Axis Security reports that it’s mobilised a team of security officers for BNP Paribas Real Estate, to provide manned guarding services at two new London properties.
BNP Paribas Real Estate, a specialist division of the financial services group BNP Paribas, appointed Axis to look after the security at The Monument Building in the Square Mile, and Salters Hall – pictured, a Grade II Listed Livery Hall and office building next to a fragment of the old London Wall. Salters Hall, home to the Salters’ Company, has undergone a refurbishment.
Axis Security was awarded the contracts after two separate competitive tenders. Alex Smith, Associate Director BNP Paribas Real Estate, says: “We were impressed from the outset, and from their pre-tender questionnaire, tender submission and presentation they were able to prove that they would make the best fit. This was especially so around the mobilisation process. They gave us the confidence that they would be able to find and recruit the right people for us.”
The priority for Salters Hall was for any security officer working onsite to act as a tenant liaison and work with the Facilities Manager, and undergo the extra necessary training for the onsite systems, access control and mechanical systems. For The Monument Building, which comprises 94,000sqft of Grade A office space and two ground-floor retail units, Axis sought a balance between security and a welcoming presence for tenants and visitors. Three security officers undertake the ‘traditional’ manned guarding for the building alongside a security supervisor who also has a background in dealing with a large volume of fit-out teams and making sure things run smoothly before and after the building is occupied.
BNP Paribas Real Estate has also used Axis’s sister business Acuity to place a dedicated receptionist within The Monument Building. Acuity is the Axis Group’s niche, London-based receptionist division and gives The Monument Building a front of house to support tenants and visitors.
Alex Smith says: “Axis has found a good team of people experienced in corporate environments, and able to fulfil the security requirements of these prestigious sites whilst also being able to deliver high levels of customer service. Part of that success has been the approach taken from the management team at the outset. From the official instruction we were invited up to their offices for weekly reviews which gave us the opportunity to run through where they were at every stage, and also agree all the site security procedures and protocols required for the new buildings.”
Axis angle
David Mundell, Managing Director of Axis Security, says: “Despite the number of years we have worked with BNP Paribas Real Estate and the sites we cover, we pride ourselves in never becoming complacent about what we know. It is important that we take the time to understand how the individual building works and how the client wants contracts, tenants and visitors to be dealt with so that we can find the very best people for each contract we win. Salters Hall and The Monument Building are very prestigious sites, but they are also significantly different, so I am pleased to see that we have been able to attract the right people to provide the very best manned guarding service.”
