Bullet Proof Your Subcontracting
On-Demand CourseCourse Overview
Subcontracting is one of the most overlooked liability areas in private security and private investigations. Bulletproof Your Subcontracting is a North Carolina Private Protective Services Board–approved continuing education course (PPSB-26-030) that delivers 4 credit hours of practical, field-tested training for licensed security professionals and private investigators. Whether you run a contracting firm or work as a subcontractor, this course gives you the legal, contractual, and operational systems to subcontract safely, stay compliant, and protect your profitability. Taught by Catherine D. Flowers, a licensed NC private investigator with 25+ years of field experience and a member of the NC PPSB Education Committee.
What's Included
- • 4 hours of comprehensive training
- • Professional certification upon completion
- • Access to course materials
Learning Objectives
- • Upon successful completion of this 4-hour course, participants will be able to:
- • Identify the NC PPSB regulatory requirements governing subcontracting relationships for both security firms and private investigation agencies, including which roles require licensure.
- • Distinguish between employee, independent subcontractor, and staffing-agency classifications, and explain the legal and tax implications of 1099 versus W-2 arrangements
- • Recognize the compliance indicators PPSB auditors review, and prepare documentation systems that demonstrate regulatory readiness.
- • Calculate the true cost-per-hour of subcontracted work by accounting for overhead, liability, and insurance costs, and determine when subcontracting is financially viable
- • Apply market-rate analysis to establish fair and profitable pricing structures for both security and PI subcontracting arrangements.
- • Evaluate prospective subcontractors using license verification, background screening, and training-hour confirmation standards appropriate to guards and investigators
- • Demonstrate how to maintain the supervisory control required to protect the contracting firm's or agency's license
- • Negotiate fair rates, payment terms, and protective contract clauses (non-solicitation, scope, and payment provisions) from the subcontractor's perspective.
- • Determine appropriate insurance requirements, including certificates of insurance, additional-insured status, and workers' compensation coverage gaps.
- • Develop documentation, incident-reporting, and field-communication protocols that protect all parties in a subcontracting relationship.
- • Build a vetted subcontractor roster and structure long-term partnership agreements that support sustainable, scalable business growth.
Course Content
There are no prerequisites for this course. Bulletproof Your Subcontracting is open to both newly licensed professionals and experienced firm owners, and no prior training in contracts, business law, or subcontracting is required. The material is taught from the ground up, building from foundational compliance concepts to advanced partnership and scaling strategies, so you'll be able to follow and apply it regardless of your experience level.
- • Subcontracting rules for security firms and PI agencies, who must hold a license, the employee vs. subcontractor vs. staffing misclassification trap, 1099 vs. W-2 legal implications, and what auditors look for.
- • Module 2: The Economics of Subcontracting
- • Pricing structures and the margin math firms get wrong, overhead and true cost-per-hour calculations, when subcontracting is and isn't profitable, rate structures for PI vs. security subs, and understanding regional market rates.
- • Module 3: Vetting, Hiring & Managing Subcontractors
- • License verification, background and drug-screening and training-hour requirements, written subcontract essentials, maintaining supervisory control, case confidentiality and chain of custody, and pre-deployment documentation.
- • Module 4: Thriving as a Subcontractor
- • Negotiating fair rates and payment terms, protective contract clauses, insurance and COI requirements, protecting case files and client data, handling clients who try to go around the contracting firm, and building a steady pipeline.
- • Module 5: Ethics, Quality Control & Field Communication
- • Ethics obligations for firms and agencies using subs, confidentiality and conflict-of-interest standards, enforcing conduct and reporting standards, handling client complaints, and communication protocols.
- • Module 6: Building Sustainable Partnerships & Advanced Strategies
- • Creating a vetted subcontractor roster, long-term partnership agreements vs. one-off arrangements, non-compete and non-solicitation considerations, and scaling through strategic relationships.
Your Instructor
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bulletproof Your Subcontracting?
It's a 4-hour professional development course that teaches security professionals and private investigators how to subcontract safely and profitably — covering compliance, contracts, worker classification, vetting, insurance, ethics, and business strategy from both the hiring firm's and the working subcontractor's perspective.
Who should take this course?
Anyone on either side of the subcontracting relationship: security company owners, qualifying agents, PI agency principals, operations managers, and field supervisors who hire subcontractors — as well as licensed guards, security officers, and private investigators who work as subcontractors.
How many credit hours is the course?
4.0 hours.
Why does subcontracting need its own course?
Because it's one of the most overlooked liability areas in the industry. A single misclassified worker, missing insurance certificate, or weak contract can trigger lawsuits, board complaints, tax penalties, or loss of your license — and this course gives you the systems to prevent that.
How do I take the Course?
Bulletproof Your Subcontracting is offered as a fully asynchronous, self-paced online course. There are no scheduled class times and no live attendance required — you log in whenever it's convenient and work through the six modules at your own pace, on any device. Start in the evening, on a day off, or in between assignments; the course fits your schedule rather than the other way around. Once you enroll, you have 30 days to complete the course. That window gives you plenty of flexibility to move through the material thoughtfully, revisit any module, and complete the scenario-based final assessment when you're ready. Upon passing, your Certificate of Completion is issued immediately so you have documentation in hand for your records and, for North Carolina professionals, your continuing education hours.