About SPS Group

From a Hull security patrol company to a regional group employing 1,000+ people

SPS Group started in Hull in 1992 as Security Patrol Services. Today it brings together ICS Cleaning, SPS Security, SPS Technical and TESS, with SPS Academy and ICS Maintenance to follow, serving schools, businesses and public buildings across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Founded in Hull

People employed across the group

Group turnover

Service hours every week

Client sites cleaned by ICS

Education sites cleaned by ICS

Fire and security engineers

Offices: Hull, Grimsby, Lincoln

Figures as published by the group's businesses in 2026.

Our story

How SPS Group developed

Over more than 30 years the group has grown from local patrols and keyholding into cleaning, guarding, fire and security systems, monitoring and training, while staying a regional, family-owned business.

1992

Security Patrol Services starts in Hull

The group begins as Security Patrol Services: mobile patrols, keyholding, alarm response, and opening and locking up premises for local businesses.
1995

Independent Cleaning Services is formed

Clients who trusted SPS with their security wanted the same reliability from their cleaning, so the group formed Independent Cleaning Services, now ICS Cleaning.
1990s to 2000s

A major regional guarding business

SPS grows within security guarding, at one stage employing more than 800 security officers across a wide range of contracts and sectors.
2000

First university contract

SPS wins its first university contract. More than 25 years later, that relationship still continues.
2010

ISO 14001 environmental certification

SPS Security is certified to ISO 14001, held continuously since, alongside ISO 9001 across the group's businesses.
2018

Growth into security systems

The group puts greater focus on fire and security systems, remote monitoring and access control, which grows into SPS Technical.
2023

TESS joins the group

SPS acquires TESS (Hull) Ltd, building a team of 25+ multi-skilled engineers across fire, security, access control and CCTV.
2024

A modern 24-hour control room

The Hull control room is upgraded to coordinate monitoring, helpdesk, alarm response, mobile patrols and out-of-hours communication.
2026

New websites and free tools

New websites for ICS Cleaning, SPS Security and SPS Technical, with free tools that help schools and businesses plan cleaning, security and compliance.
2027

SPS Academy and ICS Maintenance online

Websites launch for SPS Academy (security, cleaning and workplace training) and ICS Maintenance (PAT testing and machinery repairs).

Values and ethos

What every SPS Group business stands for

Each business sets out its own values, and they share the same core. These are the principles behind how we design, deliver and manage services.

Accountability

Every contract has a named manager. When something goes wrong, we say so, explain why and fix it.

Reliability

Turning up, responding quickly and delivering what we agreed is the baseline, not a selling point.

Regional commitment

We are a Yorkshire and Lincolnshire group. Our people, managers and engineers are based here.

Transparency

Clear reporting, honest advice and open discussion of issues, so clients can make better decisions.

People first

Directly employed, trained and supported teams deliver better, more consistent service.

Data-led decisions

Audits, incident logs, patrol data and service records guide how we improve.

Practical innovation

We use technology where it genuinely improves visibility, reliability and response.

Best value

The right service, delivered properly, rather than simply the lowest price.

Read each business's values: SPS Security · SPS Technical · ICS Cleaning

Our people

Directly employed, trained and supported

Good service comes from good people. Across the group we employ our teams directly, invest in their training and promote from within, because stable teams know their sites and deliver better results.

98% of SPS Security's front-line officers are directly employed
ICS Cleaning employs its operatives directly rather than relying on agency staff
Structured induction and ongoing training, from SIA compliance and conflict management to COSHH, machinery and safeguarding
DBS checks and safeguarding training for staff working in education settings
Career progression: many supervisors and managers started on site
SPS Academy, the group's own training centre, a Highfield approved centre

Supporting our communities

Proud to be part of the communities we serve

For over 30 years, SPS Group has been part of communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. From local clubs and grassroots sport to the many charities we support and practical community projects, we believe in giving something back to the places where our people live and work.

Junior football squad wearing blue ICS Cleaning sponsored shirts

Junior football sponsorship

Grassroots football

Kit and season sponsorship for junior and youth football teams across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Junior rugby players in SPS Technical sponsored red and white shirts

Junior rugby sponsorship

Junior rugby league

Sponsoring junior rugby league sides, from match kit to trips to watch the professional game.

Local cricket club

Community cricket

Supporting village and community cricket clubs with sponsored kit and season support.

Supporters arriving at a rugby league stadium entrance on match day

Match day in Hull

Local sport and events

Supporting local clubs and sporting occasions across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, from community fixtures to the region's big match days.

A colleague surrounded by donated Christmas gifts, toys and presents collected for local families

Christmas gift appeal

Christmas appeals

Each December our teams collect gifts and festive donations for local families, children and good causes.

Charity fundraising

We work with numerous charities within our region, and our colleagues raise money for causes close to home through sponsored challenges and events.

Reader of the Week

Reading and schools

ICS Cleaning partners with Ready Steady Read, rewarding young readers with certificates and book bags and helping children enjoy books.

Volunteers with bags of litter collected during a riverside clean-up

River litter pick

Environment and volunteering

Practical volunteering by our people, from river and town-centre litter picks to helping local community projects.

Photographs show sponsored teams and activities supported by the group; not every organisation named is pictured.

Sustainability

Practical environmental responsibility

Certified

ISO 14001 environmental management across ICS Cleaning, SPS Security (since 2010) and SPS Technical, and an Achilles four-star sustainability rating.

Award-winning

Green Apple Environment Awards in each year from 2022 to 2025, and Loo of the Year Platinum and Gold awards at education, retail and commercial sites we clean.

In everyday delivery

Eco-certified products and dilution control, GPS-planned patrol routes, digital reporting, repair-first maintenance and regional teams that travel less.

Accreditations

Independently accredited

ISO 9001ISO 14001SIA Approved ContractorSSAIBBAFE SP203-1BICSc corporate memberCHASSafeContractorAchillesBSIA memberCrescent Purchasing Consortium frameworkHighfield approved centre

See which business holds each one on our accreditations and frameworks page.

The group today

Six specialist businesses, one regional group

ICS Cleaning

Commercial, contract and specialist cleaning

SPS Security

Manned guarding, mobile patrols, keyholding and alarm response

SPS Technical

Fire alarms, CCTV, access control and intruder alarms

TESS

Fire, security and access control installation

ICS Maintenance· early 2027

PAT testing and machinery repairs

SPS Academy· early 2027

Security, cleaning and workplace training

SPS Group is the trading name of Millwood Investments Limited, a family-owned company. Group companies include SPS Security Limited (02738677), Independent Cleaning Services Limited (03013224) and TESS (Hull) Ltd (07552189).

How we work together

See how our specialist businesses combine as integrated facilities management, with a dedicated manager for every service and senior oversight of your whole site.

One Group. Six Specialist Capabilities. Fully Integrated.

Clean, Protect, Detect, Maintain, Train and Integrate: what our specialist businesses do, and how they come together.

Facilities management across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Facilities management in Hull and East Yorkshire Facilities management in Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire Facilities management in Lincolnshire Facilities management in South Yorkshire Facilities management in West Yorkshire Facilities management in York and North Yorkshire

About SPS Group: questions

When was SPS Group founded?▾

SPS Group began in Hull in 1992 as Security Patrol Services. Independent Cleaning Services, now ICS Cleaning, was formed in 1995, and TESS (Hull) Ltd joined the group in 2023.

How big is SPS Group?▾

SPS Group employs more than 1,000 people across security, cleaning and technical services, a group turnover of more than £25 million, and delivers over 22,000 service hours every week across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Who owns SPS Group?▾

SPS Group is the trading name of Millwood Investments Limited, a family-owned company based in Hull.

Does SPS Group use subcontractors?▾

98% of SPS Security's front-line security officers are directly employed, with a small amount of subcontracting, and ICS Cleaning employs its cleaning operatives directly rather than relying on agency staff.

What social value does SPS Group deliver?▾

Local employment across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, training and career progression, fair employment, responsible local procurement, community sponsorship and volunteering, and measurable social value reporting for tenders and contract reviews.

What environmental standards does SPS Group hold?▾

SPS Security has held ISO 14001 since 2010 and an Achilles four-star sustainability rating. ICS Cleaning and SPS Technical are also ISO 14001 certified, alongside ISO 9001.