The Scope Gap Index / Division 28
Division 28 · Electronic Safety and Security · Q3 2026
24 Division 28 packages across 19 projects, generated between 17 July and 30 September 2026 for Provision customers, ranked by how often each job got flagged. Model flags, checked by a person on fewer than one item in a hundred. Where to look, not proof.
Division 28 packages across 19 projects, 17 July to 30 September 2026
of 24 had at least one flag from Scope Agent
flags in total: 77 inferred, 46 coordination
flagged for testing, inspection and certification, 11 of the 12 as inferred
Inferred means Scope Agent judged the job necessary and found no scope naming who does it. Coordination means it judged the job to sit between two trades. Neither is a confirmed omission on that project.
Ranked
Security and fire alarm packages: Scope Agent flagged testing and certification in 12 of 24, 11 as inferred. The verification, the authority’s acceptance test, the monitoring connection. After that nothing reaches eight. These are packages for systems that are often owner-furnished or folded into the electrical sub’s scope, and the flags are thin because the packages are.
| Job flagged | Packages | Inferred | Coordination | Share flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testing, inspection and certification11 inferred · 1 coordination | 12 of 24 | 11 | 1 | 50% |
| Tolerances, joints and trade interfaces4 inferred · 4 coordination | 7 of 24 | 4 | 4 | 29% |
| Anchors, embeds and connections3 inferred · 4 coordination | 5 of 24 | 3 | 4 | 21% |
| Temporary protection4 inferred · 0 coordination | 4 of 24 | 4 | 0 | 17% |
| Blocking, backing and support2 inferred · 1 coordination | 3 of 24 | 2 | 1 | 13% |
| Openings, cutting and patching1 inferred · 2 coordination | 3 of 24 | 1 | 2 | 13% |
| Penetrations, sleeves and firestopping1 inferred · 2 coordination | 3 of 24 | 1 | 2 | 13% |
| Sealants, flashing and waterproofing joints2 inferred · 1 coordination | 3 of 24 | 2 | 1 | 13% |
| Maintenance, warranty and spares1 inferred · 0 coordination | 1 of 24 | 1 | 0 | 4% |
| Scaffolding, shoring and access0 inferred · 1 coordination | 1 of 24 | 0 | 1 | 4% |
| Shop drawings and submittals1 inferred · 0 coordination | 1 of 24 | 1 | 0 | 4% |
“Inferred” and “coordination” count packages with that kind of flag, and a package can have both, so the two columns can add to more than the total. The generic supply-versus-install topic (12 of 24) is left out; see the method note.
Beyond the ranking
The generic supply-versus-install topic, excluded from the table, was flagged in half the packages here, the lowest share of any division on the Index. When the owner’s security integrator furnishes the cameras and the panels, the package reads install and terminate, and there’s less for the model to flag.
Four inferred, four coordination. Device mounting heights, the interface between the access control and the door sub’s electrified hardware, the camera that needs the ceiling grid moved. The one job in the division where a second trade is usually in the room.
Twenty-one of 24 had at least one flag, 88 percent. As with equipment and special construction, a short package gives Scope Agent little to flag, and the jobs around the devices live in some other scope, or in none.
The items in detail
The six jobs flagged most often, after the generic supply-versus-install topic. Check your own documents before assuming a flag is right.
Fire alarm verification with the authority present, the security system acceptance test, the monitoring connection and the certificate the occupancy permit depends on. Eleven of the 12 flags were inferred. Name who schedules the verification, who attends, and who pays for a re-test.
Device heights, the interface with electrified door hardware, the boundary with the data sub at the shared rack, the fire alarm tie-ins to the sprinkler and elevator subs. Four inferred, four coordination. State each interface and who owns the integration.
Mounting the panels and the head end, anchoring the camera poles, the power connection from the electrical sub to each panel. Three inferred, four coordination. Name who mounts, who powers and who connects.
Protecting installed devices through the finish trades and keeping dust out of the smoke detectors until turnover. All four flags were inferred. Say who covers the detectors and who removes the covers before verification.
Backing for panels, card readers and wall-mounted cameras. Two inferred, one coordination. Put the backing in the framing scope keyed to the device drawings.
Cutting backboxes into finished walls, coring for the camera conduit, patching afterwards. One inferred, two coordination. Name who cuts and who patches.
Method
24 scope packages classified to MasterFormat Division 28, generated by Scope Agent between 17 July and 30 September 2026 on 19 of the 24 projects in the quarter’s cohort. Seventeen carried the trade label security systems and four fire alarm. Three more carried a customer-specific label we couldn’t map to a standard trade; they’re counted here because the package itself was coded to the division. A package is one trade on one project, as it stood at quarter end. An item counts when Scope Agent flagged it as inferred or coordination. We grouped the items into sixteen topics by keyword, and one item can land in more than one topic. Cleaning, hoisting, removal and utility connections drew no flags in this division and are left off the table.
Twenty-four packages on 19 projects clears our 20-package threshold for publishing a division. It’s small enough that one package moves a share by about four points, and with only 123 flags in total the order below the top row is loose. These are Provision customers’ projects, and the numbers describe this sample only. A flag is Scope Agent’s judgment, checked by a person on fewer than one item in a hundred, so some flags will be wrong. We’ll update it every quarter.
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