Get paid what you’re worth

Download the app and complete the single screen registration form. 

Signing up to Security Guards Direct should take no more than 10 minutes. You will need to confirm which SIA licence/s you hold and any other relevant skills or services such as dog handling or equipment you can supply, such as a Bodycam. You can also let prospective customers know about your terms of credit so they know in advance how frequently you will be invoicing for your services. 

When you select the region, you want to work in you will only see or be invited to bid for assignments within that region, but you are free to select more than one. 

There is a limited amount of room for this information, but you can upload your CV to provide more details about your past experience to improve your bidding prospects if you wish to.

Initially the only information a prospective client will see is: Your photograph, SIA licence/s region/s you want to provide services in and your star rating. See more star rating information below

Clients can invite you to make a bid based on this alone or they can view your full profile information by clicking your photograph before making that decision. 

Making a bid

Open the app on your smartphone and scroll through the Assignments column to see a list of bidding opportunities that match your profile. Remember to check the Invitations column to see if you have been specifically invited to bid by a client that has either used your services previously or have seen and been impressed with your profile. The My Assignments column will list all the assignments you are already contracted to perform.

Type in the hourly rate you are prepared to work for and click the BID tab next to it and wait for the notification confirming if the client accepts or rejects your bid.

You will be notified immediately and at this point if you bid is accepted you are legally bound to deliver the service and the client is legally bound to engage you to deliver the service.

If your bid is unsuccessful, you will receive a bid rejected notification, but you will be given the opportunity to make a revised bid.

Freelancer Service Proposal

Clients may require detailed information about how you will responsibly and safely deliver the services for their specific assignment, and if this is the case and you will need to provide a written method statement.

With this in mind we have created a template (Freelancer Service proposal) for each category of licensable security service document which is freely available for you to use and takes just a few minutes to complete online.  Just follow the link to select the relevant template 

The Freelancer Service Proposal document displays a tick list of service-related options that you can select to confirm your methods and strategy to perform the assignment. 

The templates are free to download and once the Service Proposal details have been selected and confirmed a PDF document will be created.

Contract for Services

By offering your service through the Security Guards Direct platform you are agreeing to be bound by its terms conditions and this is inclusive of the Contract for Services agreement between you and your clients.

From the moment your bid is accepted by any client you are legally bound to make sure the assignment is fulfilled as agreed. 

As a Freelancer you do have the right to substitute yourself with a replacement but if your client isn’t satisfied with your replacement, they can refuse to accept them and instead hire a different freelancer to provide the service. 

Very Important: Any additional costs the client incurs by appointing the replacement freelancer are payable by you and last-minute replacements tend to attract a higher fee. 

Substitutes

There will inevitably be occasions when due to unforeseen circumstances you personally are unable to perform a scheduled assignment. 

We highly recommend that in order to avoid potential financial and reputational penalties that you introduce like-minded qualified security professionals to sign up to Security Guards Direct in order that they can perform the assignment on your behalf if the needs arises.

The client is not obliged to accept a substitute but is more than likely to do so if the freelancer on offer has the same credentials as you or better.

Star rating. Your clients will be asked three simple questions about the service you have delivered, and the answers they provide will have an impact on the assignments you are invited to bid for and the fees you will be able to negotiate.

1. Did the Freelancer arrive in sufficient time to perform the assignment? 
2. Did the Freelancer deliver the services to the industry standard you expected? 
3. Would you hire this Freelancer again? 

The answers to these questions generate either a gold, silver or bronze star rating. 

No single question is worth more than any other as the system is based on the more yes answers you receive the higher the calibre star will be on display in your profile, so your reputation and future prospects will depend on these answers.

Poor reviews can be corrected by improved performance and vice versa.

You will also be able to rate your experience with a client. This information will not be published but will be used to evaluate each clients’ eligibility to post assignments in future.

1. Was the assignment as advertised on the platform?
2. Were your fees paid in accordance with your agreement?
3. Would you bid for future assignments with this client?

Screening BS7858

Hirers will need to review your work history and perform other checks at some point to meet BS7858 requirements. We recommend that you have the supporting information for this readily available in order to speed up the process and get you working on assignments without unnecessary delays.

Public Liability insurance  

You will need to obtain public liability insurance to protect yourself and your clients and this can be obtained through one of the numerous Insurance underwriters online, all of whom offer monthly instalment payment plans.

Intermediaries / Public liability insurance cover

As a freelancer you can provide your services in a variety of ways, and this can mean that in addition to clients that you approach directly you can offer your services to an established security company or a variety of security companies. 

They can introduce your services to their clients which would make them an intermediary and for a fee they could include you under their public liability insurance cover. This is just one example of the freedom you have as a freelancer to negotiate business and provide services on your own terms.  

Equipment

You will be expected to supply your own equipment so it’s worth exploring the idea of long-term leasing or buying a good quality radio and including this on your profile. Alternatively, Hirers may have radios available on site for you to rent from them on a fixed charge per shift basis.

Metal detectors and Bodycams will also make your profile stand out from the competition and support your negotiations with clients for higher fees.

Invoicing and Account keeping 

Whether you are dealing directly with a client or through an intermediary You will need to produce invoices for the assignments you have completed, and it may be a worth looking at some of the online accounting packages or consider a self-billing arrangement with hirers.

To make invoicing easy we’ve created two invoice templates which are freely available for you to download.