Robotics Pilot Contract: Structuring 30 Days Correctly

A robotics pilot contract determines whether security robotics delivers reliable numbers in an industrial facility or ends as an expensive showcase. The 30-day pilot phase is not a sales ritual. It is an operational measurement run with defined KPIs, escalation paths, and exit clauses. This text describes how such a contract is structured, which clauses require negotiation, and which legal obligations plant management and procurement must fulfil.

Robotics Pilot Contract: Why 30 Days Is the Right Duration

30 days cover two complete shift cycles and at least four weekend rotations. That is the minimum number of data points needed to evaluate false alarm rates statistically. Pilot phases of 7 or 14 days produce anecdotes, not statistics. A single stormy night can distort the sensor balance.

Pilot phases beyond 60 days consume budget without additional insight. After day 30, operational patterns repeat. Extending the pilot defers the decision rather than enabling it.

Quarero delivers the security robot within 48 hours of contract signing. The pilot starts in the current calendar week. The pilot fee is a flat €3,500 for the QR-2, with no deposit, no setup charge, and no subsequent cost for site mapping (see pricing overview).

After 30 days, a binary decision is required: transition to regular operation under a 24-month Robotics-as-a-Service model, or return with no follow-on costs. No automatic renewal, no cancellation penalty.

Scope Definition: What the Pilot Contract Must Contain

The most common cause of failed pilots is an imprecise scope. Patrol routes belong in the contract annex as georeferenced polygons, not as text descriptions. A sentence such as "patrol of the western site" is not legally enforceable. A KML file with waypoints is.

Shift windows are defined per weekday, including handover times to the human guard service. If the robot takes over the Streife at 22:00 and hands back at 06:00, that appears in the contract exactly as stated. Gaps between robotic and human presence are liability traps.

The escalation chain is documented with names, telephone numbers, and maximum response times. First escalation level: control room. Second: duty shift supervisor. Third: Werkschutz management. Each level carries a defined acknowledgement time in seconds, not minutes.

The sensor profile depends on the deployment site. QR-1 for indoor areas and logistics halls. QR-2 for 24/7 outdoor perimeter with thermal imaging and lidar. QR-3 with drone detection where elevated air risk exists, for example near research facilities or high-security storage sites.

Data sovereignty is a contract point, not a negotiating option. Recordings remain on the client's infrastructure. Deletion periods follow DSGVO Art. 17: 72 hours for non-escalated video data as a standard, 30 days for incident recordings.

KPIs: Measurable Success Criteria for the Robotics Pilot Contract

A pilot without KPIs is a demo. Five metrics belong in every contract.

Patrol coverage: at least 95 percent of planned route kilometres per shift. Measured via GPS log, reported in the daily report. Deviations are explained (weather, obstacle, maintenance).

False alarm rate: below 3 percent of all triggered events, documented per sensor. Thermal imaging, lidar, and acoustic detection are evaluated separately. An aggregated rate conceals which sensor requires adjustment.

Availability: 98 percent uptime over 30 days (basis: contractual SLA definition in the annex). Planned maintenance windows do not count as downtime; unplanned outages do. Logging is minute-precise.

Detection performance: verified person recognition during test intrusion within 8 seconds. The pilot includes at least three announced and three unannounced test intrusions, carried out by trained personnel of the operator.

Escalation time: from sensor event to control room notification in under 12 seconds. This metric determines whether the robotics system responds effectively in an emergency. Anything above 20 seconds is operationally worthless.

Exit Clauses and Risk Allocation

Termination on day 30 is executed without justification, in writing, without contractual penalty. This point is non-negotiable. Any provider who attaches a penalty payment to non-adoption is not offering a pilot contract. They are offering a disguised main contract.

Early termination is possible if KPIs are missed by more than 20 percent. The fee is calculated pro rata, based on days effectively used. Documentation of the shortfall occurs via the daily KPI reports.

Liability for property damage caused by the robot is covered by Quarero's commercial liability policy, with a coverage amount of €5 million (proof of policy in the contract annex). Damage to robot hardware caused by gross negligence of the operator (for example, forklift contact) is governed separately. The policy accompanies the pilot contract.

Data protection incidents are subject to a joint notification obligation within 72 hours under DSGVO Art. 33. Quarero and the operator each appoint a responsible contact person. The roles of controller and processor are fixed in a data processing agreement (AVV) under DSGVO Art. 28.

Return logistics upon non-adoption are handled by Quarero. No dismantling costs, no transport fees, no cleaning charge for the operator.

Pilot Phase Week by Week: Operational Sequence

Week 1 is setup week. Site mapping with GPS referencing, route calibration, connection to the existing control room. The protocol is typically ONVIF or a client-specific API. First test intrusions at the end of week 1, documented with timestamp and sensor response.

Week 2 is full operation. 24/7 patrol according to plan, daily KPI dashboards, fine-tuning of sensor profiles based on initial real-world data. In practice, thresholds for thermal imaging and motion detection are adjusted two to three times during this week.

Week 3 focuses on stress testing. Weekend and public-holiday operations, deliberate multiple triggering through parallel test intrusions, load testing of the escalation chain. If the control room does not prioritise three simultaneous events cleanly, the escalation protocol is revised.

Week 4 is handover week. Production of the handover report with aggregated KPI data, preparation of the decision meeting with plant management and Betriebsrat. The KPI report contains all raw data in CSV format, not only the aggregates.

Day 30: contract decision is documented. On adoption, the transition runs without operational interruption. The robot remains on site, and the pilot fee is credited against the first regular month.

Cost Structure: Pilot, Regular Operation, and TCO Comparison

The pilot flat fee for 30 days is €3,200 for QR-1, €3,500 for QR-2, and €3,800 for QR-3. No hidden Posten, no site-mapping charge, no transport fee. This is part of the three-tier pricing model.

On adoption, a 24-month RaaS contract applies at the same monthly rate. The pilot month is credited, so the operator effectively pays 23 months for 24 months of service.

For comparison: a conventional 24/7 Wachposten costs €15,000–€25,000 per month, depending on tariff zone and qualification level (BDSW Zahlen, Daten, Fakten). The range is documented in the BDSW tariff and personnel cost data. A fully staffed Posten in Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg tends toward the upper end, driven by the Manteltarifvertrag and applicable supplements.

The standard deployment model is hybrid. One human Posten plus QR-2 replaces two fully staffed shifts. The robotics system handles repetitive Bestreifung. The person remains responsible for §34a-obligatory tasks and escalations. A detailed TCO comparison for Wachschutz shows the calculation for different site sizes.

For accounting purposes: no CapEx, no depreciation planning. RaaS runs as OpEx on the security cost centre. This simplifies budget approval and makes direct comparisons with conventional Wachschutz possible.

Legal Framework: What Procurement and Betriebsrat Must Review

Autonomous security robots deployed outdoors fall under EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230. It fully replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC from January 2027 (EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, Art. 53). The regulation governs CE conformity, risk assessment, and conformity assessment procedures for autonomous systems. The CE declaration for each deployed robot belongs in the contract annex.

The applicable reference standard is EN ISO 13482, which sets safety requirements for personal care robots and mobile service robotics. The standard is not harmonised for all robotics classes, but is accepted by insurers and TÜV as an evaluation benchmark.

The Betriebsrat must be involved under BetrVG §87 Abs. 1 Nr. 6. Security robots with person-recognition capability are technical devices suited to monitor the behaviour or performance of employees. This co-determination obligation is non-negotiable. A pilot without Betriebsrat approval is legally vulnerable. It can be halted by interim injunction. The Betriebsvereinbarung governs purpose limitation, storage periods, and the prohibition on using data for performance monitoring.

A data protection impact assessment under DSGVO Art. 35 must be completed before the pilot starts. Quarero provides a template. The company's data protection officer adapts it to local conditions. The DSFA documents processing purposes, recipient categories, and technical and organisational measures.

For KRITIS facilities, the BSI-Kritisverordnung applies in addition. Security robots become part of the protective measures. They must appear in the evidence documentation under BSI-Gesetz §8a. BBK notification channels for security-relevant incidents are integrated into the escalation chain.

From Pilot to Regular Operation: Handover Without Disruption

The handover report contains the signed KPI report for all 30 pilot days. The operator archives it for internal audits, external certifications, and insurers. For KRITIS operators, the document enters the BSI evidence documentation.

Training of control room staff covers two shifts, 90 minutes each, delivered by Quarero technicians on site. Training content: operation of the robot control system, interpretation of sensor events, escalation protocol, and maintenance requests. Attendance is documented.

Maintenance windows under the 24-month contract: two planned shutdowns per year, 4 hours each, scheduled outside peak operating hours. Dates are agreed 14 days in advance. During maintenance, the human guard service assumes full Bestreifung coverage.

The escalation path is integrated into the existing security organisation, not operated as a parallel system. Sensor events flow through the control room already responsible for cameras and access control systems. A second dashboard with its own operating logic is not operationally accepted.

Quarterly reviews compare current metrics against the pilot baseline. Optimisations are documented: for example, route adjustments following site extensions, or new sensor profiles for seasonal risks. A fully calculated example is available in the article Perimeter Protection in the Industrial Park.

Next step: submit a pilot enquiry for the QR-2, specifying site size, shift model, and desired sensor configuration. Quarero responds within 48 hours with a draft contract, site survey appointment, and delivery date.