Security Processing Requirements—National Security Contracts (APR 2010)

(a) Security Investigative Requirements for National Security Contracts. National Security Contracts require contractor employees to gain access to national security information in the performance of their work. Regardless of the contractor employees' location, appropriate security access and fulfillment of cleared facility requirements, as determined by the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) Operation Manual must be met. All contractors are subject to the appropriate investigations indicated below and may be granted appropriate security access by the Office of Security based on favorable results. No national security material or documents shall be removed from a Department of Commerce facility. The circumstances of the work performance must allow the Department of Commerce to retain control over national security information and keep the number of contract personnel with access to the information to a minimum.

(b) All employees working on Special or Critical Sensitive contracts require an updated personnel security background investigation every five (5) years. Employees on Non-Critical Sensitive contracts will require an updated personnel security background investigation every ten (10) years.

(c) Security procedures. Position sensitivity/risk assessments must be conducted on all functions that are performed under the contract. Risk assessments for contractor employees are determined in the same manner as assessment of those functions performed by government employees. The Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer's Representative should determine the level of sensitivity or risk with the assistance of the servicing Security Officer.

(1) Contractor employees working on National Security Contracts must have a completed investigation and be granted an appropriate security level clearance by the Office of Security before start of work.

(2) The Contracting Officer's Representative must send the contract employee's existing security clearance information, if applicable, or appropriate investigative request package, to the servicing Security Officer, who will review and forward it to the Office of Security.

(3) The Office of Security must confirm that contract employees have the appropriate security clearance before starting any work under a National Security Contract.

(d) Security forms required. For Critical-Sensitive positions with Top Secret access, Critical-Sensitive positions with Secret access, and Non-Critical Sensitive positions with Secret or Confidential access, the following forms are required:

(1) Form SF-86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, marked “CON” in Block 1, Position Title, to distinguish it as a contractor case;

(2) Form FD-258, Fingerprint Chart, with OPM's designation in the ORI Block; and

(3) Credit Release Authorization Form.

(e) Contracting Officer's Representative Responsibilities are:

(1) Coordinate submission of a proper investigative request package with the servicing Security Officer, the Contracting Officer, and the contractor.

(2) Review the request package for completeness, ensuring that the subject of each package is identified as a contract employee, the name of the contractor is identified, and that each package clearly indicates the contract sensitivity designation.

(3) Send the request package to the servicing Security Officer for investigative processing.

(f) Servicing Security Officer Responsibilities are:

(1) Review the package for completeness.

(2) Ensure that the forms are complete and contain all the pertinent information necessary to request the background investigation.

(3) Forward the request for investigation to the Defense Investigative Service Coordinating Office (DISCO).

(4) Maintain records of contractor personnel in their units subject to the NISP.

(5) Ensure that all contractor personnel have been briefed on the appropriate procedures for handling and safeguarding national security information.

(g) The contractor shall include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph, in all subcontracts.