Questions to ask a supplier
Eighteen questions. Five are uncomfortable. Ask us all of them.
Ask everyone the same questions, including us
The market for school security and Martyn’s Law is noisy, and some of the noise is inaccurate. A consistent set of questions is the fastest way to tell a supplier who has read the legislation from one who has read a blog about it.
We have included the ones we would least like to be asked.
Five questions that expose whether they have read it
- Is Martyn’s Law in force today? (No. Royal Assent 3 April 2025; the SIA expects spring 2027.)
- Which tier is my school in, and why? (Standard, regardless of size, because Schedule 1 says so. Anyone who says a large school might be enhanced tier has not read it.)
- Does the Act require CCTV? (No. The standard-tier duty is procedures, and the Home Office says no physical measures are required.)
- Can I notify the SIA now? (No. Section 9 has not commenced and the portal is still being built.)
- Does your product make us compliant? (No product does. If they say yes, stop.)
What it actually does
- Which of these capabilities are documented by the manufacturer, and which are your description of them?
- Where is the data processed and stored? (For Verkada: the EU region, Ireland. There is no UK region.)
- What certifications does the manufacturer hold, and who issued them?
- Does it do mass notification or public address? (Verkada does not. Anyone saying otherwise is wrong.)
- What is the actual retention on the model you are quoting, at the quality you are setting?
- What happens if the internet goes down, and if a licence lapses?
The half that is not the manufacturer
- Who does the cabling, containment and power — you, or a subcontractor?
- Who certifies the electrical work, and under which accreditation?
- How will the door locking interface with our fire alarm, and who agrees that with our fire risk assessor?
- Are your engineers DBS checked?
The three that get avoided
- What is the total cost for our actual site, itemised into hardware, licences, installation and aftercare?
- What is the licence term, what happens at renewal, and what will it cost then?
- What is included in aftercare, and who answers the phone in eighteen months?
Since we wrote the questions
SEG Core Ltd is a Verkada Gold Partner and reseller, supplied through Distology. We are an electrical contractor: our own engineers do the containment, cable, power and terminations, and the electrical work is certified under The Specialist Electrical Group’s NICEIC approval. Our engineers are DBS checked for school work.
Verkada’s data is processed and stored in the EU region for UK customers; there is no UK region. Verkada holds ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701 and SOC 2 Type 2. Verkada does not make a mass-notification or public-address system, and we will not imply it does.
We do not publish prices because Verkada does not publish UK pricing. We quote in writing, itemised. And no, nothing we sell makes you compliant with anything.
Three things worth asking any installer to show you
Sources
Everything on this page is taken from these. Checked 25 September 2026.
- Understanding Martyn's Law and the SIA's role as regulator
- Section 5 — public protection procedures
- Schedule 1 paragraph 14 — primary and secondary education
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: statutory guidance (Home Office)
- Verkada help — data storage and processing locations
- Verkada trust centre — certifications
- Verkada help — InformaCast integration
Start with a survey, not a quotation.
We walk the site, look at what you already have, and tell you what would genuinely help — including where the answer is that you do not need anything.
Book a free site survey Call 01727 822 833