A guard you have never met, on your client's site
Your rota has three gaps this weekend. The scheduler rings a subcontractor you use regularly, a smaller guarding company, who says they can cover all three. On Saturday night a guard arrives at your client's site. You know his first name. You do not have a copy of his licence, confirmation of his screening, or a record that he read the assignment instructions. The subcontractor says they have all that on file.
At month end, the subcontractor's invoice arrives: 36 hours at their rate, plus a bank holiday supplement. Your records show one shift finished early. Somebody has to work out which is right, from texts and the control room log.
Why subcontracted cover is a blind spot
Subcontracting is a normal part of guarding, especially for peaks and short-notice gaps. But subcontracted guards sit outside your own systems, so the checks you apply to your own guards are done by phone, by trust or not at all. Your client, meanwhile, expects the same standards from anyone wearing a badge on their site.
| Check | For your own guards | For subcontracted guards |
|---|---|---|
| Licence recorded and in date | In your licence records | Subcontractor says so |
| Screening complete | Your screening file | Subcontractor says so |
| Site induction and instructions | Recorded | Rarely recorded |
| Hours booked on and off | Your booking records | Their invoice |
| Incidents and occurrence logs | Your systems | Phone calls and texts |
What your contracts with clients and subcontractors require, and whose responsibility each check is, is for your company and its advisers. We build the process that makes the checks visible.
What the blind spot costs
If a subcontracted guard turns out not to hold a valid licence, or has not been screened to the level your client's contract requires, your company carries the consequences with the client. Clients who audit site staff expect the same records for every guard. Invoices that cannot be checked are paid as presented, or disputed with no evidence. And problems with a particular subcontractor's guards are hard to spot when nothing is recorded.
A subcontractor portal with checks and matching
- Approved subcontractors are set up with their company details, insurance and any agreements, with expiry dates and reminders.
- Shifts you need covered are offered to subcontractors through the portal, with site, times and requirements such as licence type and client screening level.
- The subcontractor names the guard for each accepted shift and uploads the guard's licence details and their confirmation of screening, as your agreement requires.
- The guard receives the site's assignment instructions and acknowledges them on their phone, as your own guards do.
- On the shift, the guard books on and off through the same app or line as your own guards, and uses your occurrence log and patrol scanning.
- At month end, the subcontractor's invoice is matched against booked hours and agreed rates. Differences are listed for your accounts team to raise.
- A record for each subcontractor shows shifts covered, no-shows, late bookings and incidents, which helps you decide who to keep using.
- Shifts cannot be confirmed until the guard's details are provided.
- Client audits can include subcontracted guards alongside your own.
- Subcontractors see their own shifts and invoices, nothing else.
The same weekend with the portal
The three gaps are offered to two subcontractors on Thursday. One accepts two shifts and names the guards, uploading their licence details. The other accepts the third on Friday morning. Each guard acknowledges the site instructions before the shift. On Saturday night the control room can see the subcontracted guard booked on at 7.02pm. At month end, the invoice matches except the early finish, which is raised with the evidence attached.
Signs your subcontracting needs control
- Subcontracted shifts are agreed by phone.
- You often do not know the guard's name until they arrive.
- Licence and screening details are taken on trust.
- Subcontracted guards do not use your booking on or patrol tools.
- Subcontractor invoices are paid without being matched to hours.