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Business Services Industry

In the clear?

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2004

Bad news for companies trying to win federal contracts: At press time, the Defense Security Service (DSS), an agency within the Department of Defense, had a pending caseload of more than 209,000 personnel security investigations for federal government contractors, as well as military and civilian personnel. Routine clearances that don't send up any red flags take an average of two and a half months, the DSS reports, while uncomplicated top-secret clearances take at least six to seven months.

One point of relief: If an initial screening of a new applicant doesn't set off any alarms, an interim clearance may be granted within several days. If a clearance application does get sticky, security officers handling the investigation will deliver their reports to the actual agency overseeing the contract, which then decides whether to grant the clearance or not.

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In October 2003,the DSS handed over new requests for security investigations to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Until further notice, the process for applying remains the same: Requests should be made through the Electronic Personnel Security Questionnaire. Within the next year, the process will be switched to the OPM's e-QIP online form. The e-QIP Web gateway is www.opm.gov/e-qip.--J.C

Business Services Industry

In the clear?

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2004

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