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International SecurityLigue

Ligue

The inspiration for the International Security Ligue came from four visionaries in 1933, creating it to serve as a platform to promote, advance, and professionalize the private security services industry.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

7 Mar 2025

Along with two global partners, the International Security Ligue is undertaking an extensive data analysis project of public procurement practices in contracts for physical security services. We have just started this review, but some data points are immediately raising red flags. For example, in Germany, based on thousands of contracts we examined, one half of all guard services contacts are based on price only criteria (the award automatically goes to the qualified bid with the lowest price). In Italy, nearly half of such contracts are judged on price only criteria. This is a disturbing finding. We believe fixating on price in matters of public safety is wrong. And, of course, this does not mean that quality measures are sufficiently weighted in the other half of contracts; it only means that something other than price is even considered. Cost is an important element but should not be determinative in public tenders for guard services. Indeed, it is troubling, given the essential nature of security, that price only criteria would even be permitted in public tenders for security services; that half of such contracts are judged in this manner is unconscionable. The criteria for public contracts for security must be focused on quality, which the current directive does not ensure. We sincerely hope that this will be a point of consideration during revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive 2014/24. (Each of the Ligue's member companies are legally separate and independent entities and are not individually responsible for the content of this submission and the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the entirety of its members.)
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