Security Services Quotation Format: Guard Rates and Sample

A security services quotation tells a client what protection they will get, how many guard hours it takes and what each hour costs. Clients usually compare several bids, so the security services quotation format matters: when hours, rates and premiums are laid out clearly, the client can see why your price differs from the cheapest bid instead of assuming you are expensive. This guide covers the fields to include, how to calculate monthly hours, a worked sample, and the terms that matter most in guarding contracts.

What to include in a security services quotation

Company and compliance details

• Company name, address, registration and tax numbers
• Licensing or approval details relevant to your country (for example approved contractor status, agency licence number)
• Insurance cover, such as public liability and employer's liability, with limits
• Quotation number, date and validity date

Site and requirement

Site name and address, type of premises, key risks identified in the site survey, and the duties required: access control, patrols, CCTV monitoring, reception, alarm response, lock and unlock.

Staffing schedule

For each post: role, days, shift times, guards per shift and hours per week. This is the part clients most often check against other bids.

Rates and extras

Hourly charge rate per role, premium rates (public holidays, short-notice cover), and additional services priced separately: mobile patrol visits, key holding and alarm response, dog handlers, supervisor visits, equipment.

Terms

Invoicing frequency (weekly or monthly), payment terms, minimum contract period, notice period, rate review (for example when statutory wages change), and liability. Our guide to quotation terms and conditions includes wording you can adapt, and setting a validity period matters here because wage rates change annually.

How to calculate monthly guarding hours

Contracts are usually priced on average monthly hours so the monthly invoice stays predictable:

• 24/7 post: 24 x 7 = 168 hours a week. 168 x 52.14 weeks / 12 months = about 730 hours a month (or 24 x 365 / 12 = 730).
• Weekday day post, 08:00 to 18:00: 10 x 5 = 50 hours a week. 50 x 52 / 12 = 216.7 hours a month, usually rounded to 217.
• Night post, 18:00 to 06:00 every night: 12 x 7 = 84 hours a week, about 365 hours a month.

Security services quotation format: worked sample

The sample is for a distribution warehouse in the UK, priced in pounds. The rates are illustrative, not market benchmarks.

Quotation: SSQ-2026-019   Date: 12 November 2026   Valid until: 12 December 2026
Site: Unit 4, Eastgate Distribution Park
Duties: gatehouse access control, vehicle logging, internal and perimeter patrols every 2 hours, CCTV monitoring from gatehouse, alarm response

Post / service	Schedule	Hours or qty per month	Rate (GBP)	Monthly amount (GBP)
Gatehouse security officer	24/7, 1 officer	730	24.50 / hr	17,885.00
Day goods-in officer	Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00	217	24.50 / hr	5,316.50
Supervisor site inspection	Weekly, unannounced	4	45.00 / visit	180.00
Key holding and alarm response retainer	Out of hours	1	60.00 / month	60.00
			Subtotal	23,441.50
			VAT 20%	4,688.30
			Monthly total	28,129.80

Math: 730 x 24.50 = 17,885.00; 217 x 24.50 = 5,316.50; 4 x 45 = 180; plus 60 gives 23,441.50. VAT at 20% is 4,688.30, so the monthly total is 28,129.80.

Additional rates (billed when used):

• Public holidays: time and a half (36.75 per hour); 25 December and 1 January: double time (49.00 per hour)
• Additional hours with at least 48 hours notice: standard rate; less than 48 hours: 27.00 per hour
• Alarm response call-out: 40.00 per attendance, first hour on site included

Invoicing: monthly in arrears based on actual hours from signed timesheets, payment within 30 days. Our guide to invoicing for overtime shows how to present premium hours, and the security services invoice template covers the monthly invoice layout.

Building the charge rate

A charge rate that only covers wages loses money. Start with the hourly pay you intend to offer, then add employer costs (payroll taxes, holiday pay, pension contributions), training and licensing, uniforms and equipment, insurance, supervision and control room, recruitment and admin, and finally your margin. Our article on calculating an overhead rate explains how to spread fixed costs across billable hours. In the US, check the minimum wage for the site's state before fixing rates, and add a clause allowing rates to change when the statutory minimum rises.

Licensing and compliance by country

United Kingdom

Guards supplied under a contract for services generally need a Security Industry Authority licence for the activity they carry out, and someone doing two licensable roles, such as guarding and public space CCTV monitoring, needs a licence for each. See find out if you need an SIA licence. Clients can check a guard's licence on the public private security licence register, so stating that all officers will be licensed for the relevant activity is a sensible line in the quotation.

United States

Licensing is handled at state level and sometimes by cities, with separate requirements for armed officers. Quotes often show armed and unarmed rates separately.

India and Pakistan

Private security agencies in India operate under state licences issued under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, and quotations often break the rate down by wage components and statutory contributions, plus service charge and GST. In Pakistan, agencies are licensed by the provincial authorities, and quotes commonly show a monthly rate per guard for 12-hour shifts. This section is general information, not legal advice.

Assignment instructions and scope

The quotation sets the price; the assignment instructions set out what guards actually do. For larger contracts, attach a draft of the instructions to the quote, or at least summarize the duties per post:

• Gatehouse officer: check every vehicle and visitor against the booking list, issue passes, log arrival and departure times, monitor CCTV between patrols, carry out lock-up checks at 18:00 and opening checks at 06:00.
• Goods-in officer: supervise deliveries, verify seal numbers against paperwork, escort drivers on site.
• Patrols: internal and perimeter patrol every 2 hours recorded on a guard tour system, with exceptions reported to the client's contact the same day.
• Incidents: escalation route, police and emergency contact procedure, written report within 24 hours.

Writing duties down protects both sides. If the client later asks guards to cover reception or sign for parcels, you can quote the extra task instead of absorbing it.

Contract length and rate reviews

Guarding contracts commonly run for 12 months or longer with a notice period of 30 to 90 days. Because pay is the largest cost, include a clause that rates will be reviewed when statutory minimum pay changes or on each contract anniversary, with written notice. Clients prefer a clear formula, such as "charge rates increase in line with any increase in the statutory minimum wage applicable to our officers", to a surprise letter.

Short-term and event security

For one-off events or temporary cover, quote per guard per shift with a minimum booking, for example 4 hours, and state the cancellation charge if the booking is cancelled within 48 hours. Event work can need a different licence type from static guarding, so specify the role.

Step-by-step: preparing the quote

1. Survey the site and note entrances, blind spots, lighting, existing CCTV and alarm systems.
2. Agree duties in writing, ideally as draft assignment instructions.
3. Build the staffing schedule and calculate monthly hours per post.
4. Calculate the charge rate per role from pay, on-costs and margin.
5. Price extras such as patrols, key holding and premium days.
6. Add tax, terms, validity and your licensing and insurance details.
7. Send as a PDF and offer a call to walk through the schedule.

Common mistakes

• Quoting 720 hours for a 24/7 post. Using 30 days a month underbills about 10 hours a month per post compared with the 730-hour average.
• No public holiday premium. You will still have to pay staff extra on those days.
• No rate review clause. Statutory pay rises can erase your margin on a multi-year contract.
• Unclear duties. Extra tasks like reception or cleaning checks creep in unless the scope is written down.
• Leaving out equipment. Radios, guard tour systems and gatehouse heaters cost money; include them or exclude them explicitly.

If the client also needs cameras, quote them separately with our CCTV installation quotation format so equipment and manned guarding each have their own terms.

You can prepare this quotation in our free invoice generator: set the title to "Quotation", add each post as a line with hours and rate, apply VAT and download the PDF. It takes a few minutes and needs no account.