Official UK procurement notice
PROVISION OF SECURITY GUARDING SERVICES FOR BRITISH EMBASSY HARARE
Authority: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Contractor will be responsible for delivering a fully managed guarding solution, including static posts, foot patrols, mobile response, alarm monitoring, and a 24/7 command-and-control capability. Staffing levels, supervision, shift patterns and rotation arrangements must always ensure operational resilience and continuity.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Nov 2032, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: The procurement will be conducted using a Competitive Flexible Procedure. Suppliers will submit technical and commercial tenders, which will be evaluated against the published evaluation criteria. Following the initial evaluation, the Authority may seek clarifications and may negotiate with the highest-scoring supplier to optimise the contractual, technical and commercial arrangements. A preferred supplier stage may then be undertaken to finalise contractual and mobilisation arrangements before contract award. The Authority reserves the right not to undertake these additional stages and may proceed directly to award based on the initial tenders. If negotiations with the highest-scoring supplier result in that supplier no longer representing the Most Advantageous Tender, the Authority may approach the second-placed supplier.
CPV: Security services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£1,494,082
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (6)
- MOBILIZATION: 15%
- SERVICE DELIVERY: 15%
- RESOURCES, STAFF AND TRAINING: 10%
- RISK MANAGEMENT: 10%
- QUALITY ASSURANCE, CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT: 10%
- Commercial: 40%
Published award criteria (6)
- MOBILIZATION
- SERVICE DELIVERY
- RESOURCES, STAFF AND TRAINING
- RISK MANAGEMENT
- QUALITY ASSURANCE, CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
- Commercial
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £995,146 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office buys Security services (CPV 7971): the notice lists a non-UK location
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s published record is shown without a UK market comparison because the notice lists a non-UK delivery location. Check the notice description and tender documents for the actual site. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Security services (CPV 7971) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
The notice lists delivery in Zimbabwe, so this procedure has no confirmed single UK region; the buyer’s figure reads its other awards, each against its own delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 97 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid13%
2–362%
4–621%
7+5%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate23%
Within ±2%31%
Above estimate46%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Published estimate£1.5m
This lot lists only non-UK delivery addresses. Supplier examples below come from UK award history and are not checked for this delivery area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
This lot has only non-UK delivery countries in its published addresses, so the UK model forecast is withheld.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safeguard Security (Pvt) LtdEarlier contract | Provision of Security Guarding Services for British Embassy Hararenotice published Dec 2021 | — | £1.4m | Matched as the earlier contract |
| Catexis SRLWorked for this buyer | CPG/13364/2026 - Security Guarding Services for the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentinaruns to Jul 2029 | — | £916k | Similar wording and category |
| All In One SecurityWorked for this buyer | Provision of Security Guarding Services at British Embassy Niameynotice published Sept 2024 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| G4S Secure Solutions (Trinidad) Limited.Worked for this buyer | Provision of Security Guarding Service for the High Commission and Residence in Port of Spainnotice published Jul 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| Company of Security and Service GlobalWorked for this buyer | Provision of Security Guarding Services for the British Embassy in Caracasnotice published Feb 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £32m2 awards in 36m · last 26 months ago | 2 live · £32m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=2 | |
| — | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| £916k1 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 1 live · £916k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 44% below n=1 | |
| £5.5m1 awards in 36m · last 22 months ago | 1 live · £5.5m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 37% above n=1 | |
Ambassador HotelLarge | £265k1 awards in 36m · last 28 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
100% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
100% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (100% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
Provision of Security Guarding Services for British Embassy Harare — held by Safeguard Security (Pvt) Ltd; no contract end date published.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Defence & security
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Nov 2032
- First published
- 20 Apr 2026, 09:42 BST
- Last source update
- 16 Oct 2026, 10:52 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Feb 2027
- Authority reference
CPH/13631/2027- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-097789- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0685e0Find a Tender
- How it runs
The procurement will be conducted using a Competitive Flexible Procedure. Suppliers will submit technical and commercial tenders, which will be evaluated against the published evaluation criteria. Following the initial evaluation, the Authority may seek clarifications and may negotiate with the highest-scoring supplier to optimise the contractual, technical and commercial arrangements. A preferred supplier stage may then be undertaken to finalise contractual and mobilisation arrangements before contract award. The Authority reserves the right not to undertake these additional stages and may proceed directly to award based on the initial tenders. If negotiations with the highest-scoring supplier result in that supplier no longer representing the Most Advantageous Tender, the Authority may approach the second-placed supplier.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Jaggaer- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 10 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 5 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Suppliers should access the FCDO eSourcing portal (Jaggaer) to view and participate in the opportunity referenced in this notice. Suppliers who are not yet registered should complete the online registration process at fcdo.bravosolution.co.uk ↗.
All communications and clarification questions must be submitted through the messaging facility within the portal. Responses may be shared with all interested suppliers to ensure a fair and transparent process.
The information provided in this notice is indicative only and may be subject to change. The Authority reserves the right not to proceed with any procurement or contractual arrangement.
Timeline
20 Apr 2026 → 1 May 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published185 days ago20 Apr 2026, 09:42 BST
- Market engagement171 days ago4 May 2026, 23:59 BST
The Authority wishes to undertake Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) in a proportionate and transparent manner to help refine the upcoming procurement for Security Guarding Services for British Embassy Harare.
This notice is issued to inform the market of an upcoming procurement opportunity and to engage with potential suppliers prior to the launch of a formal tender exercise.
Objectives of the PME
Through this engagement, the Authority aims to:
- Understand supplier capability and capacity to deliver
- Explore operating models
- Test approaches to staffing and workforce management.
- Validate compliance and governance.
- Explore commercial approaches.
This engagement is conducted under PA23 s.16 to help prepare the procurement and will be managed to avoid unfair advantage or distortion of competition.
Registration Instructions
Register on portal → Express Interest → Download Pack → Submit questionnaire by deadline.
Disclaimer
This engagement is not a call for competition. Participation is optional, not evaluated, and does not affect eligibility to bid. Participation will not affect the ability of suppliers to compete in any future procurement.
PME Questionnaire Pack
Suppliers are requested to answer the following questions:
- Organisation legal name, registration number, and local presence
- Security company licensing and regulatory approvals applicable in the host country
- Experience delivering security guarding services in high risk, diplomatic, or critical environments in Harare.
- Proposed service delivery and supervision model
- Vetting, training, and staff rotation approach
- Command, control, communications, and incident management capability
- Compliance with international security standards / codes of conduct
- Key operational risks and market constraints
- Cost model transparency (non binding)
- Declaration of conflicts of interest
- Data Protection and information security controls
Responses will be used solely to inform the Authority’s procurement strategy.
Contracting Authority Details
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Public Procurement Organisation Number: PXRR 8771 PHVX
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom
Organisation type: Public authority – central government
Contact name: [Insert name]
Email: [Insert email]
Website:
- Next notice expected164 days ago11 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published6 days ago16 Oct 2026, 10:47 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 14 days5 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 19 days10 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 102 days1 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 190 days1 May 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
8 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 20 Apr 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published20 Apr 2026, 09:42 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published20 Apr 2026, 10:00 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published16 Oct 2026, 10:47 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £1,494,08216 Oct 2026, 10:47 BSTwas £0
- Status changed to active16 Oct 2026, 10:47 BST
- Procurement method changed16 Oct 2026, 10:47 BST
- Deadline published: 10 Nov 2026, 14:00 GMT16 Oct 2026, 10:47 BST
- Tender notice published16 Oct 2026, 10:52 BSTUK4
Published amendments (1)
Additional information on the engagement process.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-04: 1 release · 20 Apr 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender