Terms and Conditions
[How much does a legitimate "Bug Sweep" cost?]

We are available to quickly respond to any location in the North-Eastern quadrant of the United States and Canada, including all cities within 500 mile (or one-day drive) of Boston. These cities include: Boston, New York, Providence, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Richmond, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, Buffalo, Toronto, Cleveland, and so on. For our most discerning clients, we also provide global coverage at a premium.

We have secondary coverage that includes all locations within a two-day drive of Boston. This area starts at Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia then sweeps Northwest to include St. Louis, Springfield, Chicago, Detroit, Lexington, Madison, and most of the central Mid-West area East of the Mississippi. However, we do not currently provide sweep services in the State of North Carolina, and generally prefer not to undertake assignments south of Virginia or Kentucky.

There are only a small number of legitimate and competent TSCM counterintelligence specialists or "Bug Sweepers" in the U.S. private sector. Legitimate TSCM firms are in very high demand, hard to find, and expensive; so be patient when trying to contact either us, or someone else in our profession.

We are not attorneys and cannot tell you whether it is legal or illegal for you to monitor your own phones, your spouses cell phone, monitor your kids, or eavesdrop on your on business. Always call a competent licensed attorney for legal advice.

Without exception, we do not perform eavesdropping services nor do we sell surveillance equipment to anyone other than government agencies AND WE WILL NOT REFER YOU TO ANYONE WHO DOES.

Rates are non-negotiable and reflect the decades of experience, cost of the our time, investment in equipment acquisition and maintenance, hundreds of hours of in-service training each year, travel, administrative and communications time and expense to coordinate the sweep and written report, plus a fair profit for our services.

It is very unwise to shop for sweeps by using price as a criterion as it only invites getting ripped off. Legitimate TSCM professionals are not interested in, nor will they engage in negotiating for a lower price. When you contact us, you are talking with someone in the same league as an attorney, scientist, or surgeon, not a SpyShop salesman or wanna-be. We have more time in our specialized training than do most attorneys or medical professionals. Please see our page on how to recognize a legitimate service provider.

Anything beyond an initial phone call usually will be billable time. Attorneys and doctors don't consult for free, and neither do we. If a potential client calls with a long list of questions not pertaining directly to hiring the practitioner, or wants to know how to do his own sweep, or wants to know how to use the sweep kit he bought on his own, expect to pay an hourly rate in advance for consulting services.

It is also important you understand that legitimate services by a competent TSCM firm rarely start at less than several thousand dollars for even a basic sweep.

• Granite Island Group offers fully instrumented services which utilize highly sophisticated laboratory grade equipment for an hourly fee.
• Low threat, quick check sweeps require a minimum of four hours on-site.
• Typical Low threat corporate and private sweeps require eight to ten hours on-site.
• There is a 24 hour (or three days) on-site minimum for medium threat, fully instrumented corporate sweep work. This is our most requested corporate or estate engagement.
• Fully instrumented, higher threat corporate or government sweeps require a minimum of 40 hours (or five days) on-site for completion.

Corporate Bug Sweeps (within New England)
• A quick, low cost, and low threat "Bug Sweep" involving one small area, office, or an area of a home (inside the Boston/Rt 495 area) normally requires eight to ten hours on-site for completion (plus several hours off-site in advance of the project beginning). This type of TSCM service only involves a brief inspection of the airwaves, power lines, and telephone lines for obvious eavesdropping signals, simple TDR inspection of the telephones lines, and a basic inspection of the telephone instrument. This inspection may also include an optional examination of the physical security of an area. A "Quick Check Bug Sweep" such as this should only be used when time is limited, or when the budget will not allow a more comprehensive inspection.

Medium Threat Bug Sweeps (within New England)

• A small medium threat corporate TSCM inspection involving 2-3 executive offices, and one conference room will normally requires one to two days for completion. A more typical medium threat corporate TSCM inspection involving 3-4 executive offices, and one conference room will normally requires two to three days on-site for completion.

High Threat TSCM Inspection or Comprehensive "Bug Sweep" (within 500 miles of Boston)

• This type TSCM inspection or bug sweep typically requires 5 to 7 days on-site to complete and is extremely comprehensive.

Motor Vehicles

• A low threat TSCM inspection performed on a standard, non-luxury motor vehicle will require four to ten hours (depending on the vehicle). Examinations of luxury vehicles, larger SUVs, motor coaches, boats, and similar motor vehicles will usually involve several days at a higher cost.

Recurring Inspections

• Granite Island Group also offers a program of recurring TSCM inspections at a reduced daily rate with a retainer. Typically these inspections can be performed on a random, monthly, or quarterly basis.
• To properly secure a single executive office for corporate or government clients we recommend at least four sweeps per year. These sweeps should be evenly spaced out on a quasi-random basis, including one annual comprehensive (five to seven day) sweep and an annual or quarterly comprehensive physical security audit.

Budget Numbers (outside of New England)

• We offer sweep services to any location within a two-day drive or 1200 mile radius of Boston (we do not provide services in NC), and will typically respond with an entire electronics laboratory built into a truck, and a full complement of sophisticated laboratory grade TSCM equipment.
• For work outside New England, but within a 1200 mile radius there is a minimum charge of 3 days on-site, plus travel time, and related expenses.
• A TSCM inspection of a typical medium threat corporate office in the Mid-West, South, or South East (which involves a two-day drive in each direction) will normally require three full days on-site (plus travel time) to complete. An example of this would be a corporate sweep in Atlanta, Chicago, Richmond, Detroit, St. Louis, and similar cities located more then one day from Boston.

Other Services

• Our firm also provides several related technical services such as high precision time domain reflectometry, cable locating and certification, underground fault location, and sophisticated RF surveys including, but not limited to pager, cellular, PCS, and broadcast station coverage area surveys and mapping. We also offer services to identify, trace, and direction find interfering radio signals or noise which may be disruption communications.
  

• We also have a hourly consultation rate with a 4 hour minimum, which includes: security surveys, threat assessment, network audits, assistance in planning a TSCM program, and so on. This includes non-instrumented TSCM, technical security, engineering, vulnerability analysis, and related consulting services.
  

• We have special rates for law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada, please formally query us via fax or E-mail on departmental letterhead for details.
  

• Private consultation is also available via telephone, with a quarter hour minimum (Telephone consultations, technical research, report writing, etc....) All written reports, research, and related activities will be billed at an hourly rate with a one hour minimum.
  

• Granite Island Group is available to assist attorneys and investigators with discovery, coaching while taking depositions, technical consultation, and research for an hourly fee (paid in advance). We can also consult with you or your practice concerning case law and statutes concerning the finer points of eavesdropping laws, and can coach you on how to debunk expert witnesses and find holes and deceptions in their claims.
  

• Forensic identification of a suspected eavesdropping device is available for a flat fee (but only for a successful match). A hard copy report is also available but for an additional hourly fee. To facilitate such an identification simply send us an E-mail describing what was found (please attach a photo of the device, if available). Please include dimensions of the device, including the wire lengths, battery type and so on.
  

Click here to SCHEDULE A BUG SWEEP, Wiretap Detection, or Technical Surveillance Counter Measures Inspection on a suspect area. Click here to see a detailed ESTIMATE WORKSHEET that will help assist you in determining the amount of time would be involved to perform a legitimate low threat TSCM or "Bug Sweep" on a suspect area. Information regarding our REFERRAL PROGRAM for Private investigators and other security professionals Click here to review our COVERAGE AREA for TSCM, Bug Sweeps, and Related Services. Click here to see the typical SEQUENCE OF EVENTS that Granite Island Group follows for TSCM inspections. (Client requirements and operational security may dictate minor variations).

Travel
• Our services are available nationwide and worldwide, however; we try to maintain a focus on New England (MA, RI, CT, VT, NH, and ME, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Washington DC area.
  

• All travel time exceeding fifty (50) miles each way is billable on a door-to-door basis (plus all travel expenses including air transportation, ground transportation, and related expenses are to be paid in advance for all clients).
  

• Services provided outside of a two-day, or 1250 mile drive of New England will involve additional charges for air transportation, equipment shipment, and so on. Typically $3,250 for domestic airfare, $300 for ground transportation (airport limo, taxi, or rental car), plus $250-$350 a day for per diem expenses (plus related equipment transport costs).
  

• In special cases we will consider coverage with a portable counterintelligence lab anywhere in North America or globally when it is practical to do so.
  

• Travel will normally be billed at one half the normal hourly rate (if it exceeds one hour in either direction), or $1.25 per mile whichever is higher.
  

• If you are outside our normal coverage area or we are unable to respond in a timely manner for other reasons, we will recommend another TSCM firm in your area upon request: Recommended U.S. TSCM Firms. We are not at all bashful about sending you to one of our competitors.

Payment Terms

• Terms for all work is strictly by retainer in advance unless otherwise indicated. Upon approval; corporate and government clients may pay 50% in advance, and the balance upon presentation of the final report or briefing. Cancellation of a scheduled TSCM service will result in a cancellation charge equal to all expenses, plus half of the estimated fee. All travel time, per diem, and expenses are fully payable in advance for all clients, and are not discountable.
  
• Payment is accepted via cash, corporate or government check, certified bank check, business check, cashiers check, money order, or wire transfer. Cashiers check, or wire transfer is the most private and secure means to provide payment. All instruments will be held for bank clearance. Checks or other any instrument returned or rejected for any reason are subject to a $100 handling charge (or the maximum amount provided by law).
  

• In the event that this project involves the purchasing, installation, sale, or procurement of hardware, software, cables, or any other deliverable equipment all parties recognize this kind of equipment is highly specialized and frequently custom built or programmed for this specific customer, transaction or application. With this in mind there will be a 30% cancellation charge on any order which is cancelled once production or development of the goods has begun. For any custom installation, or custom programming, including the development of ciphers, algorithms, or source code the cancellation charge shall be 50%. For any transaction where a deposit is paid, but which is not consummated within 90 of the deposit date for any reason other then actual production time of the goods the deposit shall be fully forfeited to Granite Island Group as liquidated damages. If the transaction is structured so that the customer has promised to purchases a certain nubers of goods within a given timeframe but has ony taken partial delivery, the time frame to take full and final delivery shall not exceed six months, and the customer agrees to pay 30% of the value of the unshipped goods as a cancellation fee, and the order shall be considered cancelled.
  

• Due to the highly specialized nature of the goods being sold, no equipment, software, encryption, or other equipment is returnable for any reason, and no refunds or returns for equipment is available. Equipment previously sold to the customer however, may be traded in as part of an upgrade at some future date. Equipment which require warranty repair or realignment must be sent to the factory, and an RMA nuber must be obtained in advance.
  

• Payment for all international work, expenses, and materials is strictly by full payment in advance. Also, for all exported goods we rigidly comply with all U.S. export laws, and we will not falsify any export document, nor assist anybody else in doing so. Essentially, what you pay for the equipment will be the value we declare the goods on all export documents. Certain items may require special government approvals for export, but we will let you know if any restrictions or special approvals are required on the items you are seeking.
  

• Should a project is cancelled by the customer once scheduled the deposit is completely forfeited (or an amoutn equal to half the project fee). If the project is rescheduled to begin within three business days of original day there is no penalty, but if the date is changed by more then 72 hours of the original date half of the deposit is forfeited, and the difference will be payable at the end of the project as a rescheduling fee.
  

• All work performed for, or involving any attorney, law firm, court, judge, or other element of the legal profession is to be paid for in full, and well in advance of any services of any kind being rendered. Basically, no work, opinions, or work product will be provided until the check clears. Also, we do not work on a contingency basis or any variation thereof.
  

• The project will be handled strictly as a technical counterintelligence, engineering, or intelligence project, and no investigative or surveillance services will be provided. Should any investigative services be required the customer agrees to arrange for these via other means.
  

• All parties recognize that this project requires 24 hours of measurements and inspections in the area being inspected for a single room of not greater than 250 square feet, and one day for each additional room or additional 250 square feet. If more than this area or space is to be inspected at a rate greater then the listed times then both parties agree and understand that portions of the inspection will be abbreviated or omitted and that the inspection will not as thorough as possible.
  

• If a serious security hazard or vulnerability is found the customers representative will be notified as soon as reasonably possible. If a minor hazard or vulnerability is found the problem will be documented and presented in the written report. Any safety violation or concern will be communicated verbally to the customers contact as quickly as possible, and will be mentioned in the written report if one is to be prepared.
  

• In the event that a obviously hostilely induced eavesdropping device or activity is found both parties agree that the customer will contact appropriate law enforcement agencies or their attorney to make report of such findings, and that such report will be made within one hour of such discovery. In the event that it is discovered that classified information is being disclosed via an eavesdropping device, by an equipment malfunction, or by any hostile induction or modification both parties agree to initiate emergency contact to cognizant authorities via the customers contact, but such notification will be performed in such a way so as not to tip off the eavesdropper or spy. All parties agree to work with the appropriate authorities in the event that any criminal activity or hostile penetration or exploitation is encountered. Further the customer agree to pay the customary daily consulting fees and expenses in advance should Granite Island Group be required to interface with the authorities, prepare for legal proceedings, or to testify in court in any matter related to the services being rendered.
  

• Any projects which involve more than three days on site will result in a written report automatically being provided on the last day of the engagement. For projects which are three days long or less a written report will not be provided unless the customer agree to pay an extra charge. An optional, in-person verbal presentation to senior management, detailed PowerPoint presentation, and executive two page written report is also available for an additional cost beyond that of the written report.
  

• If a customer does not desire that a report be provided (for legal or risk management reasons) then only a verbal report of findings will be provided, but this is issue should be decided upon well in advance of services being rendered.
  

• All parties agree to protect the trade secrets, sensitive information, activities, and confidential materials of either party. The vendor (Granite Island Group) normally retains all records of the project for only ten business days after the end of the project, and then after these ten days destroys all records of the assignment. With this in mind the customer understands that any queries regarding the project must be made within this ten day window. For highly confidential or classified project all records are destroyed within 24 hours following the end of the project and receipt of final payment.
  

Here are the example costs for a low threat, low cost, "quick check" bug sweep of one executive office or home in the Boston or surrounding area. In this case, we would likely have not been out to the location before nor would we have a copy of blueprints on file, and it would be unknown if this location would have a program of recurring full-scope sweeps. This type of sweep is only an inexpensive cursory inspection, but it is better than nothing. Typically the customer should expect a sweep of this nature to take between 6 to 10 hours, perhaps more depending on the age of the building.

Here are the example costs for a simple low threat bug sweep of one executive office in the Boston or surrounding area. In this case, we would have been out to the location before, have a copy of blueprints on file, and this location would have a program of recurring sweeps. This sweep is quite a bit more detailed then a "Quick Check," but if time and access are limited this type of sweep is better than nothing, and is perfect for periods between pre-scheduled full-scope sweeps.

Here are the typical costs for a more comprehensive low threat bug sweep of 2-3 executive offices and conference room in the Boston or surrounding area. Usually, we would not have been out the location before, and we would not have a set of blueprints available in advance. This type of bug sweep service is quite a bit more detailed then the previous types of sweep, and is an appropriate method to detect not only eavesdropping devices, but also to identify weakness and vulnerabilities which could permit covert eavesdropping devices or activities to be introduced.

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To be contacted for a confidential consultation please E-mail: jmatk@tscm.com or send a letter via US Mail to: James M. Atkinson Granite Island Group 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 or call: Telephone: (978) 546-3803 / Fax: (978) 546-9467 URL: http://www.tscm.com/