The verdict in three sentences
For a London guarding company with 1,100 officers and 140 sites, purpose-built software costs GBP 15,600 to 39,000 in 2026 (about 12 to 30 million FCFA) for rotas, QR or NFC check-ins, GPS-tracked patrols, digital occurrence books and billing. The main gain comes from contractual service credits for unfilled shifts, which drop by about 70% once absences are detected in real time. Add tighter control of overtime and the project pays for itself within 2 months.
Why absences cost so much
The operations director of a London security firm manages very different sites: banks in the City, residential blocks in Canary Wharf, warehouses in Park Royal, construction sites in Stratford. Rotas are built in Excel, start-of-shift calls go to the control room by phone, and a missed night shift is often discovered by the client the next morning. Contracts include a service credit per unfilled shift, typically GBP 80 to 200. With 260 unfilled shifts a month at GBP 120, the bill reaches GBP 31,200 a month, or GBP 374,400 a year.
The software flips the logic: the officer checks in at the start of the shift, a no-show triggers an alert after 15 minutes and the scheduler instantly sees available relief officers nearby, with a valid SIA licence for that role.
What the software costs in 2026
| Module | 2026 cost (GBP, excl. VAT) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Rotas and cover | 3,900 to 9,100 | 12-hour shifts, relief pool, no-show alerts, rest rules, SIA licence expiry |
| QR or NFC check-in app | 3,250 to 7,800 | Start and end of shift, photo, offline mode |
| GPS-tracked patrols | 2,600 to 6,500 | Checkpoints, timings, missed patrols |
| Occurrence book and incidents | 1,300 to 3,900 | Mobile entry, photos, automatic client report |
| Billing on actual hours | 1,950 to 5,200 | Per-site services, deduction of unfilled shifts |
| Payroll preparation | 1,300 to 3,900 | Nights, Sundays, bank holidays, overtime |
| Client portal | 1,300 to 2,600 | Patrol reports, incidents, invoices |
| Total | 15,600 to 39,000 | Delivered in 3 to 6 months |
Annual maintenance runs at 12 to 18% of the build cost. Field hardware is budgeted separately, depending on the check-in method you choose.
Choosing the check-in method
Check-in is the heart of the system: if it can be bypassed, everything else is wrong. Here are the 2026 options for a guarded site in London.
| Method | Cost per site | Reliability | Fraud risk | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper signing-in sheet | Almost nil | Low | High, signed after the fact | Phase out |
| Call to control room | Operator time | Medium | Medium, call from elsewhere | Backup only |
| Laminated QR code | GBP 2 | Good | Photo of the QR possible | Low-risk sites |
| Sealed NFC tag | GBP 1 to 3 per tag | Very good | Low | Patrols and shift starts |
| Supervisor smartphone | GBP 150 to 220, plus GBP 6 to 10 a month of data | Very good with GPS | Low with photo and location | Sensitive sites |
| NFC plus geolocation | GBP 160 to 230 | Excellent | Very low | Banks, data centres, critical infrastructure |
The app must work offline: check-ins are stored on the phone and synced as soon as the signal returns, which matters in basements, car parks and large warehouses.
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Expected gains
| Indicator | Before | After | Annual effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service credits for unfilled shifts | GBP 374,400 | GBP 112,320 | GBP 262,080 saved |
| Overtime hours | 9,000 h a month | 6,300 h a month | GBP 210,600 saved at a GBP 6.50 premium |
| Monthly billing cycle | 12 days | 3 days | Cash collected sooner |
| Disputed invoices | 18% of clients | 5% of clients | Fewer credit notes |
| Full-time schedulers | 3 | 2 | One role redeployed |
Mini case study
Kwame, operations director of a guarding company in London, selects a GBP 28,000 project. He equips the 140 site supervisors with a GBP 180 smartphone (GBP 25,200) and pays GBP 8 of data per device per month (GBP 13,440 a year). With GBP 4,200 of maintenance, year one costs GBP 70,840. Combined gains reach GBP 262,080 on service credits and GBP 210,600 on overtime, or GBP 472,680. Payback comes in under 2 months, and the reliable patrol data becomes a selling point in the next tender.
FAQ
Can officers without a smartphone check in? Yes: one phone per site, held by the supervisor, is enough to scan the whole team's NFC badges. The cost stays around GBP 180 per site.
What happens when there is no signal? The app records check-ins offline with a locked phone clock, then syncs when the connection returns. Fewer than 2% of check-ins arrive late in typical deployments.
Does the software run payroll? It prepares the variables (nights, Sundays, bank holidays, overtime, London Living Wage uplifts) and exports them to your payroll software. That module costs GBP 1,300 to 3,900.
Can clients see the patrols? Yes, through a portal or an automatic report sent every morning, with checkpoint times and photographed incidents. It is a strong argument at contract renewal.
How long does implementation take? From 3 to 6 months, with a one-month pilot on 15 to 20 sites before rolling out to all 140.
Let's scope your project. We define your rotas, check-in method and billing for a budget between GBP 15,600 and 39,000, with a 20-site pilot in 10 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
