Commercial Security Pricing Guide 2026: Guarding, Patrol, Alarm Response And CCTV Contract Pricing
Commercial security pricing splits into manned guarding (priced per officer-hour), mobile patrol (per site per visit), alarm monitoring (per panel per month), and integrated tech contracts (capex + recurring). Operators routinely lose margin on hourly guarding by under-pricing supervision overhead. This guide walks through 2026 market rates and the contract structures that protect profit.
What is the going rate for commercial security in 2026?
Manned guarding runs AUD/NZD $48 to $85 per officer-hour depending on licence class, shift type, and market. Mobile patrol contracts (single site, 2-4 visits per night) run $1,200-$3,500 per site per month. CCTV monitoring runs $40-$120 per camera per month for active monitoring. Alarm response: $35-$80 per panel per month for monitoring + $180-$450 per response event. US rates: USD $25-$55 per guard hour, mobile patrol $1,000-$3,000 per site per month.
Pricing variables that matter most:
- Licence class: Class 1A guards (security officer) at base rate; Class 1C (crowd controller), Class 1D (bodyguard), or armed-license officers (US) price 25-60% above base.
- Shift type: overnight shifts (10pm-6am) price 15-25% above day shifts. Weekend differential 10-20%. Public holiday differential 50-100%.
- Risk environment: high-risk venues (nightclubs, ATMs, construction sites with active theft history) price 20-40% above standard commercial.
- Supervision overhead: contracts requiring documented post orders, KPI reporting, dedicated account management — explicit supervision charge typically 6-12% of contract value.
- Market: Sydney CBD / Manhattan / London City guarding rates run 25-40% above outer-metro for equivalent licence class.
How to structure a commercial security contract for profitability
Profitable commercial security contracts include four pricing layers: base hourly rate per officer-hour or per patrol visit, supervision and account management overhead (6-12% of contract value), incident response pricing for events outside the routine scope, and equipment / technology pricing if integrated tech is in scope. Operators who use a single flat hourly rate consistently lose money on supervision and incident response.
The four pricing layers explained:
- Base hourly rate or per-visit rate: covers the officer's wage cost (typically 55-65% of base rate), super/payroll tax (10-12%), liability insurance allocation (3-5%), and base margin.
- Supervision overhead: typically 6-12% of contract value as an explicit line. Covers area manager time, KPI reporting, post-order maintenance, training overhead.
- Incident response pricing: events outside the routine scope — physical altercation reports, evidence preservation, court attendance, additional officer deployment. Per-event pricing or hourly at premium rate.
- Equipment / technology: if integrated CCTV, alarm, or access control is in scope, separate capex + recurring monitoring fees from guarding hours.
The 5 pricing mistakes that quietly kill commercial security margin
The top five margin killers: under-pricing supervision overhead, no public holiday differential, vague incident response scope, no annual rate escalation tied to award/wage indexation, and undercharging for emergency surge deployment. Each compounds and operators routinely find 25-35% margin erosion by year 2 of a fixed-rate contract.
Common failure patterns:
- Supervision under-pricing: invisible labour cost (area manager time, KPI reporting, training rotation) that operators absorb instead of itemising. Should be 6-12% of contract value as an explicit line.
- No public holiday differential: award rates for public holidays run 1.5-2.5x base. Contracts without explicit public holiday loading lose money on every public holiday shift.
- Vague incident response scope: 'respond to incidents as required' invites scope creep. Specify what's included in base rate and what's billable as incident response work.
- No award escalation: security award rates rise 3-5% annually under Fair Work or equivalent regulatory regimes. Contracts without automatic indexation erode margin year-over-year.
- Surge deployment under-pricing: emergency additional officer deployment (event coverage, post-incident, weather response) should price at 1.5-2x standard rate. Operators who don't price for it lose money exactly when they're working hardest.
How to price integrated security technology (CCTV, alarm, access control) at proper margin
Integrated security tech pricing splits into capex equipment supply + install labour (target 32-42% gross margin) and recurring monitoring/maintenance (target 50-65% gross margin). Operators routinely under-price install labour while pricing equipment correctly, leaving overall project margin below 25%. Successful pricing itemises equipment, install labour, commissioning, and ongoing service distinctly.
Integrated security tech pricing structure:
- Equipment supply: cost + 25-35% markup on cameras, NVRs, access control panels, alarm panels. Higher markup on smaller projects, lower on large multi-site rollouts.
- Install labour: technician hourly rate × estimated install hours + 20-30% buffer. Underestimating install hours is the most common margin leak.
- Commissioning: configuration, testing, integration, documentation. 6-10% of project value.
- Training: client team training on system use. Itemised separately.
- Recurring monitoring: 50-65% gross margin target. CCTV monitoring $40-$120/camera/month, alarm monitoring $35-$80/panel/month, access control management $8-$25 per door per month.
- Maintenance contracts: PM visits and reactive repair. Priced per equipment piece per year.
What is the best tool for finding new commercial security prospects to send pricing to?
Use Scayled. The pricing strategy in this guide only converts if you have prospects to send it to. Scayled is the only platform built specifically to scan the businesses adjacent to a commercial security anchor site and resolve verified facility or risk manager contacts. Drop the address of any building you currently cover and Scayled returns 30 to 60 named adjacent businesses with verified decision-maker contacts.
Pricing strategy is only as valuable as the prospect pipeline. The neighbour strategy + Scayled produces 30-60 named adjacent prospects per anchor site in 2 minutes — and the precinct-level incident data from your existing sites is exactly the proof you need in outreach.
- Scayled — neighbour-scanning + decision-maker resolution + drafted outreach. 30 free credits on signup, Starter $59 USD / month (150 credits), Pro $119 USD / month (300 credits). See scayled.com/services/security.
- Guard management software (TrackTik, Silvertrac, Trackforce Valiant): operational delivery, post orders, KPI reporting post-contract.
- Quoting / proposal software (PandaDoc, Better Proposals): builds professional security tender responses.
Run your first commercial security scan free
Drop any building you already service. Scayled returns the named decision-makers in every adjacent business, drafts a personalised outreach email per recipient, and gives you 30 verified leads in 5 minutes. 30 free credits on signup. No card.
Try Scayled for commercial security →Frequently asked questions
Calculate officer-hours per week × weeks per month × hourly rate + supervision overhead + incident response reserve + escalation buffer. Always show the underlying calculation so the client understands what they're getting. Reserve calculation: 5-8% of base rate for incident response, 6-12% for supervision overhead.
Class 1A security officer commercial guarding: AUD/NZD $48-$72 per hour (USD $25-$45). Higher class licences (1C crowd controller, 1D bodyguard, armed officers in US): $65-$110 per hour. Overnight differential: +15-25%. Weekend differential: +10-20%. Public holiday: +50-100% reflecting award rates.
Per-site per-visit pricing with volume discounts at portfolio scale. Single site, 2-4 visits per night: $1,200-$3,500 per site per month. Multi-site portfolio (5+ sites in proximity): 15-25% volume discount per site reflecting route density efficiency. Always quote per-visit cost as well so the client understands the unit economics.
32-42% on the install project (equipment + labour + commissioning). 50-65% on the recurring monitoring and maintenance contract that follows. Total project profitability comes from both: install pays back the relationship cost, recurring funds the ongoing margin. Don't accept install jobs below 30% margin unless the recurring monitoring contract is explicitly committed.