Buying executive protection usually lands on someone who does not do it for a living: a chief of staff, an office manager, a general counsel, occasionally an EA. The vendors all sound alike and the stakes feel high.
This is the sequence that works, in order.
1. Define the trigger before you define the program
The first question is not which firm but what changed. The answer determines everything downstream.
A specific threat. A named individual, a pattern of contact, a communication that escalated. This justifies continuous coverage during an assessed window and possibly armed coverage.
Elevated public profile. An IPO, a layoff announcement, litigation, a controversial product decision, or media attention. This typically justifies coverage during defined exposure periods rather than continuously.
Travel into unfamiliar or higher-risk environments. Usually the cheapest and most commonly justified trigger, covered by booking travel days rather than a standing program.
Board or insurer requirement. Sometimes the driver is governance rather than threat. Say so internally, because it changes what you need to document.
Write the trigger down. A firm that quotes without asking for it is selling hours rather than protection. Our threat threshold guide covers how to assess this honestly.
2. Specify the engagement, not the outcome
Vendors cannot quote comparable numbers against a vague brief. Specify:
- Which principal or principals, and whether family members are included
- Cities and whether travel crosses state lines
- Coverage windows: office hours, travel days, events, or continuous
- Whether ground transport is included
- Whether armed coverage is required or merely permitted
- Expected duration: a defined period or an open program
Send the same document to every firm. Quotes that are not comparable are not useful.
3. Understand what executive protection includes
Executive protection is a program rather than a booking, and the difference is what happens when nobody is watching.
Advance work. Someone reviews itineraries, checks routes and traffic patterns, identifies venue exits and access points, and coordinates with venue or building security before the principal arrives. Our piece on advance work and what it costs covers the scope.
Secure ground transport. A driver who is part of the detail rather than a car service, with the vehicle held and never left unattended during stops.
Route planning. Primary and alternate routes, with variation so movements are not predictable.
Threat monitoring. Ongoing assessment rather than a one-time report.
Residential and office coordination where the program extends to those.
Our overview of what executive protection is covers the discipline in more depth.
4. Verify credentials before you compare prices
Do this before pricing, because it eliminates vendors and saves time.
State licensing. Request the license number and verify with the issuing agency directly. Confirm it covers every state on the itinerary, since credentials do not automatically transfer.
Insurance. Request a certificate naming the firm, showing general liability limits, with an armed endorsement if the engagement is armed. A firm that carries coverage produces this within a business day.
Liability assignment. Ask in writing who is responsible if an incident occurs. If protectors are independent contractors and liability sits with individuals, it effectively sits with your company.
Employment model. Ask whether assigned agents are employees or subcontracted, and when each was last background screened.
Our nine checks before you pay covers the full verification sequence.
5. Price it against a realistic baseline
Additional agents are $99 an hour, additional vehicles $79 an hour with a driver. New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco add twenty percent; Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, and Las Vegas add ten. Weekends add twenty percent, holidays twenty-five, same-day thirty.
Anything above forty hours a month should be quoted as a retainer with volume pricing rather than at list rates. Our comparison of daily rates and retainers covers the structures.
A quote far below these figures is not a better deal. It means licensing, insurance, vetting, or advance work is not being paid for.
6. On armed coverage
Armed protection is available where state law permits and the assigned agent holds a current armed carry permit for that state. It requires separate licensing verification and a distinct liability endorsement, so it is quoted per engagement.
Two things to settle internally before requesting it. First, whether armed coverage is actually indicated by the assessed threat or is being requested because it sounds more serious, since it raises cost and complexity substantially. Second, whether your own insurance and any venue or building policies permit armed contractors on site, which is a question that surfaces late and badly if nobody asks early. Our piece on armed security liability covers the considerations.
7. Put these in the contract
- Who carries liability, stated explicitly
- Named insurance limits and the armed endorsement if applicable
- Which agents are assigned and the notice required to substitute
- What advance work is included and who performs it
- Response expectations for schedule changes
- Confidentiality and NDA terms covering the principal and the itinerary
- Termination terms on a retainer
- A full written total covering minimums, multipliers, surcharges, vehicles, and travel
8. Plan the internal side
Two things get missed and both cause problems.
Tell the principal how this will work. Executives who have not had coverage often expect it to be intrusive and resist it. A briefing covering what agents will and will not do resolves most of that before it becomes friction.
Decide who the firm contacts. A single internal point of contact for scheduling and escalation, with a named backup. Details routed through whoever answers first degrade quickly.
FAQ
How do I hire a security team for executives? Define the trigger, write a specific brief covering principals, cities, coverage windows, transport, and armed requirements, send the same brief to every vendor, verify state licensing and insurance before comparing prices, then contract with liability assignment, named insurance limits, assigned agents, and a full written total.
What does executive protection include? Advance work at venues and along routes, secure ground transport with a dedicated driver, primary and alternate route planning, ongoing threat monitoring, and coordination with office or residential security. The distinguishing feature is the work performed before the principal arrives.
How much does an executive protection team cost? $299 an hour for one to two agents with a vehicle and $599 for a two to four agent detail with multiple vehicles, so $2,392 and $4,792 for an eight-hour day before city multipliers. Programs above forty hours a month are quoted as retainers with volume pricing.
How do I hire armed guards for executives? Armed coverage requires that state law permits it and the assigned agent holds a current armed carry permit for that state, so confirm licensing per jurisdiction on the itinerary. Request a certificate of insurance carrying an armed endorsement, and verify that your own insurer and any venue or building policies allow armed contractors on site.
How do I choose between executive protection companies? Verify state licensing with the issuing agency and require a certificate of insurance before comparing prices, since that eliminates most vendors. Then compare on whether agents are employees or subcontracted, what advance work is included and who performs it, and who carries liability in writing.