Why Verrimus Has Concerns with Some TSCM RFQs
Concerns About Some TSCM RFQs
At Verrimus, we regularly receive TSCM RFQs (Requests for Quotation (RFQs) for Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures (TSCM) inspections that demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of what a professional TSCM operation actually involves. While we appreciate that procurement departments need to compare providers and maintain consistent processes, many of the metrics used in these TSCM RFQs are simply not appropriate for assessing or costing TSCM work.
Below, we explain two of the most common issues we encounter, and why Verrimus takes a different approach.
1. TSCM Costs Should Not Be Calculated by Square Metre
When an RFQ asks for TSCM operational costs to be calculated per square metre, it immediately signals a misunderstanding of how a TSCM survey is conducted. The complexity of a sweep has very little to do with the total floor area, and everything to do with how that space is configured and used.
For example, consider two spaces, each measuring 300 square metres:
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One is an open-plan office.
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The other is divided into ten individual rooms.
Although the total area is identical, the latter space is far more complex and time-consuming to inspect properly. Each enclosed room introduces additional walls, ceilings, floors, power circuits, fixtures, and fittings — all of which must be individually examined for potential threats. An open-plan area of the same size would be completed in significantly less time, using fewer shifts and resources.
For this reason, Verrimus has always resisted requests to quote based solely on square metreage. Instead, we provide quotations based on the number of operational shifts we anticipate will be required to complete the inspection to our exacting standards.
Before producing a quotation, we always seek as much information as possible about the environment, including (not an exhaustive list):
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Approximate overall size
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Number of separate rooms or compartments
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Type and density of furniture and workstations
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Building layout and construction
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Shared walls, ceilings or floors with other tenants
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Presence of ceiling and floor voids
This information allows us to estimate task duration accurately and ensure clients receive transparent, fair pricing.
We are also flexible regarding shift lengths. Our standard shift is eight hours (or part thereof), but our operators may extend a shift to up to twelve hours if anomalies are being investigated. Verrimus operators will never leave a client’s premises until all threat domains have been fully surveyed and verified.
While we understand that procurement teams may prefer a “cost per square metre” approach for ease of comparison, it is not a reliable or meaningful measure of the work involved in professional TSCM. No two inspections are ever identical, and accurate pricing requires a proper understanding of the operational requirements.
2. Equipment Lists and Frequency Ranges Do Not Indicate Competence
Another common issue we see in RFQs is a request for the TSCM provider to list their equipment brands, model numbers, or frequency ranges as a means of assessing capability.
This approach is flawed.
TSCM effectiveness is not determined by the brand names or frequency ranges of the equipment used, but by the experience, methodology and operational expertise of the personnel conducting the survey. Equipment is only as effective as the operator using it.
We often see procurement teams attempting to “score” suppliers based on familiar brand names or larger frequency numbers — apparently assuming that bigger numbers mean better results. This is a misunderstanding of how TSCM works.
For example: if a provider states that they use a FLIR thermal imaging camera, does the procurement officer know how many millikelvins of sensitivity are required for that camera to be effective in a TSCM context? Without that technical understanding, such comparisons are meaningless.
Instead of relying on equipment lists as a tick-box exercise, procurement teams should focus on the capability, experience, and proven methodologies of the TSCM provider. Understanding the level of risk and risk appetite of the organisation is key to determining what level of TSCM service is required — not the frequency range of a spectrum analyser.
3. Requests for References from Previous Clients
A third area of concern is the frequent request for references from previous clients. While Verrimus fully supports the principle of due diligence, we must stress that TSCM is by nature a highly confidential and commercially sensitive service.
Very few clients are willing — quite understandably — to have their details disclosed to another company merely to confirm that they have used TSCM services. The need for a TSCM survey often arises from a sensitive security concern, and most organisations prefer that such activities remain entirely confidential between themselves and their chosen provider.
At Verrimus, client confidentiality is paramount. We will never disclose client identities, past or present, for reference purposes. To do so would not only breach trust but could also expose sensitive commercial or operational information.
Consider how unethical it would be, for example, if an energy company were to learn that one of its competitors had engaged TSCM services — simply because a service provider revealed that information as part of a reference request.
We firmly believe that due diligence can and should be conducted through other means. Reputable TSCM providers will have publicly verifiable credentials, professional affiliations, and demonstrable involvement in recognised operations or industry events, some of which may be visible via open-source information.
At Verrimus, we encourage all prospective clients to perform whatever due diligence they deem necessary — without requiring us to compromise the confidentiality or privacy of any other organisation.
In Summary TSCM RFQs Can Unveil Organisational Ignorance
TSCM is a highly specialised security discipline that demands experience, integrity and precision. Reducing it to a cost-per-square-metre exercise, a checklist of brand names, or a list of client references undermines the professionalism of the service and risks compromising security on all sides.
If you are responsible for producing TSCM RFQs, please ensure that you understand the service you are being asked to procure! Afterall, the whole purpose of writing and circulating TSCM RFQs is to establish a way to compare what is on offer from a range of service providers and be able to competently select the provider which meets your threat level and risk appetite.
