A Changing RFP Landscape
If you’re still using the same security RFP template as the last time you sent an RFP, it’s time for an upgrade. The security services procurement process has changed dramatically throughout 2025. Buyers are no longer satisfied with generic RFPs solely focused on hourly rates and company size. Today’s strongest security RFPs are detailed, data-driven and designed to identify partners, not just providers.
Our RFP response team has analyzed thousands of RFP questions from dozens of industries over the last five years to determine trends in the security industry. Across industries, we’re seeing clear topics that define what a modern, future-proof RFP looks like, and what sets strong security partners apart from the rest.
What We’re Seeing in 2025 Security RFPs
1. Certifications, Compliance and Reporting Define a Modern Provider
Buyers in 2025 are prioritizing RFP requirements for security services that verify compliance and certification as foundational, not optional. Invoicing transparency and hidden fees now appear at the top of nearly every security RFP.
Transparent reporting that proves compliance in real time is equally important. RFPs that once asked “Are you compliant?” now require providers to show the process behind it.
Within this evolving landscape, Protos Security aligns its operations with these same principles, including compliance programs, auditable reporting and technology-driven transparency.
RFP Tip: Ask providers to demonstrate how they manage compliance reporting with real examples, not “yes/no” checkboxes.
Learn more in our blog: Holding Security Vendors Accountable: Ensuring Performance After the Contract Is Signed.
2. Electronic Timekeeping and Data Accountability Are Now Non-Negotiable
One of the most visible shifts we’ve seen is the rise of electronic timekeeping (ETK) and data-driven accountability. Buyers are demanding visibility into guard activity, attendance accuracy and incident response times.
Paper logs and “scheduled hours” billing are no longer up to standards and clients want to see to-the-minute accuracy and proof of service.
- At Protos, this shift aligns with our own secure ETK platform that captures guard clock-ins, breaks and shift data in real time, ensuring both accuracy and trust. The result: transparent invoices, verifiable performance and measurable ROI. Learn more in our blog article about electronic timekeeping.
RFP Tip: Require vendors to show how ETK data connects directly to billing and reporting.
3. Buyer Priorities Are Shifting Toward Flexibility and Accountability
Today’s RFPs focus less on price and more on performance and partnership. Buyers want to know:
- How flexible is your staffing model when needs shift?
- Can you adapt training for different site types and risk levels?
- What systems ensure accountability after the contract is signed?
RFP Tip: Ask for details on the training process, how overtime (OT) is managed and what field supervision looks like.
4. Multi-Vendor Programs Are on the Rise
Another key trend that we’re seeing as we look ahead to 2026: buyers are moving away from single-source contracts. Multi-vendor awards give organizations flexibility, foster healthy competition and allow for vendor grading based on performance.
We’ve seen more RFPs now include site-specific awards and quarterly performance scorecards which is an approach that aligns with Protos’ business model.
RFP Tip: Require clear evaluation and re-balancing criteria to measure vendor performance and redistribute work when quality slips.
5. The Pitfalls of Third-Party RFP Management and Reverse-Auction Purchasing
Many companies are outsourcing their RFP processes to third-party procurement firms, and it’s not working. These groups often prioritize cost reduction over service quality, using hundreds of irrelevant questions that fail to vet a security provider’s true capability. After the RFP is awarded, third-party procurement firms often take their check and walk away, leaving clients to deal with the service headaches without support.
These cookie-cutter RFPs might work for buying paper and pencils, but not for in-depth, detailed security services. They ignore the operational reality of managing guards, supervision and technology.
Reverse-auction models, where vendors compete live to offer the lowest price, continue to appear in RFPs. But they’re a race to the bottom that rewards cost-cutting over capability.
Many security providers intentionally submit low bids, knowing they can make up the margin later through invoicing unworked hours, hidden fees or unexpected rate hikes. If your primary goal is to secure the lowest possible price, make that clear from the start. Otherwise, buyers should prioritize value, accountability and long-term performance over short-term cost savings.
RFP Tip: Skip third-party bidding firms for security procurement. Instead, use your internal team, or partner with industry experts, to ask questions that actually reveal operational maturity.
6. The Rise of Pre-Bid Interviews and RFIs
Pre-bid interviews and RFIs (Requests for Information) are becoming more popular, and they’re transforming the RFP process. Instead of going straight to pricing, forward-thinking organizations are conducting technical assessments and interviews to understand a vendor’s real capabilities.
We recommend asking each vendor to propose three questions you should include in your RFP. This helps expose the right differentiators and highlights weaknesses in other bidders.
RFP Tip: Add a pre-bid interview or RFI stage before pricing. It allows you to vet vendors based on performance.
How to Write a Modern Security RFP in 2026
A future-ready RFP does more than collect bids, it measures alignment with your goals. Here’s what we recommend considering when creating your RFP:
1. Define Clear Objectives
What are you solving for? Coverage, compliance or accountability? Outline your operational needs, expected outcomes and KPI definitions up front.
2. Require Transparency in Process and Technology
Ask vendors how they track time, train officers, manage subcontractors and report incidents. Request access to dashboards or sample reports to verify their systems.
3. Prioritize Compliance and Scalability
Include specific RFP requirements for security services such as licensing, insurance, safety compliance and data-security standards.
4. Evaluate with Purpose
Don’t let pricing lead the conversation. Require a technical presentation before pricing to evaluate capability, technology and training. Limit your pricing round to the top finalists.
Pro Tip: Move “presentation before pricing” into your RFP timeline to eliminate low-value bidders early.
The Modern Security RFP Checklist
Before you send your next RFP, make sure you’ve included:
- Compliance and certification requirements
- Electronic timekeeping and reporting expectations
- Guard training and flexibility standards
- Data security and audit questions
- Pre-bid interviews or RFI stage
- Presentation before pricing
- Vendor-supplied “three questions” for peer vetting
- Multi-vendor scoring/re-balancing
- Detailed evaluation matrix
- References and performance proof
Future-Proofing Your RFP
The strongest buyers are taking a modern, accountable approach to their RFP process and asking smarter questions, requiring proof of technology and training and rewarding transparency over promises.
At Protos Security, we believe certifications, compliance, electronic timekeeping and transparent reporting are the backbone of every modern program. If your RFP doesn’t ask about them yet, it should.
Ready to modernize your RFP process?
Connect with a Protos Security RFP Consultant to build a program that delivers measurable accountability and compliance for your company.
