Who should
Geoff Zeidler, Chairman of the British Security Industry Association, shares his thoughts on the issue of “bundling” in the security sector, and how his experiences on Channel 4’s “Undercover Boss” have helped shape his views of the issue from an end-user perspective.
T
he 2013 Security Research Initiative (SRI) study by Perpetuity Research and
Consultancy International (PRCI), which investigated bundled versus single service security, concluded that there was no common view as to what “bundling” means; and that clear evidence does not exist to justify whether it is better or not. This certainly accords with my own experience, where the decision is more often defined by customers’ organisation, management and view of the scope of security than anything else.
Security is a hard service to procure, as businesses have to “spend to defend” against changing external threats. Like insurance, it requires clear corporate policy as to the level of risk deemed acceptable. Unlike insurance,
the ratio of cost to cover is less well defined, making it always seem expensive unless something goes wrong. This means that any measure that seems to mitigate the cost is inherently attractive; but the critical question is whether or not it is as effective.
The SRI’s first point is that “bundling” can mean either Service Bundling – integration with one or more other services (through many facilities management models, including self-delivery or sub-contract) – or Security Bundling of both the officer and technology solutions that combine to create a secure environment.
The rationale for Service Bundling is generally to allow shared management costs or officer duties, making it cheaper. In reality, security is a regulated business, whose licensed staff must be able to prioritise their security activities if needed and have specific management needs. Generally this means that, even in self-delivery models, the security function is reasonably independent, limiting the cost saving or risking compromise. Given
that service bundles are larger contracts with more complex financial and contract performance metrics, it is a challenge for customers to ensure that the right spend and investment is being made in the security element. Finally, as part of a “bundle” of services, the customer inevitably makes a compromised selection of security provider which can, by definition, never be better than an independent choice. For these reasons, I believe that lower cost has to be the main driver behind Service Bundling, but that the effectiveness implications are rarely evaluated. Despite this, it is an approach that providers have responded to, reinforcing the perception that it is “better” despite the lack of evidence that the SRI identifies.
There is far more operational sense in Security Bundling. One of the most frustrating experiences during the filming of “Undercover Boss” was the number of times that I found the CCTV or other technology was not working properly, but the officers and company did not have the authority or relationship to sort it out. Security was at risk,
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