What is the ACS audit and why is it important

The Security Industry Authority's (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) is a voluntary quality assurance programme for the UK's private security industry. The ACS audit process assesses companies against a large number of stringent performance indicators across seven main headings: strategy, service-delivery, commercial relationship management, financial management, resources, people and leadership. The ACS Pacesetters is an associ tion in the UK security industry that promotes the top 15% of contract security guarding companies based on their performance in the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).

4 Site Security is fully committed to taking part in the annual ACS programme. We believe that it helps us to benchmark our activities, to learn, to celebrate our successes and to grow and develop as a business with a strong foundation and future

As well as helping a security company stand out from the crowd to become a supplier of choice and bring in new business, it demonstrates a commitment to acting responsibly and with integrity through best working practices and a commitment to a customer-focused service.

Our aim to keep improving in this way is based on our company values and our passion for helping our security officers to enjoy their work and be the best they can be. A large part of the ACS criteria is based on people and how we provide structure and support to our officers. It is important for us to provide a solid foundation and working environment where officers can do their job well and develop with the company too.

The ACS accreditation mark enables companies who are looking to secure private security services to distinguish between potential suppliers and identify you as a business they can trust.

Read on to find out more about how we did in this year’s ACS audit.

Charlotte King, 4 Site Security Compliance Officer

Proud to achieve ACS Pacesetters Standards

We are delighted to announce that we achieved an increase of 12% in scoring since the previous like-for-like ACS audit and that this has resulted in our achieving The ACS Pacesetters level. The ACS Pacesetters is an association in the UK security industry that promotes the top 15% of contract security guarding companies based on their performance in the Security Industry Authority's (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).

 

 

Some highlights from our latest ACS audit report

Here are some of the key successes and comments from the audit report:

  • Our managers have a good understanding of legislative requirements, including service related codes of practice, which are regularly checked as part of our own internal audit process.
  • Having met our 2023 financial targets, we have set ourselves a strategic growth plan for the coming year and are already well on track to overachieving this.
  • We have implemented various initiatives regarding our approach to corporate social responsibility which have been shared via our staff and customer newsletters.
  • Our company values were relaunched with each member of management involved in delivering a presentation to all staff across all sites to improve understanding.
  • Employees spoken to were well versed in what was required at each of the sites visited and were able to verify they had been appropriately inducted and trained with access to up-to-date assignment instructions.
  • Some employees, who had previously TUPEd over, felt that they were visited and supported more now that they work for 4 Site Security.
  • Employees stated that additional information about the approach of the business was regularly shared as part of the regular company newsletters that they received.
  • Customers confirmed that they had recommended 4 Site Security as a service provider to other associates.
  • We have excellent financial controls in place including regular monitoring of budgets and forecasting at client level.
  • We have recently invested in new vehicles which are fitted with secure locking facilities and tracked through a live system displayed in our control room.
  • We conduct regular internal meetings to review performance and discuss opportunities and have implemented and recorded more detailed targets aligned to our critical success factors for each department.

 

 

 

Thank you

Thank you to everyone involved for their hard work in supporting the audit this year, on top of your very busy work schedules, and to our fantastic teams on our client sites who walk the 4 Site Way each day and help us achieve the high professional standards that we are so proud of.

We are delighted with the results and will use feedback from the ACS audit to focus our progress and future development. Guided by our values of Support, Integrity, Trust and Excellence, we will continually invest in raising standards for our colleagues and our customers.

Ashley Kirk, Managing Director