Security Executive Blog

Facility Security Clearances A defense contractor is a business entity that has registered to contract with the US Government and has registered with the Central Contractor Registration. A Cleared Defense Contractor (CDC) is the designation of a U.S. Government Contractor facility that has been granted a Facility Clearance, authorizing them to perform on classified contracts. An uncleared defense contractor may bid on a classified contract without possessing an FCL. However, they must be cleared before getting access to the classified contract. Many defense contractors may find it difficult to find and compete for classified contracts. They may have a unique skill that is hard to identify contracts requiring those skills. But this should not be a showstopper as uncleared defense contractor may partner with or team with an existing CDC for sponsorship. For example, suppose a major defense contractor is performing on a classified contract for engineering support. Their core compe...

FSOS: THE FIRST TO REVIEW YOUR SF-86 The form is completed online and once complete, the applicant should review the form with the Facility Security Officer (FSO). The FSO is the first person to review all the sensitive information with the applicant. The FSO ensures the form is complete, accurate, and all waivers and signatures are applied. FSOs are not decisions makers in the security clearance process and therefore not authorized to pass judgement, make adjudicative calls, or decisions about the clearance request – they are simply reviewing for completeness. AGENCY EMPLOYEES ARE NEXT Employees of agencies within the security clearance process will then have access to the SF-86 and are required to handle the information in accordance with their responsibilities and according to the Privacy Act. These employees will access the SF-86 while conducting background investigations, reinvestigations, and continuous evaluations of persons under consideration for, or retention of,...