561612: Security Guards and Patrol Services
Firms providing guard, patrol and protective officer services register under this code.
NAICS 561612 in numbers
The federal government buys security guard and patrol services primarily through the Department of Homeland Security. AQM Momentum leads with 1034 awards totaling $17.06B, followed by the Detention Compliance and Removals office with 373 awards worth $9.97B. The Office of Security Contracts and two FPS East divisions also represent major buying centers. Most awards go to unrestricted competition: 43770 awards carried no set-aside, and 16466 have no recorded set-aside status. SBA set-asides account for 3911 awards, while 8(a) and 8(a) Newbie programs together represent fewer than 3000 awards.
The market shows high fragmentation despite its size. Over 27 years, 1117 distinct vendors shared $102.7B, but the median award of $20.8K indicates most contracts are small. This suggests the market consists of many local and regional security firms winning modest individual contracts rather than a few large national players dominating. A firm considering entry should expect to compete for small awards and plan for volume rather than blockbuster contracts.
Watch the 899 contracts expiring within the next 12 months, worth $8.11B total. These represent immediate rebid opportunities. The 34 active notices signal ongoing procurement activity. Firms should monitor whether AQM Momentum and Detention Compliance continue their outsized share or whether buying patterns shift across the DHS enterprise.
Everything behind these numbers for NAICS 561612
- Every buying office that awarded in this code, ranked by what they spent
- Every vendor that won, resolved to one record per business
- Every award back to FY2001, searchable and exportable
- Contracts ending soon, scored for how open the next round looks
- Every open notice on this code, with the buyer history beside it
The numbers above are open to anybody. The organized record behind them is what a plan pays for: every award, every buyer, every vendor, cleaned, resolved and read again every night.
Open right now under NAICS 561612
60 open notices right now, 22 closing within seven days. The newest 5:
| Posted | Notice | Buyer | NAICS | Set-aside | Due |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | WJHTC Armed Security Guard ServicesSolicitation · Atlantic City NJ | 692M15 ACQUISITION & GRANTS, AAQ600 | 561612 | 8A | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | Armed Protective Security Officer Services, Los Angeles AreaCombined Synopsis/Solicitation · CA | FPS WEST CCG | 561612 | Dec 30, 2026 | |
| Oct 27, 2026 | AMENDMENT 0002 _Sol_70FBR427R00000001 Level II Armed Guard Security ServicesSolicitation · Lake Mary FL | REGION 4: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AN | 561612 | SBA | Nov 4, 2026 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | Guard Force Performance Management (GFPM) Surveillance ServicesSources Sought · MD | NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH NIH-OD | 561612 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Oct 27, 2026 | Amend #0001 (11/25/2026) to add omitted docs: 02.1.1 Sol_70FBR427R00000001 & 2.2.1 Proposal Att 10 Evaluation Solicitation · Lake Mary FL | REGION 4: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AN | 561612 | SBA | Nov 4, 2026 |
What this code covers
561612 covers guard and patrol services: posting officers, patrolling property and providing protective services on a contract basis. Investigation and background checking is a separate code, and installing or monitoring alarm systems belongs in security systems services rather than here.
Federal demand is large and steady. Installations, courthouses, federal buildings and laboratories all buy contract guard services, and the requirement does not go away, which makes this one of the most reliably recurring service markets in the federal record.
What federal buyers typically ask for
Clearances and credentials dominate. Depending on the site, officers may need personnel security clearances, specific certifications, weapons qualification and recurring training with documented currency. A firm that cannot staff the post on day one of performance fails in the most visible possible way, so the evaluation weighs recruitment and retention heavily.
The Service Contract Act applies, and the wage determination for protective service occupations is the dominant cost. Health and welfare, uniform allowance and overtime structure all sit in the determination, and because guard posts are staffed continuously the overtime assumptions in a bid matter more here than in almost any other service market.
Much of this work is set aside, including under the service-disabled veteran-owned program, where the fit between the work and the pool of qualified firms is unusually good. Contracts are typically one base year with options, so the recompete cycle is faster than in facilities support.
Product and service codes that often pair with this NAICS
| Code | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| S206 | Guard services | The main class for contract guard work. |
| R430 | Physical security and badging support | Security program support rather than posted officers. |
| S216 | Facilities operations support services | When guard work is a line inside a base contract. |
| B546 | Physical and personal security studies | Assessments rather than services. |
Guard work bought inside a facilities support contract is coded to that contract rather than here, so a market picture built on this code alone understates the real demand.
Before you bid
Model the overtime before you price the posts. A continuously staffed post cannot be covered by a straight forty-hour assumption, and the gap between the naive number and the real one is usually larger than the margin.
Related reading
- Recompete radarGuard contracts come round faster than most.
- Set-asides and small business programsWhich programs this work is set aside under.
- Incumbent profilesWho holds the post now.
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