Compliance·10 min read·Updated Jun 2026

RA 11917 & SOSIA: what agencies must keep current

Security agencies live and die by their licenses. RA 11917 (the Private Security Services Industry Act) and SOSIA oversight mean a lapsed credential isn't a paperwork problem — it's a guard who legally can't be on post. Here's what has to stay current.

What RA 11917 covers

RA 11917 modernized the framework for the private security industry — licensing of agencies, professionalization of security personnel, and welfare provisions for guards. For operators, the practical obligations cluster around three things: the agency's own license, each guard's credentials, and the paperwork of deployment.

Agency licensing & SOSIA

The Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), under the PNP, supervises agencies and personnel. Your License to Operate (LTO) has an expiry, and lapsing it can halt deployments and expose the agency to penalties. Renewal isn't a same-week task — it needs to be tracked months out.

Per-guard credentials

Each guard must hold current credentials to be deployable — most importantly the License to Exercise Security Profession (LESP), plus training and neuro/drug clearances depending on the role. When any of these lapses, that guard should be barred from deployment until it's renewed.

This is exactly where software earns its keep: a credential-expiry gate that blocks an undeployable guard before the roster puts them on post — not after an inspection finds them there.

Duty detail orders (DDOs)

Deployments are documented with duty detail orders carrying serial numbers. Keeping DDO serials attached to each deployment isn't just compliance hygiene — it's what lets payroll and billing agree on who was where, for how long.

The 20% administrative fee floor

RA 11917 sets a minimum 20% administrative fee on the agency's service contracts, on top of the manpower cost passed through to the client. That floor should be reflected in every client service invoice — and it interacts with VAT and EWT on the fee.

A running compliance checklist

Track the agency LTO expiryStart renewal well ahead of expiry; a lapsed LTO can stop deployments.

Gate deployment on per-guard credentialsLESP and required clearances must be current, or the guard is barred from post.

Attach DDO serials to deploymentsEvery deployment carries its serial, so attendance, payroll, and billing reconcile.

Reflect the 20% admin-fee floor in billingClient service invoices should honor the RA 11917 minimum fee, with VAT and EWT applied correctly.

General information only, not legal advice. Verify specific obligations against RA 11917, its IRR, and current SOSIA/PNP and DOLE issuances.

Never deploy a lapsed license by mistake.

NexusWorkforce tracks per-guard credentials and the agency license, bars undeployable guards automatically, and keeps DDO serials on every deployment.

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