What Should a Venue Check Before Appointing a Security Contractor?

Define the requirement before comparing suppliers

Describe the locations, tasks, operating hours, likely public interaction and supervision arrangements. Identify which decisions remain with the venue and which the contractor will make. This gives bidders a common brief and makes gaps easier to spot.

HSE’s contractor guidance covers selecting suitable contractors, assessing risks, sharing information and managing the work. Use that lifecycle approach rather than treating selection as a one-off paperwork exercise.

Check the company separately from its operatives

Verify the trading and legal entity, the service being contracted and relevant insurance cover. Ask how the contractor screens people, checks evidence, manages incidents and deals with staff changes. Obtain references relevant to your type of operation.

If a supplier claims SIA Approved Contractor Scheme status, check the SIA register and the activities covered. ACS is voluntary; it is a company assurance scheme, distinct from an individual SIA licence. Treat a claimed approval as something to verify, not as a substitute for your own contract requirements.

Connect the approved supplier to the actual team

A useful deployment schedule names the supplying company, each operative, their role and who supervises them. Set an approval process for substitutions so a last-minute replacement is assessed against the same requirement.

Illustrative example: a venue approves a contractor for a conference, but the night team comes from another business. The venue should be able to identify that business and see how the replacement team meets the agreed specification.

Questions worth putting into the mobilisation meeting

• Which tasks need particular licences, qualifications or experience?
• Who checks each person’s licence and evidence, and when?
• Can another business supply staff, and what approval is required?
• Who briefs the team on site procedures and records completion?
• What happens if evidence expires or an operative is replaced?
• Who can produce the deployment record after an incident?

Agree the evidence you will receive

Specify a useful record, not an unrestricted collection of personnel files. Ask for evidence status, the basis of the check and any unresolved exceptions relevant to the assignment. Agree access, update responsibilities and escalation contacts before mobilisation.

Licence Ready lets a venue define requirements and connect them to Company and Operative Passports. The aim is a clear line from the venue’s standard to the people deployed, including the companies in between.