Resources / Proposal template
Free Template
Security proposal template
for guard service bids
Most lost bids are not lost on price alone; they are lost on a proposal that never showed the client how the service would be staffed, measured and reported. This security proposal template gives you the thirteen sections a buyer looks for — scope, post orders summary, staffing, pricing, service levels and reporting — as a PDF outline and an Excel file whose pricing table does the arithmetic.
Free download — no sign-up
US Letter, blank. No rates are pre-filled; the only filled line is marked EXAMPLE.
The template, section by section
Delete any section the RFP does not ask for rather than leaving it empty.
1. Cover
Who it is for (client, contact, title), who it is from, the date submitted, how long the prices are valid and the RFP reference. A validity date protects you when a decision drags on past a wage increase.
2. Executive summary
Half a page, written last: the client's problem in their own words, what you will do about it, the staffing in one line, the price in one line and why your company. Many evaluators read nothing else.
3. Our understanding of the site
What you learned on the walk-through — the site, the hours, the risks, what went wrong before. It is the section that shows you listened, and the one a copy-paste competitor cannot fake.
4. Scope of services
A table of every post or service: location on site, days, hours and hours per week. The hours column is what the price is built on, so it has to add up.
5. Post orders summary
For each post, its purpose, key duties and escalation path. A summary, not the full orders — enough for the client to confirm you understood what each position is for.
6. Staffing plan
Positions, quantity, license or qualification, site training and armed or unarmed. Then supervision, relief and backfill: who supervises, how often they visit, how a call-off is covered and how fast.
7. Pricing
Post, hours per week, bill rate, weekly, monthly and annual totals — blank placeholders in the PDF, calculated in the Excel file. Below it, the terms that cause disputes later: holidays, overtime, ad-hoc hours, rate adjustment for wage changes, and invoicing and payment terms.
8. Service levels
Measurable commitments with a target, how each is measured and how it is reported: post coverage, patrol completion, time to notify the client of a serious incident, time to deliver a written report, response to client requests and officer replacement. The targets are left blank — set only what you can prove.
9. Reporting and communication
Which reports the client receives, how often, in what format and to whom: daily activity reports, incident reports, a monthly service report and account review meetings.
10. Transition and start-up
Dates for hiring, site training, post orders sign-off and the first shift, and the client's single point of contact during start-up.
11. Licensing and insurance
Company license numbers and state, general liability, workers' compensation and any other coverage the RFP asks for, with certificates attached.
12. References and 13. Acceptance
References the client can actually call, and signature lines for both parties.
Three pricing rules the table assumes
Build the rate before you fill the table
The bill rate is pay rate plus burden plus overhead plus margin. Work it out first with the guard bill rate calculator, then carry the number into the table — not the other way round.
Monthly is not weekly times four
The Excel file uses weekly × 52 ÷ 12, about 4.33 weeks a month. Quoting four weeks a month under-prices every contract by roughly 8 percent.
Price the terms, not just the hours
Holiday rates, overtime caused by the client, short-notice extra hours and a rate adjustment when wages rise are where margin is won or lost after signing. Put them in writing in section 7b.
Work out the rate with the guard bill rate calculator, and read how to price security guard services and bill rate vs. pay rate before you commit to a number.
Guides for writing the rest
Questions about security proposals
What goes into a security proposal template?+
A cover, an executive summary, your understanding of the site, the scope of services, a post orders summary, the staffing plan, pricing and pricing terms, service levels, reporting, the transition plan, licensing and insurance, references and acceptance. This security proposal template sets those out as thirteen sections in a PDF and an Excel file.
Is it free? Is there a form?+
Free, no form and no email address. Both files download directly from this page, and you can put your own name and logo on them.
Does the Excel file calculate prices?+
Yes. Enter hours per week and your bill rate for each post and it calculates weekly, monthly (weekly × 52 ÷ 12) and annual totals. No rates are pre-filled — they are yours to set.
Should I use this when the RFP has its own format?+
Follow the RFP's format and order exactly — evaluators score against their own list. Use this template as a checklist to make sure nothing the client did not think to ask for is missing, such as relief, reporting and rate adjustment terms.
How specific should the service levels be?+
Specific enough to measure, and no more ambitious than you can prove every month. A commitment you cannot evidence becomes the client's argument at renewal.
What if the client asks about technology?+
Describe what the client will actually see — which reports, how quickly, and through what channel — in section 9, rather than listing software names. Clients buy the evidence, not the tool.
Promise reporting you can deliver
Section 9 is easier to write when the reporting already exists. Used by 600+ security companies worldwide, CGuardPro gives each of your clients their own portal with the verified tours at their sites, activity reports with photos, incident reports, and automatic notices when their officer clocks in and out.