According to Glenn Rosenberg, vice president of higher education for Allied Barton, there are two approaches to procurement for contract security officer services. “One is to specify it very clearly, knowing exactly which post you want covered, the times of day and exactly how the security firm is going to work within your overall public safety function,” he says. With this type of RFP, the expectations and specifics must be clearly stated. This approach might work best if a campus is well established and knows what it wants.
The second type of proposal’s goal is to determine the relationship with the contract security provider. It’s a more exploratory, consultative way to develop a solution that will meet a campus’ needs.
Rosenberg prefers this approach, especially if the contractor is involved early in the process. “You’re going to have collaboration that will result in a higher quality product and service,” he says. “If you’re trying to create specs on your own and then asking a number of vendors to propose on that, you’ve commoditized the process. You might miss some of the value that a vendor could bring to you.”
For example, a vendor using this approach, which takes a wider view of the situation, might recommend an adjustment in security officer pay to improve recruitment and retention.
