Security Integrator Hourly Rates 2013

The median security integrator hourly rate charged is $90 to $100 USD per hour with 90% of integrators charging between $75 and $125 USD per hour, uncovered in a unique IPVM integrator survey. In this note, we break down the key factors impacting pricing, share color commentary from integrators and explain how to best make use of these results.

[UPDATE: New version - Security Integrator Hourly Rates 2016]

Key Factors Impacting Price

The most notable price drivers were:

• Job role: installers and technicians tended to be billed out at the low end of the range (typically closer to $75) while IT and project managers were at the high end of the range (typically closer to $125). This was the most consistent driver in price variation.
• Geographic location: Overall, this was surprisingly modest with integrators throughout the US, Canada, Australia all reporting similar ranges. The exceptions were larger cities (for example, two San Francisco bay area respondents had some of the highest reported rates, not surprising considering the much higher wages in that region).
  
• Markets served: The respondents were overwhelmingly commercial industrial integrators but the handful of integrators who served residential customers had lower pricing. 

Color Commentary

Here is a selection of respondents who shared some details in their answers:

• $110 per hour install or service techs $85 per hour junior or helper rates
• $125.00 for tech. Labor for install of equip and cabling is $49 to $89 with structured cabling being the high end.
• $65 the low end. $95 on the high end. $75 average. Located in the midwest area of the US
• $95 for installation. $120 for programming/commissioning.
• $75/hr CDN per technician, plus traveling expenses
• $95 per hour or any part thereof, $35 trip charge where applicable.
• $95.00 per hour install techs
• $75.00p/hr average. Install @ $55p/hr PM @85.00 p/hr Service @75.00p/hr and IT @ 85.00
• Our rates for factory certified, licensed, access, fire, NICET II or higher certified (fire, video)technicians with truck tools, laptops, is $150 for 2014. 2-hr minimum. Project managers are not hourly.
• We see rates in bid responses ranging from $65 to $150 per hour. We use $125 per hour as our service rate.
• $120.00 to $180.00 per hour Typical for standard rates labor rates 60.00 to 85.00 Tech Rates 90.00 to 150.00 Experiences Well Qualified Technicians in bay area get 180.00 to 225.00 per hour Typical prevailing Wage Rates for most Gov.city,St.Fed.Projects Rural areas go as low as 25.00 to 75.00 per hour for labor
• $70~$85. Our commercial rate is $85, residential is $75. Our install techs are the same as our service techs
• We bill techs on service calls at $100/hr. when we are bidding a project for a new install the average is generally around $75/hr
• Installation techs: $75/hr Service techs $100/hr
• Troubleshooting I will take 200 USD per technician dispatch (i.e. per visit), the visit taking anywhere between 1 and 4 hours.
• Billing $75.00 an hour per Integrator; paying rate $25.00 for install technicians; service techs $17.00 an hour; Project Managers $30.00 an Hour.
• $65.00, moving to $75.00 in the new new min one hour truck charge, billable in half increments thereafter
• I know security firms that charge 120 for higher level work than the phone guys (IMO). We charge anywhere from 85/hr for CCTV work all the way up to 225/hr for project management. IP video labor is 150/hr. We also charge 65 bucks to roll a truck, this gets added to any labor rates on a service call
• Generally $85 across the board for everything although for 2014 we are moving to a tiered scale - base rate $85 (installers, first tier IT) $95 server admins/advanced IT and $115 Sr IT and project managers. We hope this will also help avoid some customers whining about using jr IT at the same rate as more experienced staff.
• Technician $98 Installation Manager/System Engineer $130
• $485 first hour includes travel times and $95 each additional
• Install techs $50, Project manager $100
• Install techs - $105 Service techs - $115 Project Mgmt - $125 IT Support - $ 125 Merry Xmas from NZ
• Hourly install rates in Australia vary from A$60 (small players) to A$100.00 with the majors. Project Management is normally a percentage of the install tech rates varying between 10% and 25%

Price Charged vs Wage Paid

These results are for how much integrators charge their customers, not how much they pay their employees. Assuming a median $90 to $100 billing rate, we would expect the typical integrator employee to be paid 1/3rd that amount (e.g., from $30 to $33 per hour, ~$60,000 USD annually) or moderately less. The difference is attributed to a significant percentage of hours where employees are not being billed out, vehicle / truck expenses, costs / time for training, vacation, healthcare, etc.

Using These Results

The 'right' or 'fair' price is much harder to determine. Even after factoring in variances in role, geography and markets served, differences in integrator price can still be accounted for in a number of important ways:

• Product Markups: Integrators may vary in how much they mark up products, which might allow them to accept moderately lower hourly fees.
• Experience / Skill: Integrators often vary in skill and experience that might result in them taking less hours to accomplish a task, delivering a lower overall cost, even with a higher hourly rate.
• Padding Hours: It can be hard to track exactly how many hours integrators spend at a given task. A company charging a lower hourly rate might make it up by simply billing more hours.