Hidden agenda

When it's time to SORT OUT your CCTV installation works, there are a number of standard forms of contract (including the JCT, GC Works and NEC). Security managers ought to be aware that, if the contract terms are too arduous (for instance, in relation to the penalties imposed for late completion), suppliers may well refuse to accept them. Once under contract, they may act in a very contractual manner during the works to protect themselves from any penalties.

The message is clear. Comprehensively read through your own contract to ensure that you understand it. It's not uncommon for standard or company contracts to conflict with particular specifications produced by design consultants. This can lead to confusion and/or conflict.

A programme of works is very much your key project management tool, and should include the date of appointment, design, procurement, installation and completion date (including documentation and training). All key elements of the CCTV project should be identified. Remember to check progress on essential elements of the project before they become overdue rather than prevaricate and find that schedules have already slipped.

Ensure that your timescales are both realistic and achievable. Give the supplier(s) sufficient time to design, procure and test. If timescales are unrealistic, one small equipment failure or delivery delay will adversely affect the programme. Identify your key dates at the outset, and then instruct your contractor(s) to provide a programme of works as part of its quotation/tender submission.

Your contractor should provide evidence of carrying insurances for all risks, public liability, employee liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance (if they are carrying out design work as well). It's also important that you ask the installer to provide a schedule of rates for the addition or subtraction of any items they are providing. This may be per camera type, per metre of cable or containment, etc, as well as the build-up to the contract sum. Rates for all operatives - including working and ‘out-of-hours' periods - ought to be requested.

Confirm that the contractor provides costs for not only the first year warranty period, but also for maintenance in subsequent years. The security manager must define their expectation for response times for an engineer to attend site, availability period (ie 24/7 or working hours), call-out fees (including travel), hourly rates for attendance, mark-up on material costs, the provision of access equipment and response time to site if required (for example, mobile access platforms) as well as the number of preventative maintenance visits per annum.

Tender period and evaluation

Allow reasonable time for contractors to read the specifications, survey the locations, obtain quotations from their suppliers and prepare the quotation/tender return. This period should be at least two weeks for a small CCTV addition or four-to-six weeks for more significant installations. Indeed, larger contracts may well justify a formal mid-tender meeting to clarify the requirement and answer any questions that have arisen.

If you are not experienced in evaluating tenders ask a qualified security consultant to complete this task on your behalf. Tenders should contain a technical and commercial compliance matrix with comment against each clause. It takes experience to judge whether or not the solution is actually compliant in theory, and to verify the same post-installation.

If systems do not meet the specification, contractors should be discounted or asked to resubmit their application from scratch. Alternative bids may be reviewed, but to allow parity the base compliant bid should be evaluated on a like-for-like basis.

Trying to compare non-compliant responses will cause confusion, and may well lead to a proposal being selected that fails to meet the operational and technical criteria you have set out. Do not take statements of ‘equal' for granted without studying the detail. In truth, there is rarely a genuine bargain to be had.

Large variations in cost for items such as digital recorders should be investigated, ensuring that the storage capacity is equal (allowing for the correct resolution and frame rate, etc). It may be that you prefer to use your existing supplier for all works. However, they are unlikely to always be the cheapest.

Balance the long term view against the short term gain. Keep the whole process competitive. By doing so, this will assist you in making a decision based on value for money.

The framework contract

It's not uncommon for security managers to enter into a framework or partnership agreement. This will generally offer the contractor all of your works without requiring a competitive quote or tender, and can be of considerable advantage for multi-site installations (where the consistency of deployment and experiences from the same team will offer a number of tangible benefits).

Such an agreement should allow for pricing by standard schedules of rates for equipment, agreed labour rates and the mark-up on non-scheduled items including subcontracts (perhaps on an ‘open book' arrangement). Your security installer ought to be in a position to reduce its usual margins as the work is guaranteed - and will only involve work that results in a contract. Efficiencies should be higher due to greater experience, standardised documentation and improved purchasing power, etc. Security managers would need to audit such agreements on a regular basis.

Additional guidance and assistance can be obtained by employing either a chartered engineer with both contracting and security experience or, alternatively, a chartered quantity surveyor (www.rics.org.uk).

Installing covert CCTV

The installation of a covert CCTV system is usually an emotive subject within an organisation, but is becoming increasingly popular across both the public and private sectors. Unlike overt CCTV, which is generally installed as a proactive, preventative or deterrent measure, the consideration to install a covert CCTV system is usually reactive and normally undertaken with a view to obtaining evidence for either disciplinary or criminal proceedings. It forms part of an investigative process, and will usually have to be installed at short notice.

Any CCTV camera is considered to be covert if installed in a manner whereby its presence is deliberately concealed from the view of any person likely to be within the field of view of that camera. Cameras that are placed in domes or covered to reduce the likelihood of assessing the field of view (or to protect them from weather damage) would not be regarded as covert, provided that appropriate signs indicating the use of such cameras are displayed in the vicinity.

In addition to the basic issues associated with overt CCTV, there are a number of specific factors to bear in mind regarding covert installations. These include the legal requirements of installing concealed devices and the technical aspect of concealing the camera(s) and any recording equipment.

What follows is designed to provide practical guidance when considering the use of covert CCTV, whether the system is installed by an external specialist company, an existing overt CCTV supplier or by your in-house team. The main points to consider when installing covert CCTV are: "What do I need to know from a technical standpoint?" and: "What do I need to know in relation to the legal perspective?"

Major technical points to note

The following checklist highlights the different approach required for a quick turnaround covert installation covering issues and questions that have to be thought through and answered - either by yourself, the security manager, or your specialist contract supplier.

Some of the questions you need to ask may overlap with the overt School of Thought, but many are particular to covert surveillance. The main points to consider are as follows:

• what are the objectives of the proposed
• CCTV operation?
• Do you require identification of a scene,
• individuals or small items?
• what are the legal requirements of installing
• the concealed equipment?
• what are the timescales you are working to,
• and is there enough time for a reconnaissance to be conducted?
• what costs are you budgeting for (this will
• affect the type of installation chosen)?
• who is aware of the operation within your organisation? (an important factor to consider not only from a security perspective but, if others in the company are aware of your actions, they may be able to assist in the management of equipment once installed)
• access to the target area - will this be
• unrestricted or accompanied?
• is the target surveillance aware, and do they
• make for a hard or soft target?
• l where are you going to conceal the
• monitoring/recording equipment?
• is the target area in use 24/7 (how long will
• the installation team have to install the equipment)?
• is the target likely to search for a camera or
• recording equipment, and can you control the environment?
• l will any general maintenance issues in the building affect how the CCTV is deployed?