Union, Associations and Government Form Alliance to Encourage Outcome-Based Contracting in Security Industry

Security agencies facing manpower challenges and wishing to move towards outcome-based contracting (OBC) will now have dedicated support.

The new Security Tripartite Alliance for Responsible Outcome-Based Contracting (STAR) will pool existing efforts and push for greater OBC adoption across the private security industry.

The alliance was launched on 4 November 2022 at the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE).

STAR was formed by the Association of Certified Security Agencies (ACSA), Security Association of Singapore (SAS), Security Systems Association Singapore (SSAS) and the Union of Security Employees (USE), with support from NTUC and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The parties officiated the alliance with a memorandum of understanding. Home Affairs Minister of State Sun Xueling witnessed the signing.

With the focus on outcomes rather than headcount, OBC looks to be a game changer to transform the industry, improve outcomes for service buyers and security agencies, and enable security officers to take on value-added roles.

For All Things OBC

Results from a survey conducted by the Home Affairs Ministry in 2020 indicated that the private security industry showed interest in adopting OBC.

About seven in 10 service buyers expressed interest in doing so, yet adoption rates stand at only 6 per cent.

With the launch, service buyers, security agencies, and security officers can tap on the alliance’s one-stop services, ranging from contracting matters to training resources, to shift towards OBC.

This transition will take the ATM approach, which comprises security assessments of the site, implementation of suitable security technology and deployment of the necessary manpower.

STAR will also recommend appropriate training for officers beyond the requirements of the security Progressive Wage Model.

USE General Secretary Raymond Chin said: “USE and our tripartite partners have been driving efforts to improve the adoption of OBC in the private security industry for many years. A dedicated one-stop service can guide service buyers and agencies on the OBC journey from start to end.”

He added that the effort would help security officers adapt and use technology to do well in their jobs.

“As a tripartite alliance supported by NTUC, we are confident that STAR will be able to serve the needs of the industry towards one that catalyses the use of security technologies with manpower,” said Mr Chin.

In addition, STAR will assist service buyers in applying for the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant, which can fund up to 70 per cent of their technology implementation costs.

To qualify for the grant, companies must set up a CTC with NTUC and include either wage increases for security officers or have career development plans for them.

The alliance will also look into removing unfair and discriminatory contracts and improving workplace safety and health standards at worksites.

Higher-Value Jobs for Workers

The tripartite-backed alliance is also planning to help the wider built environment cluster to move towards integrated facilities management.

The move will enable security officers, facility management officers, and managing agents to upskill to take on additional roles in facilities management to meet the needs of deployment sites. In doing so, workers will be able to progress in their careers and have better wages and work prospects.

One such security officer is Shaheda Abdul Gaffor, 58, who has been deployed at the CDE site at Pasir Panjang Road for the last two years.

After completing the Fundamentals of Building Services and Safety course, she earns $200 more by performing additional duties such as servicing faulty airconditioners and shower heads and attending to power trips and water leakages from toilets.

“We don’t find [facilities management work] very difficult, and it gives us a lot of benefits. We weren’t able to do [such work] when we were security [officers]. Now we are trained to do some of these things … That gives us an added value to the company and ourselves,” said the security supervisor with Hillcrest Security & Management.

If given a chance to upskill, she plans to take more facilities management courses to improve herself.

For more information on OBC, contact STAR at trainandtransform@ntuc.org.sg.