CHEAP SECURITY LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER. BUT WHAT ISN’T BEING PAID?

Lower rates. Reduced budgets. A cheaper contract.

On paper, cheap security can look like a good commercial decision.

But security isn’t a flexible cost.

Wages. Superannuation. Long service leave. Licensing. Insurance. Training. Supervision.

These are not optional extras that disappear because a security company submits a lower price.

So when security pricing drops unusually low, there is a simple question worth asking:

WHAT ISN’T BEING PAID?

Every legitimate security provider has people to pay and employment obligations to meet. They need appropriately licensed personnel, insurance, administration, rostering, supervision, training and systems capable of supporting the people they put on your site.

A provider can operate efficiently.

It can run lean.

It can accept a smaller margin.

But it cannot make its legal obligations disappear.

THE CHEAPEST HOUR ISN’T NECESSARILY THE CHEAPEST CONTRACT

When organisations assess security proposals, the hourly rate is easy to compare.

Compliance is harder to see.

• You don’t necessarily see whether every employee is receiving their correct entitlements.

• You don’t see the payroll system.

• You don’t see whether superannuation and long service leave obligations are being met.

• You don’t see the quality of the training, supervision and operational support behind the security officer standing at your site.

That is why an unusually low price deserves scrutiny.

The question shouldn’t simply be:

• “How much can we save?”

• It should also be:

• “How is this price possible?”

THE RISK DOESN’T NECESSARILY STAY WITH THE PROVIDER

Security is fundamentally about managing risk.

It makes little sense to reduce one risk by engaging security while potentially introducing another through the way that security is procured.

For clients — particularly those operating in government, Defence, corporate and major-event environments in Canberra — the consequences can extend well beyond whether a security officer turns up for a shift.

• There can be operational disruption.

• There can be reputational exposure.

• There can be questions around procurement, governance and supply-chain integrity.

And there is a simple question every organisation engaging security should be comfortable answering:

Do we know how the people protecting our organisation are being employed, trained and supported?

LOOK BEHIND THE PRICE

This isn’t an argument that the highest-priced security company is automatically the best.

It isn’t.

Competition is healthy. Efficient businesses should be competitive.

But when a price sits significantly below the market, buyers should be prepared to look beyond the number.

• Ask about wages and employment conditions.

• Ask about superannuation and long service leave.

• Ask about licensing and insurance.

• Ask about training and supervision.

• Ask how the company manages, supports and retains its workforce.

• And, importantly, ask whether the price being offered can realistically support all of those obligations.

Because if the numbers don’t appear to add up, it is reasonable to ask why.

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR

Blackhawk Logistics has operated in Canberra since 2008.

We’ve seen the security industry change considerably during that time, but one principle hasn’t changed:

Professional security has a real cost.

That cost reflects the people doing the work, the obligations owed to them and the systems required to deliver a professional, compliant and reliable security service.

• Price matters.

• Value matters.

• Compliance matters.

And when a security price looks unusually cheap on paper, perhaps the most important question isn’t how much you’re saving.

It’s:

WHAT ISN’T BEING PAID?

Know what you’re paying for.

Blackhawk Logistics | Canberra Security Services