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Responsible Tendering

Responsible Tendering

~40,000
Tenders Analyzed
18
Years Covered
37
Data Charts
5
Expert Perspectives
GSB Pulse - Public Procurement of Security Services (Europe)
If you were to look at tens of thousands of public tenders for security services, really look, what would you find? What story would the data tell?  
Inclusion Analysis of 8 Quality Indicators

Derived from industry experts, these indicators reflect an ecosystem of factors that shape service quality — we then conducted in-depth analysis to learn whether or not pubic authorities consider them when awarding guarding contracts.

Price-Weighting & Correlation Analysis  

How dominant is price in procurement decisions for guarding services? What procurement processes have a positive correlation to a multi-criteria  approach to contract awards? Which correlate with a low-bid approach?

Market Insights

The report pulls back the curtain on key aspects of the public procurement market, including the frequency of framework agreements, tender-to-award timeframes, supplier profiles, procedure type, contract value, and level of competition.

Procurement Do's and Dont's  

Focus Group insights on tender procedures that influence fairness, competition, and long‑term contract success — and a reality check on how often a model process is actually followed.

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This issue of GSB Pulse, an interim supplement to the flagship Global Security Barometer (GSB), shares initial analysis from the Ligue’s global, long-term study of public procurement of security services, with the first results coming from Europe. The data project endeavors to provide useful context and facts for the many stakeholders involved worldwide and intends to inform efforts to improve procurement outcomes globally.

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Spanish Language Version
Frequently
Asked
Questions

What is the Ligue’s GSB Pulse on Public Procurement?  

It is the largest examination of public procurement of security guarding services ever conducted in Europe, based on analysis of nearly 40,000 tender records.

What is the purpose of this 2026 study of security tenders in Europe?  

Stake holdershave long speculated about what drives contract awards; this project replaces assumptions with evidence and identifies structural patterns in procurement of guarding services.

What is the role of price in government contracts for security?  

  • Analysis reveals that price dominates, with guardingcontracts assigning an average 85% weighting to price.
  • This weight of price in security procurement places security closer to low‑complexity services like refuse collection and cleaning than to other professionalized service categories.

Why are public procurement practices for security important to the public?

  • Security is a mission‑critical function and contract failure has real consequences for public safety. When procurement defaults to lowest bid, service quality suffers, risk increases, and public agencies often regret the outcome.
  • Today’s risk environmentrequires trained, adaptive officers who can work with technology and respondintelligently to emerging threats.

What implications do procurement practices have for the security industry?

  • Low bid procurement undermines professionalism and discourages investment in training, innovation, and responsible employment practices.
  • Companies that comply with Collective Agreements and invest in their workforce are disadvantaged when hourly cost becomes the sole determinant.

Does a price-focus in security tenders matter for frontline officers?

  • Procurement directly shapes wages, training opportunities, and working conditions.
  • A race to the bottom in pricing translates into a race to the bottom in job quality.
  • Governments committed to improving work and reducing poverty inadvertently penalize the very firms aligned with those goals.
  • For related insights on how procurement affects frontline safety and long‑term value, explore our Health & Safety initiative and our Return on Investment (ROI) calculations for security services.

How does the report enhance understanding of public security contracts?

  • It provides a transparent, data driven baseline for understanding how security services are bought today.
  • It identifies eight key quality indicators — derived from expert consultation — and examines whether they appear in real tenders.
  • It highlights where procurement practices support quality and where they reinforce low bid dynamics.

What advice emerges from findings of the GSB Pulse on Public Procurement of Security Services (Europe)?

  • Public authorities should treat procurement as a lever to raise standards, not depress them.
  • Non-negotiable criteria — such as compliance with Collective Agreements — should be baseline requirements.
  • Award criteria should prioritize quality, competence, and innovation, not just hourly cost.
For a broader view of industry trends, visit the Global Security Barometer, which complements the findings of the GSB Pulse procurement study.
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About our Responsible
Tendering Initiative

By just about any measure, the contract security industry has improved in recent decades. Private security officers tend to be more professional and better trained. Security firms typically possess greater expertise. Relationships between clients and providers more often resemble the “partnership” that is a precursor to security excellence. Still, price is sometimes allowed to hijack the tendering process, with troublesome—and sometimes tragic—results. Building trust through reliability, transparency, data, and facts is at the heart of our mission. We strive to consistently deliver exceptional quality and value to all stakeholders.

From available data, it is evident that most organizations relying on contract security officers—both private and governmental—are pleased with the direction in quality. Research shows that a majority sees improvement in the approach of contract security firms to entice clients on quality and service; to sell expertise, and not simply rent out bodies.

But improvement in the contract security industry does not diminish the need for clients to be deliberate in selecting a security firm.  The contract security marketplace is not homogeneous. The level of excellence that some firms offer has risen substantially, but it is not assured—and substandard providers persist.

Global regulation of the contract security industry remains weak, with requirements often set too low to guarantee the satisfactory performance of private security personnel. Fly-by-night contract security firms may be increasingly rare, but they have not disappeared. If anything, careful selection and close monitoring has become more important as performance has improved: (a) because it has exacerbated differences in level of service one can receive; and (b) so that end-users can take full advantage of the gains that the industry has made.    

Because the contract security industry has improved, the stakes are higher when selecting a private security guard partner. If problems arise, one can no longer say, “it happens to everybody.” It is no longer possible to blame the security industry as a whole when a contract goes poorly, because excellent providers are available. Instead, a failed contract will suggest a flawed tending process.

Public agencies need to employ a comprehensive approach to tender evaluation that puts focus on quality, experience, and expertise — not price.

The International Security Ligue offers resources that, together, act as a roadmap for organizations as they evolve to rely on private security partners, helping to:

  • minimize reputational risks through due diligence investigations of prospective security partners;
  • assess a security firm’s personnel and training programs for insight into the level of officer engagement that can be expected;
  • strategically deploy security officers to extract maximum value and raise performance;
  • create detailed service level agreements to drive excellence in security contracts; and
  • work together with security partners to create relevant, important, and measurable Key Performance Indicators.

Selecting and Working with a Security Partner: 10 Recommended Practices

Recognizing the growing interest among governments and public authorities to contract security, the International Security Ligue has developed a practical guide for these entities on selecting and managing a private security partner. Part of the Ligue’s Practical Insight Series, this white paper is designed to drive true excellence in security partnerships.

Substantial improvement in the contract security industry does not diminish the need for public authorities and municipalities to be deliberate when selecting a security firm. Expertise and operational excellence are available, but not assured. This pragmatic guide advances selection criteria and management practices to both simplify hiring of the right private security partner and to achieve maximum value from the partnership.
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Checklist: Private Security Vendor Questionnaire

Questions for procurement committees to review when selecting a provider of private security officers

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Case Study: Successfully Transitioning to Contract Security

A major health care group found strategies mitigate the disruption of switching from their proprietary guard force to a contract guard force.

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