your RFP ― namely recruiting, training and management ― will enable you to make distinctions between private security providers and ultimately choose the one best suited to your needs. Below is a check list of questions to assist in the process.
Recruiting
It is important for clients to understand how their private security provider recruits its staff. After all, these personnel will be entrusted with your organization’s (and maybe even your own) security. Their conduct and actions will also naturally reflect on your organization. Therefore, it is important that the provider recruit its staff well.
A private security provider should be able to demonstrate the how it recruits its personnel, how it interviews potential recruits and the specific criteria and qualifications for each staff position. Key questions are:
- How does the company recruit its personnel?
- How long has the recruiting team been in place?
- What is the vetting process? Does it include criminal, employment and military background checks?
- What is the PSC’s applicant acceptance to rejection rate?
- Does the PSC maintain detailed employment records for all staff?
Particularly where the hiring of local or third-country nationals is concerned, it is useful to determine if the provider has its own dedicated recruiting offices in those countries, and if not, who their representative agent is. (If a third-party recruitment agency is involved in a provider’s recruitment process, similar due diligence should be performed on them as well.) By that same token, does the provider have dedicated recruiting offices and personnel in the countries where they will provide service?
Another consideration that is worth noting is the provider’s staff turnover rate. High turnover rates are a likely symptom of low morale, poor supervision and low pay. It often leads to higher incident levels and thus vulnerability for your organization’s image. The average tenure of supervisory staff that would be assigned to your contract is just as important. Together with issues such as career development opportunities and the competitiveness of staff compensation, these considerations combine to demonstrate the provider’s culture of long-term commitment to its staff and vice-versa.
Training
Once you have established that a potential private security provider has robust hiring and vetting procedures, it is just as (if not more) imperative that they also have equally good training. Key considerations include:
- whether the training is in-house or outsourced;
- the extensiveness of pre-deployment training;
- whether the training includes a focus on ethics and integrity, as well as education on the rules of engagement and use of force;
- what certifications are required and how they are maintained;
- what on-going and remedial training is required; and
- whether the company maintain records of all training provided to each staff member.
Not only is it important to ascertain the level and regularity of training, it is just as important to ensure that the training of the PSC’s personnel is well-rounded and comprehensive. It is of course important that security personnel know how to keep you out of danger. It is just as important that they know how to do so legally and ethically, and in a way that keeps your organization’s image secure.
Management
Even with the best people who undergo the best training, a company still requires effective risk management. In essence, this consideration goes beyond the “who.”
It should be established early on the nature of a PSC’s approach to security and risk management, and whether this approach aligns with that of your own organization. This can include considerations such as the company’s security planning process, and how the PSC gathers and utilizes information for that process.
Beyond information, the operational side is another item worth examining. It is important to understand what the PSC’s operational policies and procedures consist of. More specifically, plenty can be determined by simple analysis of the ratio between supervisors and staff ― the smaller the number, the more quality can be monitored.
It is also key for you, as a client, to understand how your own management of the contract would work. It is imperative to know what the management reporting process is that will enable you to oversee the performance of the PSC during the contract. For example, on-site PSC managers will provide better quality oversight, with verbal and written updates and ongoing valuable advice. Establish whether the PSC’s internal reporting process (daily, weekly, etc.) enables you to access the specific details you may need for your own oversight. Finally, does the PSC have in place Quality Assurance programs to measure performance on your contract?
Additional Criteria
Once you are comfortable with the company’s policies, procedures, personnel and management, it is time to look at other factors that might help you decide between providers. From a practical perspective, determine whether the PSC has a well-established, start-up model that can be adapted to your site and operations. Beyond this, it could be useful to determine how extensive the company’s relations with government, business and social organizations are in the country in which operations will occur.
Finally, though it may seem elementary, a key element of due diligence is to look at who the company’s other clients are, both past and present, and what services they provide for those clients.
Achieving your objectives while keeping your people and assets safe requires experience, expertise and commitment to quality. It is not an area where cutting corners for the lowest cost produces the results you want and need. Beyond the obvious dangers of ineffective security, reputational risks can be considerable as recent headlines painfully document. Choosing your PSC wisely and well helps assure a solid return on your security investment.
