Costs and Benefits of Privatizing Security Guard Services Currently Provided by the Capitol Area Security Patrol

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the costs and benefits that would accrue 1.0 the State of Kansas if the security services currently being provided by CASP were, instead, purchased through contracts with private providers of security. In the first step of this analysis we determined exactly what security personnel do at the Capitol Complex. This part of the analysis is described below in Section II. Next we analyzed the cost to the State of the current services being provided. It is important to note at this point that CASP provides both security guard and police (Capitol Police) services under the Highway Patrols contract with the DoA. This study focused excl.1sively on the services provided by the security guards. The costs of the current services are summarized in Section ill. We estimated the cost of purchasing a similar quantity and quality of security services in the market for security services. These costs are reported in Section IV The difference in the cost of the current services compared to purchasing the services in the marketplace is discussed in Section V. We also consider the possible differences in the quality of services that would be acquired in the marketplace versus the current quality of service. Finally, we report on a competitive bidding approach for the provision of public services that allows public agencies to compete with private providers. This approach is now being used m Phoenix, Arizona.