After the Contract Is Signed, the Real Work Begins
You’ve written your security RFP, evaluated proposals and awarded the contract. But what happens next? For many organizations, this is where accountability can become a problem and issues begin to arise. Vendors underperform, data is inconsistent and clients have little visibility into whether service expectations are truly being met.
A major contributor to this breakdown is the dominance of large security companies. Once they win an RFP, the incentive to deliver on the promises made in the proposal can diminish. These firms are so large that the loss of a single client has minimal impact on their bottom line, and they also know that, due to limited industry options, they’ll almost certainly be invited to bid again when the next RFP cycle comes around. As a result, many organizations find themselves stuck in a cycle of bouncing back and forth between the same major providers every few years, without ever experiencing meaningful improvement in service quality.
This article provides insight into how to build a strong security RFP checklist and, more importantly, how to hold vendors accountable after the contract is signed. We’ll share how Protos Security ensures performance through transparent expectations, accurate data and a managed vendor network model that prevents underperformance from slipping through the cracks.
Why Accountability Matters in Security Services
A well-written RFP for security services is only the beginning. Without security services management, even the best proposal can fail to translate into consistent performance on site. Security operations rely on people, processes and real-time data, and when any of these break down, the risk increases for clients.
Unfortunately, many companies rely on self-reported metrics from their own vendors, causing a conflict of interest. Vendors who grade their own performance often use incomplete or inflated data, reporting on scheduled hours vs. actual hours worked and claiming compliance even when they’ve missed the mark.
At Protos, we take the opposite approach. Our proprietary security management platform tracks real data across every vendor and site, providing full transparency to clients and ensuring accountability at every level.
For more strategies, visit our blog: Holding Security Vendors Accountable: Ensuring Performance After the Contract Is Signed.
Building Accountability into Your Security RFP
When developing your RFP for security services, accountability should be written into the document from day one. Include these key RFP requirements for security services to prevent performance issues later:
- Clear KPIs and defined performance expectations: Response times, coverage rates, reporting frequency and incident resolution metrics.
- Accurate data requirements: Vendors must use verified attendance and activity data, not self-reported logs.
- Overtime and Hidden Cost Compliance: Ensure the provider clearly defines overtime policies and does not rely on excessive overtime to meet staffing needs. Require transparency to prevent hidden fees such as device charges, uniform costs, technology fees or scheduling surcharges.
- Performance review cadence: Require quarterly or monthly scorecards to ensure accountability continues after onboarding.
By including these requirements, your security vendor evaluation criteria will favor providers who can prove their performance, not just promise it. Read more about requirements to consider in your RFP in Beyond Guard Hours: What Real Accountability Looks Like in Security Services.
Enforcing Standards: The Protos Approach
Transparent Performance Expectations and Data Integrity
At Protos, our technology-driven reporting is central to how we hold vendors accountable. Every hour worked, every guard post staffed, every incident response is logged in real time. That means we don’t grade ourselves based on “scheduled hours” or subjective reporting, but we rely on verified data.
Your current provider may tell you they’re hitting 98% of their performance expectations, but what are they measuring against? Scheduled coverage? Estimated hours? Without verified data, those numbers don’t mean much.
Protos provides accurate performance statistics because our system integrates scheduling, guard check-ins, GPS tracking and performance logs. When you see a report from Protos, you know the data reflects reality, not self-graded assumptions.
Have an RFP in progress? Let’s validate your accountability plan.
Building accountability into your security RFP is one thing — proving it after the contract starts is another. Get a 15-minute Accountability Review with a Protos expert to benchmark your current provider’s performance and discover what verified data can reveal.
Vendor Flexibility and Independence
Unlike providers who rely solely on their own in-house guards or branches, Protos is not tied to the typical local branch model. Our managed vendor network model gives us the flexibility to match each client with the right provider and to change that provider if needed.
Having this flexibility is essential. With many large security providers, it’s uncommon for them to remove a branch manager or make significant staffing changes when a client is dissatisfied because they’re often just one of hundreds of clients that the branch supports. At Protos, we take a different approach. We strategically assign the best-performing, most compatible vendors to your sites, and our flexibility allows us to act quickly if a change is needed.
That flexibility allows us to tailor your security experience on a client-by-client level, maintaining consistent service quality across all sites.
Continuous Improvement: Never Letting Poor Performance Slip Through the Cracks
Accountability doesn’t stop when a report is delivered. Our operations team proactively reviews vendor KPIs to identify trends before they become problems. If performance declines for some reason, we react and correct the problem often before the client even notices.
This is what continuous improvement looks like in a managed network:
- Proactive analysis: Our technology can identify underperforming vendors early.
- Performance conversations: We address issues directly with vendors and develop corrective action plans.
- Client-first focus: If necessary, we switch vendors to ensure consistent service.
You’re never stuck. With Protos, poor performance is quickly addressed and corrected, and clients never have to accept “good enough.” Our continuous improvement process also includes weekly site-level reviews and client engagement surveys to validate that corrective actions translate into real-world results. These reviews close the loop between data and field performance, ensuring lessons turn into lasting improvements.
Comparing Accountability Models
| Traditional Model | Protos Managed Network Model |
|---|---|
| Vendors self-report unverified performance metrics | Verified performance metrics with real data |
| Branch managers oversee themselves | Independent oversight ensures objectivity |
| Limited ability to make changes | Flexible vendor network enables quick replacement |
| Minimal visibility into field performance | Transparent dashboards and client access |
| Reactive issue resolution | Proactive monitoring and continuous improvement |
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Questions to Ask Your Current Provider
When evaluating your existing or potential security partner, consider these accountability checkpoints:
- Are they reporting their own metrics, or are those independently verified?
- Do they measure scheduled hours or actual hours worked?
- If their local branch underperforms, will they take real corrective action?
- Do they provide transparent, real-time KPI dashboards?
- Are they flexible enough to make drastic changes if performance lags?
If you’re not getting clear, data-driven answers, it’s time to reassess your security provider.
Confidence Through Accountability
With Protos, you never have to wonder if your vendor is performing well, you’ll have the data to prove it. Our accurate reporting, vendor flexibility and continuous improvement processes ensure that underperformance is never hidden, ignored or excused.
We don’t let vendors grade themselves, and we don’t wait for problems to escalate. Our team is proactively monitoring every vendor KPI to deliver better outcomes before you even ask for them.
That’s the power of a managed network model: consistent accountability, measurable improvement and the confidence that your security program is getting stronger over time.
When you partner with Protos, you’re investing in a proactive accountability system that protects your business and overall goals. Don’t let your provider grade themselves with bad data. Choose a partner who will hold every vendor, and themselves, to the highest standard.
Make Accountability Non-Negotiable After the Contract Is Signed
Protos Security’s managed network model combines verified reporting, flexible vendor management and proactive KPI oversight to keep performance measurable — and transparent.
If you’re ready to see what true vendor accountability looks like, let’s talk.
