Outsourced IT support for a security, fire or M&E contractor usually costs between £45 and £100 per user per month. Where you land depends on whether you run hosted desktops, how many staff work from site, the finance and payroll software you rely on, and the level of security you need. For most contractors this is far cheaper and more capable than trying to manage IT in-house.
Building-services firms have a particular IT shape: office staff, field engineers and a server or hosted desktop running the business. Here’s what drives the cost.
1. Hosted desktops and remote access
Many contractors run a hosted desktop so office and site staff use the same systems from anywhere. Supporting and securing that environment, and the remote access your engineers depend on, is a core part of the price and a big part of the value.
2. The number of site-based users
Staff working from site and on the move need reliable, secure access and quick support wherever they are. The more of your team is field-based, the more remote-working support matters, and that feeds into the monthly fee.
3. The level of security you need
Contractors handle client sites, payments and payroll, and are targeted by invoice fraud. Layered security, including MFA, application allowlisting, managed email security and threat monitoring, costs a little more but protects your money and your reputation.
4. What’s included as standard
A good managed price should include proactive monitoring, helpdesk support, patching, endpoint protection and backup as standard, not as costly extras. Always check what is in the monthly fee so you can compare like for like.
A real example: value from quick support
We support a security and M&E contractor whose office and site staff work from a hosted desktop. When someone cannot connect from home or site, we get them back online fast. As one user put it: “In 5 minutes I was back online and issue free, what more can you ask for?” That responsiveness is what the monthly fee buys.
What a contractor your size should expect to pay
As a rough guide, based on the £45 to £100 per user range:
- A 10-person contractor: roughly £450 to £750 a month for fully managed IT and security.
- A 25-person firm with site teams: roughly £1,250 to £2,000 a month.
- A 50-person multi-site contractor: roughly £2,250 to £5,000 a month.
These are guide figures, not a quote, but the cost is predictable, per user, and scales as you take on more staff and sites.
What to ask a provider
A specialist for contractors should be able to answer:
- Have you supported contractors with hosted desktops and site-based teams before?
- How do you give engineers and site staff secure, reliable access from anywhere?
- How do you protect us from payment and invoice fraud?
- What is your response time when a finance or payroll deadline is at risk?
- Is the price clear and per user, with security included rather than charged separately?
What good IT means for a contractor
For a security, fire or M&E contractor, good IT is mostly invisible. Quotes go out, certificates and reports get filed, payroll runs, and engineers reach what they need from site without a second thought. When something does go wrong, it is caught early and fixed fast, before a deadline slips or a payment goes astray. That reliability, rather than any single product, is what you are really paying for, and it is why a slightly higher monthly cost from the right partner usually works out cheaper than a cheap contract that leaves you exposed.
Why the cheapest quote costs more
It is tempting to pick the lowest number, but for a contractor a day of downtime, a finance or payroll system that will not open before a deadline, or a redirected supplier payment costs far more than the gap between a cheap contract and a good one. The right question is not the lowest price, but what it costs you when work stops, and who prevents that happening.
Why security and M&E contractors choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including security, fire and M&E contractors and building-services firms with office and site-based teams. We know how these businesses run: hosted desktops for staff on site and in the office, QuickBooks and payroll, secure remote access for field engineers, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and the layered security that protects a firm handling client sites and payments, from MFA and application allowlisting to managed threat detection. We support contractors in Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford and across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we’ve been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want a clear quote for your firm? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT and we’ll show you exactly what’s included.