Security Robot Specification: Template for Buyers

A security robot specification decides before the first demo whether procurement goes productive in 6 months or gets shelved as a pilot after 18 months. This guide describes the points regularly missing in DACH industrial sites with perimeters between 800 metres and 4 kilometres.

Security robot specification: why most tenders fail

Three errors appear in over 70 percent of the tenders we review. First: sensors are specified without a concrete deployment profile. A 4K camera without defined detection range and light conditions is an empty line item. Second: availability commitments without weather clauses. A robot with IP54 fails in heavy rain above 25 mm/h, but the SLA quota stays at 99 percent. Third: interfaces without API specification. Anyone writing "connection to control room" buys a CSV file by email 12 months later.

Before market exploration, the distinction per VDI 2519 must be clear. The Lastenheft describes what the requester needs. The Pflichtenheft (specification) describes how the supplier delivers it. Mixing the two loses negotiating position over acceptance criteria.

Procurement cycles above 9 months produce a second problem: the specification is outdated at contract signing. LiDAR ranges and edge-compute performance double roughly every 24 months in security robotics. Fixing hardware generations means getting 2024 technology in 2026.

Missing acceptance criteria shift risk from supplier to operator. Without measurable thresholds for false alarms, detection rates and response time, there is no basis for penalties or contract termination. And: template texts from classic Wachschutz do not work. Shift models, §34a certificates and Manteltarifvertrag drop out, other risks come in.

Deployment profile and performance requirements

The deployment profile is the foundation. Without these numbers, every sensor specification is speculation.

Document the perimeter in metres, the number of patrol points, and the required round frequency per hour. A typical industrial park with 1,800 metres of perimeter fence and 24 control points needs at least 2 full rounds per hour to reach relevant response times.

Set operating hours per day and weather classes. For 24/7 outdoor operation, IP65 or higher is the minimum standard, and the temperature range must cover -20 to +50 °C. Sites in low mountain ranges require separate review of snow load and visibility obstruction from drifting snow.

Terrain type belongs explicitly in the specification. Asphalt, gravel, gradients up to 15 percent, stairs yes or no. A patrol robot that suddenly faces an 8-step outdoor staircase on a plant extension becomes a stationary sensor.

Acoustic and visual escalation stages must be described in advance per detection class. Example: on person detection in the restricted zone between 22:00 and 06:00, stage 1 (voice announcement), after 15 seconds stage 2 (strobe plus bilingual warning), after 30 seconds stage 3 (control room call).

Minimum availability belongs at 97 percent monthly, measured over 24/7 operating hours. Downtime is permitted only for documented maintenance. Below that is not market standard outdoors, above that gets broken regularly by weather events.

Sensors and detection requirements

Sensors are the most expensive line item and the most frequent dispute at acceptance. Specify per sensor: type, range, detection class, false alarm limit.

RGB camera with minimum resolution 4K, person detection range at daylight at least 30 metres, with IR illumination at least 15 metres. Lower ranges are defensible for warehouse interiors, not for the perimeter.

Thermal sensor with detection range at least 50 metres and a false alarm rate below 2 percent per 24 hours. Anyone who fails to fix this rate in the contract receives 40 alarms per night in summer from wildlife and warm asphalt surfaces.

LiDAR for 360-degree obstacle detection, range at least 100 metres. For KRITIS sectors, LiDAR is mandatory in our view, because camera-only systems go blind in fog and dust. The QR-3 with LiDAR and drone detection covers this requirement range.

Drone detection belongs in the specification from KRITIS sector Energy, Water and Health onwards. The threat picture has changed since 2023, tenders without RF detection or acoustic drone recognition are no longer current.

Audio analysis for glass break, screams and gunshots must work with classified alarm codes. A generic "audio alarm" is not actionable in the control room.

Data return to the control room system in under 5 seconds from detection. Values above 10 seconds are unusable for escalation decisions.

Interfaces, IT security and data sovereignty

REST API and MQTT endpoints for connection to existing PSIM or SIEM systems must be specified with protocol version, authentication method and data model. Demand an OpenAPI schema as an annex to the offer, not only at acceptance.

EU data residency is a minimum requirement, the data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR belongs in the offer scope. US cloud backends with "EU region" are insufficient if the provider falls under the CLOUD Act.

TLS 1.3 for transport, AES-256 for storage, key rotation every 90 days. These values are not negotiating mass but BSI minimum standard for comparable use cases.

NIS-2 conformity of the supplier must be evidenced by an ISMS certificate (ISO 27001 or equivalent). The NIS-2 Directive 2022/2555 requires risk management and supplier review at essential entities. A robot supplier without ISMS is not an admissible supplier for KRITIS operators.

Request a penetration test report from the last 12 months as an annex. Suppliers who fail to provide this report or refer to "confidential" drop out in the next evaluation round.

Compliance: standards, law, KRITIS

The standards picture is fragmented because no standard is exactly tailored to autonomous outdoor patrol robots.

EN ISO 13482 specifies safety requirements for personal care robots and serves as a reference standard for adjacent robot types. It is not sufficient on its own. EN ISO 3691-4 for autonomous mobile robots should also be reviewed, because requirements for protective equipment and emergency stops are formulated more robustly there.

The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive from January 2027 and applies to autonomous mobile systems. Conformity becomes mandatory to evidence. Contracts with delivery dates after December 2026 should explicitly require the declaration of conformity under 2023/1230.

The KRITIS Umbrella Act (KRITIS-Dachgesetz) defines mandatory structural and technical protection measures for operators of critical installations. Robots count among the technical measures. The KritisV governs thresholds for installations from which operator duties apply. Anyone just below the threshold reviews extensions carefully.

The BSI baseline protection module INF.1 for general buildings must be considered during integration. Charging zones, radio links and service access are relevant there.

BBK reporting duties for incidents must be triggerable through the robot system. A plain email notification to shift management does not meet the requirement. An overview of the duties is in the 12 obligations from the KRITIS-Dachgesetz and in the KRITIS requirements overview.

Contract model: purchase, rental or Robotics-as-a-Service

The contract model decides economic viability, not the hardware.

CapEx purchase ties up 80 to 120 thousand euros per unit over 5 years, usually without update guarantee. After 36 months the hardware generation is behind market standard, resale value sits below 20 percent.

The Robotics-as-a-Service model shifts hardware refresh, maintenance and software updates to the supplier. At Quarero, the following conditions apply: QR-1 from 3,200 euros, QR-2 from 3,500 euros, QR-3 from 3,800 euros monthly. The QR-2 for 24/7 outdoor deployment is the typical configuration for industrial perimeters without drone requirements.

Minimum term 24 months, delivery 48 hours after contract signing, SLA penalties are negotiable and belong in the contract. Signing without a penalty schedule leaves no leverage at outages.

Comparison to the 24/7 guard post: continuous post staffing with three shifts plus vacation and sickness cover sits between 15 and 25 thousand euros monthly, depending on tariff region and qualification. A detailed TCO comparison Wachschutz vs. robot shows the perimeter length at which the robot is economically superior.

Acceptance, tests and acceptance criteria

Without formal acceptance, the best specification is worthless.

The Site Acceptance Test must contain defined scenarios: intruder at the fence, fire ignition in the warehouse, drone over the high rack, obstacle in the patrol path. Each scenario needs a target response and a maximum response time.

The false alarm rate is measured over 14 days of trial operation, the limit is fixed in advance in the specification. Standard is fewer than 3 false alarms per 24 hours at full sensor coverage. Anyone who fails to fix the value argues later about the definition of "false".

Test emergency shutdown over radio and on site. Latency below 2 seconds is demandable and should be contractually assured. Some suppliers deliver only software stops, which fail at network outage.

Reporting templates for shift management, plant management and authorities belong in the acceptance scope. Anyone who specifies reporting only after acceptance pays for it twice: once as standard, once as change request.

Residual defects clause with a penalty schedule rather than simple subsequent performance. A defect still present after 30 days costs 5 percent of the monthly rate, after 60 days 15 percent, from 90 days extraordinary right of termination.

Template download and next steps

The specification template is available as a DOCX with 47 pre-filled requirement points. It covers the sections deployment profile, sensors, interfaces, IT security, compliance, contract model and acceptance. The request runs through the contact form because we clarify KRITIS relevance and sector assignment before dispatch.

Recommendation for the award: run market exploration with three suppliers in parallel, build a comparison matrix by sensors, SLA and contract model. Suppliers who fail to deliver an OpenAPI schema and a pen test report drop out in round 1. For industrial parks, the guide Perimeter protection for industrial parks is relevant supplementary reading.

Plan a 90-day pilot before full rollout. Findings from the pilot feed into specification version 2.0, which forms the basis for subsequent sites. Skipping the pilot means buying the same misconfiguration five times in a multi-site rollout.

For KRITIS-mandated operators, Marcus Köhnlein and Dr. Raphael Nagel are available for consultation as co-authors of the operator handbook (ESBN 978-3-912703-01-6). Schedule the appointment for site walk-through, needs analysis and handover of the specification template via the Quarero contact form.