Certis wins contract to manage security for over 60 JTC properties

GOVERNMENT agency JTC Corporation has appointed security firm Certis to provide large-scale advanced integrated security solutions for more than 60 properties in the south and west of Singapore.

Spanning a 150 square-kilometre area, the properties range from community spaces and industrial buildings to vacant land.

The project falls under the JTC South-West Security Master Contract awarded to Certis, both parties announced in a joint statement on Thursday morning.

The contract focuses on security outcomes, instead of the traditional manpower-based contract where a fixed number of security personnel are deployed, which resolves manpower shortage issues and saves on resource costs, JTC and Certis said.

Certis will leverage digital technology and provide training for security personnel to ensure safer and smarter properties.

The firm will deliver its Security+ suite of advanced security services, integrated with facilities-management functions on a single tech-enabled solution.

This will help to overcome security management challenges, JTC and Certis said. Covering diverse properties across a large area can typically result in a lack of oversight, inflexible deployment of manpower and resources, limited response to incidents, and a lack of physical deterrence.

"For instance, response time to incidents can take as long as an hour to travel from one end of the area to the other," JTC and Certis noted.

The Security+ project will be implemented in two phases over the period of the contract.

In the first phase, Certis will assess the security requirements of the properties and deploy security officers supported by remote monitoring through a centralised security operations centre.

This integrated set-up allows for monitoring to be done at the cluster level so that manpower can be efficiently deployed throughout all properties, instead of having a fixed number of officers to individual buildings.

The security officers will be trained to identify, report and conduct troubleshooting for basic facilities-management faults, such as faulty lighting and water leakage. They may also be selectively cross-trained to provide first-line response to electrical and plumbing issues, to improve building management.

Certis roving teams will also patrol the cluster of properties so that they can respond quickly to incidents and deter illegal activities.

In the second phase, starting in the second quarter of 2020, Certis will roll out "Mozart", a multi-service platform which integrates data from smart operations - including 150 streams of video analytics, 500 sensors and 1,200 CCTVs.

The sensors include fire alarms, lift fault sensors and emergency call points for timely detection of incidents or safety risks. "Mozart" can then be used to coordinate recovery efforts and promptly respond to these incidents.

Certis is also equipping security officers with an all-in-one smart mobile app "Argus", which combines security reporting, tasking and monitoring processes, during the second phase of the project.

Smart data analytics will also be used for Certis to make better-informed decisions on manpower deployment and the optimisation of resources to critical areas.

The contract achieves a win-win situation, as "Certis can enjoy higher productivity and resolve manpower issues, while JTC can provide a safe and secure environment for its customers and optimise resources," said Heah Soon Poh, assistant chief executive officer of engineering and operations at JTC.

JTC is the lead government agency responsible for the planning and development of industrial infrastructure in Singapore. The industrial developer has more than 80 per cent of Singapore's industrial land under its care.

Ronald Poon, chief executive for Singapore at Certis, said: "Security+ reimagines how companies can handle large-scale complex operations."

"With Security+, we transform silo-ed operations into cross-functional work processes, allowing our customers to do more with less," Mr Poon added.

The contract is in line with the Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM) launched in February 2018 by the Ministry of Home Affairs. ITM encourages companies to adopt outcome-based security contracts instead of focusing on a fixed headcount.