LA CCTV Supply · Security consulting
Independent security consulting — before anyone quotes you hardware.
We assess what you have, write down what the standards actually require, and put it in a specification your bidders can price the same way. We hold no installation contract on your project, so the recommendation is the product.
01 What consulting covers
Seven pieces of work, engaged together or one at a time.
Most projects start with one of the first three and grow. You are never obliged to take the whole list — but the later items only work if the early ones are honest.
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Risk & threat assessment
We walk the site, interview the people who actually run it, and write down what needs protecting, who might go after it, and where the current arrangement leaves a gap. The output is ranked by consequence, not by product category.
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CPTED review
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: sightlines, lighting, landscaping, territorial reinforcement, natural surveillance and how the approach, parking and entries shape behavior before any device is switched on.
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Existing-system audit
What is installed, what still works, what is end-of-life, what is unsupported firmware, and what was never commissioned. We test a representative sample and document it — including cabling, power and the head end.
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Standards mapping
Your requirements traced to the documents that actually govern them — life-safety and egress rules, the applicable UL standards, structured-cabling practice, accessibility, and for federal work the sourcing restrictions that apply to your contract.
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Specification writing
Division 28 style specification sections written so competing bidders price the same scope: performance requirements, submittal and closeout obligations, testing and acceptance criteria, and warranty terms.
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Bid support
We help you issue the package, answer bidder questions, run the RFI log, and level the proposals that come back so you can compare a $180/door number against a $260/door number on the same basis.
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Owner’s representation
During construction we review submittals against the spec, attend coordination meetings, witness acceptance testing and check the closeout package — working for you, not for the contractor holding the installation scope.
02 How it works
Six steps, and you can stop after any of them.
Every step produces something you can hand to somebody else. Nothing is held back to force the next phase.
Scoping call
Thirty minutes on the phone: what the facility is, what triggered the project, who the stakeholders are, and whether the work is commercial or federal. No drawings needed yet.
Written engagement scope
We put the scope, the deliverables, the schedule and the fee in writing before anything starts. If the answer is “you do not need a consultant for this,” we say so.
Document intake
Floor plans, any existing as-builts, device lists, incident history, and the standards or contract clauses you are already bound by.
Site assessment
On-site walk with the people who open, close and respond. We photograph conditions, test a sample of the existing system and record what we find.
Analysis & draft
Findings ranked by consequence and effort, mapped to the governing documents, with options rather than a single take-it-or-leave-it answer.
Review & final issue
A working session on the draft, then the final report, drawings markup, specification sections and budget ranges issued as editable files you own.
Where we stop. LA CCTV Supply provides security consulting and system design, sells the equipment and trains your people. We are not an installing contractor: installation is performed by your licensed contractor, except for small non-permitted work under $1,000 all-inclusive, which we can handle directly. On a construction project that means we can write the scope, review the submittals and witness the testing — the installing contractor does the installing.
03 Deliverables
Editable files you own, not a slide deck.
Reports arrive as documents you can edit, forward and reuse. Drawings come back marked up in a format your architect can work with. Nothing is locked to a portal you have to keep paying for.
Assessment report
Findings, risk ranking, photographs, and a recommendation for each finding with the trade-offs stated plainly.
Drawings markup
Your floor plans marked with device locations, coverage intent, head-end and pathway notes — the basis for a full design package.
Specification sections
Editable specification text for the systems in scope, written so it can drop into your architect’s or your agency’s project manual.
Bill of materials
A line-by-line equipment list with model numbers, quantities, accessories and the spares you will wish you had bought.
Budget ranges
Order-of-magnitude ranges by scope element — equipment, installation labor, cabling, programming, commissioning — so a budget request survives review.
Phasing & sequence notes
What has to happen before drywall, what can wait for tenant improvement, and what depends on the network or electrical scope.
04 Assessment scope builder
Tick what applies. Copy the summary into your quote request.
A first message that says what kind of building, how many sites and which systems are in play saves a round trip. This runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere, stored, or logged until you paste it somewhere yourself.
Assessment scope builder
Runs in your browser · nothing is transmitted
Paste the summary into the Get a Quote app or read it out on the phone. Leave out classified information, CUI and specific facility addresses.
05 Who it’s for
People who have to defend the decision afterwards.
Facility & security managers
You inherited a system nobody documented and need to know what you actually have before you ask for money.
Architects & engineers
You need a security narrative and Division 28 specification text that will not fall apart at bid time.
General contractors
You are holding a security scope written by someone else and need it interpreted, priced and coordinated with the trades.
Federal program & contracting staff
You need an independent scope of work, sourcing restrictions handled correctly, and a defensible basis of estimate.
Owners in regulated sectors
Banking, healthcare, utilities, logistics and critical infrastructure, where an auditor will ask you to show your work.
Anyone rebuilding after a loss
A break-in, a diversion or a failed audit is a reason to redesign the approach, not to reorder the same cameras.
06 What we need from you
Six things that make the first week productive.
None of them have to be perfect. Incomplete drawings and a rough device count still beat waiting until the documentation is tidy — it never is.
Access matters more than paperwork. The single biggest schedule risk on an assessment is getting into the rooms: MDF/IDF closets, roof, loading dock, and whatever cabinet the old head end lives in. Line up escorts early.
- Floor plans or a site plan — PDF or CAD, current enough to be recognizable.
- Any existing device list, as-builts, or head-end screenshots you can share safely.
- Hours of operation, staffing pattern, and who responds to an alarm at 2 a.m.
- Your incident history in general terms — patterns matter more than specifics.
- The standards, contract clauses or insurance requirements you are already bound by.
- A realistic budget range and the decision date you are working toward.
FAQ
Consulting, answered straight.
Short versions. Call if the situation is more complicated than the question.
Read the SCIF & SAPF primerDo you install what you recommend?
No. LA CCTV Supply provides security consulting and system design, sells the equipment and trains your people. We are not an installing contractor: installation is performed by your licensed contractor, except for small non-permitted work under $1,000 all-inclusive, which we can handle directly. That separation is the point of an independent assessment.
Can we buy the equipment from you after the assessment?
Yes, and plenty of clients do — the bill of materials we write is meant to be quotable. It is not a condition of the consulting work, and the report is written so any qualified supplier could price it.
How long does an assessment take?
A single building with one or two systems in scope is usually a one-day walk and a draft inside two weeks. Multi-site portfolios and federal work take longer, mostly because of access and document review, and we give you a schedule in writing before we start.
Do you work outside California?
Yes. We have been doing this since 2009 and work nationwide for commercial clients and federal agencies. Consulting, design and procurement travel well; installation stays with a contractor licensed in your state.
Bring us the problem, not a product list.
Tell us what you are protecting and what went wrong last time. We will tell you whether this needs an assessment, a design, a purchase order — or nothing at all.
Please don’t send classified information, CUI or facility addresses through web forms or unencrypted email.