Dave Ward, our founder, began his career in the security sector, generating leads and booking client appointments for a regional provider called Heritage Security. Sharp, driven, and quick to understand how the industry really worked, it wasn’t long before Dave saw an opportunity others had missed. By becoming a delivery partner and eventually acquiring the business outright, he took direct control of how security services were structured and delivered, building a foundation on which something far more ambitious could be grown.
Heritage became Oculus in 2012, and with that change came a clear statement of intent. From day one, we achieved ACS accreditation – the Security Industry Authority’s Approved Contractor Scheme signalling that compliance and quality weren’t things we’d get around to eventually. They were the starting point. That ACS status has been maintained ever since.
Growth followed quickly. What started with a small number of contracts scaled into a multi-million pound operation within a few year. At a time when the wider security market was still heavily weighted towards manned guarding, with relatively little focus on technology-led solutions like CCTV and access control. We saw the gap and planned accordingly.
Manned guarding came first, followed by dog handling as demand from industrial and construction clients grew. Then came an acquisition that changed the shape of the business: Site Guard, which brought CCTV installation and access control into the fold and allowed us to offer genuinely integrated security rather than a single-service contract.
The move into cleaning services was less of a strategic pivot and more of a logical extension – one that became clear in the aftermath of lockdown. The relationships we had built with clients over years of security work had taught us something important: the hardest part of any service business isn’t the service itself. It’s the people. Specifically, knowing how to recruit, vet, and retain the right people consistently. That’s a capability the security industry demands and the cleaning industry often underestimates.
We applied the same rigour, the same vetting standards, and the same operational discipline to our cleaning teams. Clients noticed. Contracts followed.
Today, Oculus operates as a fully integrated facilities management group, delivering security, cleaning, and maintenance services to clients across the UK – including organisations such as CBRE, Peel L&P, and Mercedes. We directly employ over 140 people, a team built on the same principle that has guided this business from the beginning: that the right people, properly supported, deliver better outcomes.
Our management team brings over 50 years of combined experience across FM, security, and the Armed Forces. We hold ACS accreditation alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications – and our client retention rate reflects what we’ve always believed: that doing the job properly, every time, is the only sustainable business model in this industry.