2025-41_Armed_Security_Guards_(Specifications).pdf

ARMED SECURITY GUARDS SPECIFICATIONS

1.0 Scope of Work

The Vendor shall provide the City of Newark with armed security guard services according to the specifications provided herein for the surveillance and protection of the interior and exterior of authorized

City locations set forth in the Protection and Surveillance Schedule, attached as Attachment #1.

2.0 Vendor Requirements

1. The Vendor must demonstrate the ability to perform a security guard contract of this magnitude and scope as specified through work experience and financial stability.

2. The Vendor is required to be licensed by the New Jersey State Police to operate a Security Guard

Service, as applicable, and must submit copy of their license with their bid proposal. When the license expires, the Vendor must submit a copy of the new license.

3. The Vendor and all security guard assigned to work under this contract must be in full compliance with the Security Officer Registration Act (SORA), pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:19A-1, et seq. The

Vendor shall furnish proof of compliance with SORA of each security guard assigned to work under this contract. Copies of the SORA certificates must be provided prior to performing any work for the City. The Vendor is required to provide copies of the annually-renewed SORA certificates for all of its security guard personnel.

4. The Vendor shall not permit any newly hired, re-hired, or transferred security guard to work under this contract until said security guard is in full compliance with the SORA. When new security guards are assigned, the SORA information must be given to the City at least two (2) working days prior to their assignment, allowing the City to interview the security guard, review the security’s guard’s file, and conduct additional background checks if necessary. If the City decides to interview the Vendor’s security guards or conduct additional background checks, the Vendor shall not assign that security guard until they have received approval from the City.

5. The City may request an interview with any of Vendor’s security guards and may conduct additional background checks if allowed by law, prior to the placement of the security guard, or at any time during their placement at any authorized City location under this contract. The Vendor shall submit to the City the required forms for each individual security guard assigned prior to placement.

6. Vendor and all security assigned to work under this contract are required to comply with the following qualifications as it pertains to the armed security guard personnel assigned under this contract:

i. Certification in use of firearms by the Police Training Commission of New Jersey

ii. Written proof that the armed security guard has successfully completed a handgun safety course for proficiency with handguns.

iii. Documentation of the armed security guard’s qualification in a semiannual qualification course.

iv. A current and valid firearm permit issued by the State of New Jersey. The permit shall not be transferrable from one (1) security guard to another. As new security guards are added, proof of permits for each new security guard must be submitted by the Vendor to the City before a new armed security guard can begin a tour of duty. Proof of a valid permit shall remain on file at each site an armed security guard is assigned during the term of the contract, including any permissible extensions.

v. A properly issued gun provided by the individual or the Vendor.

vi. Weapons and ammunition utilized in the performance of services must be carried into and out of authorized City locations. Weapons and ammunition shall not be stored on any authorized City location.

vii. A valid Security Officer Registration Act card which must be carried with them at all times during work hours. A copy of the card is to be submitted by the Vendor for all of their security guard personnel before the start of the contract and updated when revised for renewal or a new security guard.

viii. Firearms shall be carried by armed security guards at all times while on duty. At no time will the firearm be concealed.

ix. Shotguns and rifles are prohibited under this contract.

7. All security guard personnel employed by the Vendor shall be properly trained and shall process all certifications required by the law to provide security guard services at all authorized City locations. The training shall include, but not be limited to, the specific duties required to be performed at the designated City locations prior to beginning the assignment. The Vendor will provide a general orientation meeting for all of its security guard personnel to review the specific security requirements for each authorized City location.

8. The Vendor shall not receive any additional compensation for any training of its security guard personnel required to carry out the City’s security guard services. All training and orientation required to carry out the City’s security guard services will be paid by the Vendor as part of their proposed hourly rate and will not be eligible for any additional payment.

9. The Vendor must have a stationary twenty-four (24) hour manned command dispatch center.

Procedural and operation manuals for the dispatch center must be submitted to the City prior to award of the contract and are subject to approval of the Director of the City of Newark Public

Safety Department/ Police Division.

10. Pursuant to the surveillance schedule and performance criteria, the weapon(s) and ammunition to be used by the Vendor’s security guards shall be agreed upon between the Vendor and the

Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division. The weapon(s) and ammunition that have been agreed upon shall be the only weapon(s) and ammunition used by the Vendor’s security personnel. No substitute weapon(s) or ammunition shall be carried or used.

11. The Vendor is required at all times to ensure that there is adequate security guard coverage at all authorized City locations during the hours for which services have been requested and invoiced.

The Vendor is required to provide qualified replacement security guards for any absent security guards at the scheduled starting time for the posts and for any security guard requiring to leave posts for any reason i.e., lunch, break, illness, personal emergency, etc. The Vendor shall not be permitted to use supervisor security guards when providing qualified replacement security guard as required herein, unless the City of Newark provides written approval.

12. The Vendor must comply with proper labor practices and ensure “on time” payroll responsibility to his/her employees. The City reserves the right to audit the vendor and demand proper compliance.

13. The Vendor shall be fully responsible for maintaining a complete and comprehensive set of certified payroll records pertaining to the security guard services performed by its employees at each site on each day. The Vendor will provide a copy to the City upon request. The Vendor shall submit to periodic inspections of payroll records by the City, the State of New Jersey or of the

Federal Government, as required. When by inspection of payroll records, a discrepancy has been determined that has resulted in over payment/ under payment, the City shall correct such errors in the next payment to the Vendor.

14. Vendor’s security guard personnel shall be required to dress alike in a complete uniform supplied by Vendor, at no cost to the City, that complies with requirements of SORA and is fully approved by the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division or his/her designee prior to the commencement of the contract.

15. In addition to the aforementioned uniform, any and all other material, equipment, etc., used by the Vendor to carry out this security guard contract, shall be supplied by the Vendor at no cost to the City including, but not limited to supplying the security guard personnel with cell phones for communication needs with City personnel. The cell phone numbers of the security guard personnel assigned at each post shall be provided to the City prior to performing any work for the

City. All updated cell phone numbers shall be provided to the City on an ongoing basis as necessary.

3.0 Professionalism of Security Personnel

16. Vendor’s security guard personnel assigned to each authorized City location shall be expected to recognize that they are the first person with whom a visitor comes in contact with at the location and should be pleasant and helpful. All security guard personnel assigned to each authorized City location by Vendor are ambassadors to the public and as such, a high level of performance shall be expected. The expectations of professionalism include, but are not limited to the following.

i. Each security guard personnel will be polite to all employees and visitors and will be alert and greet every employee or visitor to the location in a congenial, courteous and respectful manner. Congenial, courteous and respectful behavior is expected from all security guard personnel whenever an employee or visitor enters and exits an authorized City location. The security guard will not use foul and abusive language at any time regardless of provocation. The security guard will also not engage in rough and rowdy behavior or fight while on duty.

ii. Each security guard personnel assigned to an authorized City location shall be familiar with the governmental operations conducted at the facility and be able to direct visitors to the appropriate offices.

iii. Each security guard personnel assigned to an authorized City location shall wear only a uniform that complies with SORA and is approved by the City.

iv. Each security guard personnel shall refrain from reading newspapers, watching television, wearing headphones, playing loud music or radio, eating food, drinking intoxicating beverages, using any recreational drugs and abusing controlled substances. Sleeping while on duty are grounds for immediate replacement or dismissal. The use of City telephones for personal calls is forbidden except for emergency circumstances, or for the verification of the delivery and removal of property, or for the verification of the delivery and removal of property, or for the verification of visitors. Only short-term emergent cell phone usage can occur. The

Vendors will be required to monitor the use of individual cell phones for personal calls incoming and outgoing by the security guard personnel to ensure compliance. The security guard personnel shall maintain a professional military bearing at all times.

v. The failure of the Vendor’s security guard personnel assigned to an authorized City location to perform their services and conduct themselves in a professional manner shall be grounds for the City to terminate this contract for cause or convenience. The Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division shall ensure the Vendor’s compliance with this requirement.

vi. The Vendor’s security guard personnel assigned to an authorized City location may not leave the post without authorized relief and may not perform or engage in personal work or activities without the approval from the City’s Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division.

vii. The Vendor’s Security guard personnel will not have unnecessary conversations with employees or other people.

viii. The Vendor’s Security guard personnel shall secure designated elevators, doors, entrance or gates at specific times.

ix. The Vendor’s security guard personnel shall not invite, bring or allow family members, including children or friends to their assigned post or location.

17. Vendor shall be responsible for any thefts occurring when an authorized City location is closed, or between the hours of 5:30pm to 7:00am the following day, Monday through Friday and during weekends (all day Saturday and all day Sunday), without proper documentation and/or where such thefts result from the negligence of vendor’s employees, the replacement cost or the value thereof shall be borne by the vendor. The City reserves the right to deduct the value thereof from the next succeeding payment to the vendor.

18. All of Vendor’s security guard personnel assigned to an authorized City location must be able to speak, read, and write in fluent English and must be able to distinguish between standard colors.

All of Vendor’s security guard personnel must be able to perform normal or emergency duties requiring moderate to arduous physical exertion, such as standing or walking for an entire shift and climbing stairs and ladders.

19. None of Vendor’s security guard personnel shall have any history, criminal or otherwise, related to the use and/or abuse of alcohol, recreational drugs or controlled substances. No drugs, alcohol or any substance or product of any kind that can cause the Vendor’s security guard personnel to become intoxicated or otherwise unable to perform the duties required of the job, are permitted on any authorized City location at any time. The Vendor shall immediately remove any employee who is found with or in the possession of alcohol or controlled substances on any authorized City location.

20. The City of Newark shall, on a random and unannounced basis, verify the proficiency of the guards by:

a. Observation

b. Audit of Performance

c. Asking Questions

21. There should be no sitting in areas that are not designated as security posts, including vehicles if applicable under this contract. There shall not be any switching guards from one location to another to cover a “no show” guard. The “no show” guard must be replaced by another qualified guard. The City must be notified and that replacement shall not reduce the total number of guards needed under this contract. If a guard is not replaced the billing must reflect that reduction of services.

22. The Vendor shall provide security guard services for the surveillance and protection of the specified interior and exterior areas of authorized locations as designated by the City of Newark.

These services are intended to safeguard the premises against fire, theft, pilferage, vandalism, and malicious destruction. The City User Agency and the Vendor will mutually agree on a Surveillance

Schedule and performance criteria for each location. Details regarding the anticipated locations, days, times, and the expected manpower required for these services are provided in the attached

"Protection and Surveillance Schedule" (Attachment #1). This schedule and the associated performance criteria may be updated or revised by the City at any time during the contract period.

23. The Vendor is also required to submit a list of on-site telephone numbers for each location to the

Director of the Department of Public Safety/Police Division. During the term of this contract, the

City reserves the right to add additional locations to the security coverage as needed, with the

Vendor expected to provide services for these new locations under the same terms.

24. The Vendor shall not be eligible for payment for services provided unless a surveillance schedule has been approved by the City of Newark for each location and submitted with the invoice. The number of security personnel on duty at any location may be increased or decreased at the discretion of the City. The number of security guard on duty at any location may be increased or decreased by advanced written notice from the Director of the Department of Public Safety/

Police Division or his/her authorized representative to the Vendor.

25. The oversight and management of the security contract shall be under the direction of the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division, who shall determine, in conjunction with the

Manager of the Division of Public Buildings where such security services are being provided, the security requirements of the City, verify the attendance of, and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the security services at each specified location.

26. The Vendor shall prepare and submit written weekly reports to the Director of the Department of

Public Safety/ Police Division of the City of Newark which shall indicate the names of the security personnel, the number of hours individually worked by said security personnel on each tour of duty, and a log of all investigations and complaints or happenings during the said tour of duty. A copy of the daily logs, per site in sequence, shall be submitted each billing period. In order to demonstrate the Vendor’s compliance with the surveillance schedule or performance criteria, the

City reserves the right to provide time cards to the Vendor’s employees, and demand that such time cards be completed and submitted to the City with each monthly period, or submitted as frequently as shall be solely determined by the City, or used other means to verify the Vendor’s compliance with the surveillance schedule or other performance criteria.

27. The Vendor’s price as quoted shall include supervision over, and communication equipment provided to, assigned employees to ensure that stations are properly manned at no additional cost to the City of Newark.

i. All supervision of Vendors’ security guards shall be done in a professional manner satisfactory to the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division or his/her authorized designee. The Vendor will provide daily sufficient routine inspections and provide a primary liaison to the City.

ii. The Vendor’s communication equipment must be in good operating condition at all time and be furnished to all security personnel of offices on duty.

28. All price quoted shall include Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays at no additional cost to the City of

Newark.

29. The Vendor, in performing the services required hereunder, shall exercise due diligence in employing only trustworthy and reliable persons. In addition, the Vendor shall assure the City that each person shall have the City’s rules and regulations regarding security of the City properly reviewed with him or her.

30. All locations must maintain radio communications capable of interaction with other contracted sites and designated offices of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division. The Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division and his/her designee(s) will be provided radio communication equipment for proper interfacing with the supervisor of the security personnel on duty, or whomever shall be designated by the Vendor.

31. The Vendor shall maintain and furnish to the City upon its request a personnel sheet for each of the Vendor’s employees who has occasion to enter upon any City property in the performance of the services required hereunder. This personnel sheet shall contain the employee’s name, address, telephone number, job duties, key assignment an any other information deemed necessary by the City.

32. Security personnel employed under the terms of this contract shall be deemed to be employees of the Vendor, and the Vendor shall pay all wages, salaries, Social Security taxes, Federal and State

Unemployment Insurance, City of Newark payroll taxes, and any similar taxes relating to such employees. There shall be no third-party rights created as a result of City and the Vendor entering into this agreement.

33. At the request of the City, the Vendor shall agree to adjust the starting or ending time of the daily schedule at any facility to accommodate seasonal variations in facility operations.

34. Any costs incurred by security personnel assigned under this contract as a result of court appearances, when events demand such services on behalf of the City, shall be paid by the Vendor at no additional cost to the City of Newark.

35. In conjunction with the surveillance schedule and performance criteria, the Vendor shall submit to the City a written policy on the procedures its security personnel will follow when confronted with or witnessing unlawful activities.

36. The City of Newark has the right to require the Vendor’s security guards to remove from any City location any employees deemed incompetent, careless, insubordinate, or otherwise objectionable; or any personnel whose actions are deemed to be contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interest(s) of the City of Newark.

37. The Vendor shall be required to inform all of the Vendor’s security guards of the City’s right to remove an employee. The determination to remove such an employee shall be at the sole discretion of the City of Newark and not that of Vendor’s security guards.

38. The Vendor shall submit proof of fingerprinting of all employees assigned by the Vendor to perform services under this contract at the time of submission of their first invoice. The Vendor’s shall be under a continuing obligation to submit fingerprints for each new employee that is assigned by the Vendor to perform services under this contract.

39. Based upon past experience security, personnel have not received opportunities for reasonable relief for the purpose of personal fatigue and supplemental time and lunch breaks. The Vendor is therefore under an affirmative obligation to provide such relief to all of its employees in a manner to be determined by the Vendor. Failure of the Vendor to provide relief to its employees shall result in the imposition of penalties and/or termination of the contract.

40. Security personnel will be required to use the Morse Watchmen Security that will be installed by the Vendor at various City facilities and in locations as jointly determined by the Vendor and the

Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division.

4.0 Duties of Security Guards

41. Security guards shall be able to perform all of the duties listed below. This list is not exhaustive and responsibilities may be added or taken away as determined by the City.

i It shall be the responsibility of the security guard to check the identification card of every

City employee, except elected officials and department/divisions directors, whenever said employee enters and exits a building during business and non-business hours, pursuant to the surveillance schedule and performance criteria. The Surveillance Schedule shall be used an aid in determining the identification needed for employees and visitors who are the subject matter of this contract.

ii Security guards have the responsibility to require visitors to sign in upon entering and exiting a building at all times and issue visitor passes to all individuals who are not employees of the City who seek entrance to particular locations, except during Municipal

Council meetings and for other occasions as specified by the Director of the Department of

Public Safety/ Police Division or his designee.

iii Security guards have the responsibility to deny entry to all visitors wishing to enter a municipal facility either before or after normal business hours including weekends and holidays unless proper authorization is verifiable, except that employees, other than elected officials and department/ divisions directors, entering a building prior to 8:00am and after

6:00pm shall be required to present proper identification and sign in and out.

iv Where appropriate, all boxes, materials equipment and other items either being delivered to or taken away from a City building must be inspected by the security guard at each security post location. Authorization in the form of a property pass or other document will be required to be produced by the person who is either delivering or taking such aforementioned items to or form a building.

v It is also the responsibility of the security guard to properly inspect waste material being removed from any building. If it must be removed through a door other than the one nearest the guard’s post of duty, a 2nd security guard will be assigned to relieve the guard, or other specific instructions will be issued.

vi The security personnel shall be required to operate security screening stations or other electronic security equipment including, but not limited to metal detection devices to aid in the prevention of weapons entering into buildings, if needed and as directed. The Vendor will be trained by an authorized employee on the operation and management of meatal detection devices. Vendor must provide security personnel with radiation patches which must be worn at all times while operating security screening stations and other electronic security equipment.

vii The security guard shall take all precautions to ensure that no theft occurs during his/her surveillance period viii During the hours that any City owned building is open and closed for business, any object the size of one (1) square foot or larger, or any object physically or visibly being removed from the premises (i.e., books, computer equipment, office machinery, pictures, furniture, large trash bags, etc.) shall be inspected by the security guard at each security post location.

In those cases, the individual removing said property shall be required to present identification to the security guard. The security personnel shall be required to complete a

Property/Equipment Removal Report attached as Attachment #2 and forward copies to the

Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division and to the Manager of the

Division of Public Buildings, within 24 hours. Failure to submit a report for removed items shall result in liability against the vendor and the replacement cost or the value thereof shall be borne by the vendor. The City reserves the right to deduct the value thereof from the next succeeding payment to the Vendor.

ix It shall be the responsibility of the security personnel to have a working knowledge of the locations of municipal agencies, to provide basic information to routine request by visitors, and to be able to recognize on sight elected City officials and department/ divisions directors. The City reserves the right to provide orientation and further training for the

Vendor whenever the City determines that the Vendor’s performance does not meet the performance criteria expected by the City.

5.0 Payment

1. In consideration of the faithful performance by the Vendor of its agreement hereunder, the

City covenants and agrees to pay to the Vendor during the terms of this contract the sum of the hourly rate quoted in the Bid Proposal submitted.

2. There shall be no advance payment under this contract.

3. The Vendor shall submit weekly bills to the City User Agency (Division of Public Buildings) for payment. Payment shall be made monthly and time cards shall be submitted with billing for verification of hours worked by the employee.

4. No payment shall be made for services rendered until the Vendor furnishes the City User

Agency with a detailed invoice, setting forth the number of hours worked each day at each of the listed sites with the names of the personnel who worked. The log book, invoice and payroll shall all correspond with each other. Copies of all investigations, complaints, incidents and/or accident reports for all security sites must accompany each invoice submitted by the Vendor for each corresponding billing period. If there are no incident and/or accident reports for a particular billing period, the Vendor’s invoice and/or supporting documentation must clearly indicate so.

5. The Vendor shall be fully responsible for maintaining a complete and comprehensive set of payroll records pertaining to the services performed by its employees at each site on each day.

6. Payroll records shall be accessible and presented on a quarterly basis to the City of Newark’s

Auditing Division, the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division, Manager of

Public Buildings and the Purchasing Agent, or their authorized agents.

7. When by inspection of payroll records a discrepancy has been determined that has resulted in an overpayment/underpayment to the Vendor, the City User agency shall correct such errors in the next payment to the Vendor. In the event of dispute between the Vendor and the City

User Agency the dispute mechanism identified in this specification shall be applicable.

8. No payment will be allowed to the Vendor for hours worked on any post location under the following conditions:

a. The Vendor’s employee does not have the necessary equipment, supplies or materials as specified to perform all scheduled work.

b. The post duties were not performed in strict accordance with the specifications.

c. The Vendor’s employees are not qualified and trained as required by the contract.

d. Building and other damages caused by the Vendor’s employee will be estimated by the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division or is/her authorized designee and computer actual cost of repairs will be deducted from the Vendor’s total weekly billing(s).

e. All replacement of the identified item(s) and all replacement cost(s) will be deducted from the Vendor’s weekly billing in event of a loss.

6.0 Terms Governing All Contracts

General Penalties

This section refers to any breach of the General Conditions, Scope of Services, Professionalism, and General Performance Requirements as set forth in the contract specifications. Any breach will result in a cost to the Vendor as a fine in the form of deductions from the weekly billing(s) described herein.

1. “General Penalties” are monetary fines levied against the Vendor for violations classified as either major or minor as set forth in Attachment #3.

2. Three (3) major, five (5) minor or any combination of four (4) major/minor violations occurring during the entire contract period will result in a responsibility hearing. The Vendor will then be required to show cause why the City of Newark should not terminate this contract.

3. Fines for major violations of the contract shall be $1.000.00.

4. Fines for minor violations of the contract shall be $500.00.

5. Major and minor violations as set forth in Attachment #3 are intended to reflect both acts of omission and commission.

7.0 Disputes

The City of Newark and the Vendor agree that in the event a dispute regarding the interpretation of the contract, relating to a monetary issue, the parties agree to the following:

1. All such disputes shall be reported to the Director or his/her designee within 24 to 48 hours of commencement of such dispute. The Vendor shall submit a detailed claim with such specificity as to provide the Director with an intelligent basis for resolving the dispute. The documentation shall include but not be limited to location, payroll records, name of guard, shift of duty, and hours worked as well as a copy of the security log book for the location.

2. Any claim not presented within the time limit specified in this paragraph shall be deemed to have been waived, except that if the claim is of a continuing character and notice of the claim is not given within 24 to 48 hours of its commencement, the claim will be considered only for a period commencing 24 to 48 hours prior to the receipt by the City of Newark of notice thereof.

3. Each decision by the Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division or his authorized designee will be in writing and will be mailed to the Vendor by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, directed to his/her last known address.

4. If the Vendor does not agree with any decision of the Director of the Department of

Public Safety/ Police Division, he shall in no case allow the dispute to the delay the work but shall notify the City of Newark promptly that he is proceeding with the work under protest; however, the Vendor may exclude any disputed claim from the final release.

5. In the event of disputes involving non-monetary issues, the Director of the

Department of Public Safety/ Police Division’ decision shall prevail. The Director of the Department of Public Safety/ Police Division in his/her discretion may conduct such fact finding as the office deems necessary in order to resolve the dispute.

8.0 Mandatory Submission

1. The Vendor shall, at the time of submitting his/her bid proposal, have a license to operate a Security Guard Agency issued by the Superintendent of the New Jersey State

Police. Notation of the State license number shall be submitted with the bid proposal.

2. The Vendor shall furnish a certificate of compliance with the Security Officer Registration

Act (SORA), pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:19A-1, et seq., for each security guard assigned to work under this contract.

3. Prior to award of contract the lowest responsible bidder will be required to submit other documentation as follows:

a. Names of employees

b. Standard training program for its personnel

c. Emergency Response Plan

4. All documentation will be reviewed and subject to the approval of the Corporation

Counsel.