ACS – what is it really all about? asks a guarding company MD.
We are an ACS approved company along with 609 others. We are told that ACS is a clear differentiator between those companies that do the job properly and those that do not.
If that is the case, why is it that, in the two dealings that we have had with ACS companies in recent weeks, neither has represented the industry in a particularly good light?
The issue with the first company came to light while we were handing over a contract we had managed for five years to another ‘ACS approved company’. We had lost the contract on price in a competitive tender. The ‘Director of HR’ at the successful company did not have a clue what TUPE was or what it meant for the security officers employed on the contract. Our client, who was a victim of her own procurement office, called us to arrange a meeting with the other company so that we could explain to them what the process was and what was expected of both parties as they did not have a clue. Having already been alerted by our own staff of their concerns, we then managed the process from both sides of the TUPE fence to ensure the welfare of our officers.
The second incident involved an ACS company that were handing over a group of sites to us which they had lost in a tender process, this time with a client recognising that price alone would not ensure a quality service. During our tour of the sites to begin the TUPE consultation, we were shocked to discover security officers without uniform, ID cards or any site training, on sites where no risk assessment or site induction had ever taken place!
The ACS accreditation is supposed to give the client peace of mind with regard to the appointment of their security provider. How can they achieve this if they are in a price-driven environment and believe that all ACS companies are equal?
David Ward
Managing director, Ward Security
