In Part One we talked about the day-to-day convenience of having your CCTV and fire alarm managed by one company. One invoice, one point of contact, one engineer who actually knows your building.
In this part we want to get into the numbers. Because while the admin benefits are real, the financial case is just as strong, and it is one that does not always get talked about clearly.
The Costs You Do Not Budget For
Most businesses look at their annual service contracts and think they know what they are spending on fire and security. What they often do not account for are the costs that sit around those contracts.
Every time a fault is spotted during one contractor’s visit that turns out to be connected to the other system, that is another call-out. Another engineer. Another invoice. And because neither company has agreed to deal with the other’s equipment, both are perfectly entitled to charge for their time separately.
Then there is the time cost. Someone in your business has to coordinate two separate maintenance visits, field two sets of service reports, and liaise with two different companies when anything needs sorting. That might not sound like much on its own but across a year it adds up, especially if you have more than one site to manage.
What a Bundled Contract Actually Gives You
When we put together a combined maintenance package covering both fire alarms and CCTV, the pricing reflects the fact that we are already on your site, already familiar with your systems, and already dealing with both at once. You are not paying double for two separate service visits when one will cover everything.
More importantly, you get predictability. One agreed annual or monthly fee, clearly scoped, with no ambiguity about what is and is not included. If something needs attention outside of a scheduled visit, you know exactly who to call and what the terms are. There are no surprises.
For a lot of our clients, that predictability is worth as much as the direct cost saving. When you are running a business, unexpected invoices from contractors are genuinely disruptive, and a well-structured contract removes that risk entirely.
Planning Ahead Instead of Reacting
Here is something that comes up regularly with clients who have been managing their systems separately for a few years. They have no real visibility on when things are going to need replacing.
Their fire alarm company knows about the fire alarm. Their CCTV company knows about the cameras. But nobody is sitting down with them and saying, right, your panel is getting on a bit, your cameras are an older model, and here is a sensible timeline for thinking about upgrades across both systems.
That is what we try to do. When we are responsible for both, we can give you a proper overview of where everything stands and when you are likely to need to invest in something new. That means you can plan for it, budget for it, and make a considered decision rather than scrambling because something has failed at an inconvenient moment.
It also means we can sequence upgrades sensibly. There is not much point replacing your fire alarm panel the same month your CCTV infrastructure needs a full overhaul. A single provider can stagger that kind of investment in a way that works for your budget.
Your Insurer Will Have Questions. Make Sure You Have Answers.
Insurance for commercial premises almost always takes into account the condition and maintenance record of fire and security systems. Insurers want to know that fire alarms are being serviced to the required standard and that CCTV is in working order and being maintained properly.
If your records are held with two different contractors, pulling that information together at renewal time is a hassle you could do without. And if anything has slipped through the cracks, perhaps a service visit that got rescheduled and never rebooked, that is the kind of gap that can cause a real problem if you ever need to make a claim.
A single consolidated service record held by one provider gives you a much cleaner picture to present. Everything is in one place, properly documented, and easy to hand over. Some insurers will take that into account. It is worth asking your broker.
The Fire Safety Compliance Piece
It is worth being specific about this. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a legal duty on the responsible person for a premises to ensure fire precautions are maintained. That includes making sure your fire alarm system is regularly serviced by a competent person.
If a fire safety inspector visits your premises and asks to see your maintenance records, you need to be able to produce them. If your fire alarm contractor is a separate company you have not heard from in a while, that conversation can get uncomfortable quickly.
Having a current, up to date maintenance contract with a company that you actually have a relationship with is the straightforward way to stay on the right side of that requirement. When we manage your fire alarm alongside your CCTV, you always know where your records are and who to speak to.
Worth Having a Conversation
We are not going to pretend that switching providers is completely effortless. There is always a bit of admin involved in moving from one arrangement to another. But for most of our clients, it has been a one-off job that they were glad they got around to.
If you are currently paying two companies to look after systems that could quite easily be managed by one, and you have a vague sense that it is probably costing you more than it should, it probably is.
Give us a call on 01254 416247 or email enquiries@247protection.co.uk and we can talk through what your current set-up looks like and whether there is a better way to do it. No hard sell, just a straight conversation.
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