Early access open
Security systems installation is licensed by the police in most Australian states, not by a building or trade authority. That single fact catches out businesses who assume an electrician can pick the work up.
This page covers what gets subcontracted in this sector, the credentials worth confirming, and how a job runs on Workforce Marketplace. Early access is open.
What gets subcontracted
The work most often subcontracted covers:
- CCTV supply, installation and commissioning across single sites and portfolios
- Access control, including readers, controllers and door hardware integration
- Intercoms and alarm systems, and connection to a monitoring centre
- Perimeter security, gates and detection
- Integrated systems work tying security into building management
- Service contracts, fault response and system health reporting
- System audits and upgrade design on inherited installations
Credentials that matter here
Two separate registrations usually apply, from two unrelated authorities:
- Security Installer Licence, issued by state police or the state licensing body, and required to install, service or maintain security equipment
- ACMA Registered Cabler, open registration for voice and data, with separate endorsements for coaxial and optical fibre. Required for any fixed cabling connected to the telecommunications network
- Security Licence Class 1E where the contractor also operates the monitoring centre
- Electrician’s Licence where the scope includes mains or fixed electrical work rather than extra-low voltage
- Working at Heights and EWP tickets for external camera and perimeter installations
Police-issued security licences carry probity requirements and can be suspended or conditioned in ways trade licences are not. Confirm the licence is current at the time of engagement rather than relying on a certificate issued months earlier.
What to confirm before work starts
An active ABN. Where a supplier does not quote one, you are generally required to withhold 47 per cent of the payment and remit it to the ATO. Their GST registration also tells you whether the price should carry it.
That the credential is held by the entity you are contracting with. A person can hold a qualification while the business you are paying holds nothing. Check the name on the document against the name on the invoice.
Insurance appropriate to the scope. Public liability is the common one. Depending on the work you may also need professional indemnity, and workers compensation if they carry their own staff.
That the engagement is genuinely a contract for services. Since the Fair Work amendments the test looks at the real substance of the relationship rather than the label on the paperwork, and getting it wrong creates back-pay, superannuation and payroll tax exposure. Contractor vs employee in Australia sets out how it now works.
Writing a scope that gets comparable quotes
What moves the price on a security job is rarely the hardware count. It is whether the site is occupied and cabling routes are accessible, whether existing infrastructure is being reused, who owns the network the system sits on and who configures it, whether the price includes commissioning, user training and as-built documentation, how footage retention is handled, and what the service level is once the system is live.
How it works on Workforce Marketplace
Post the scope with the payment structure it actually uses, whether that is fixed price, hourly, daily, quoted or split into milestones for staged work. Subcontractors apply, and you compare them side by side rather than chasing callbacks.
Every account is ABN-verified at sign-up. Beyond that, subcontractors can submit licences, certifications and insurance for verification, which we review rather than grant automatically. Their profile shows the status against each credential without showing the document, the licence number or the ABN. Verification is opt-in, so a profile may hold credentials that have not been submitted, and it reflects the document as at the date it was reviewed rather than standing indefinitely.
Applying for work costs nothing and there are no leads to buy. Payment runs through Stripe, and Workforce Marketplace never stores your card or bank details.
Related guides
- Find subcontractors in Australia
- How to find subcontractors for your business
- What insurance does a subcontractor need in Australia?
- How to invoice as a subcontractor in Australia (with GST)
Post work, or apply for it, from the same account. Early access is open.