SECURITY CLEARANCE FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS
SECURITY CLEARANCE FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS
FIRST TIME CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS
We all know that after 9/11, security became a dominate factor if you are a contractor working for the federal government. This article focuses on construction contractors doing business with the General Services Administration (GSA) for the first time, although information here generally applies to other federal agencies, as well. If you have already been credentialed, this article will be of small value to you.
Once your company has been awarded a contract by GSA, the contracting officer (CO) will conduct a post-award meeting. This meeting will cover various aspects of the work, timetables, paperwork processes, payment processes and security clearances. Assuming you are a new contractor to the federal process, here’s what you’ll need to do.
Once the process is completed you will receive a federal government access card. This card will allow you access into federal buildings and property with a minimum of hassle. Your access card is your new GSA identity badge using smart card technology to provide reliable and secure identity verification. The access card will become the only form of identification accepted for GSA building access.
All GSA contractors requiring routine access (six months or more) to GSA-controlled facilities or any information technology (IT) systems access are required to obtain an Access Card. The following is a step-by-step description of the procedures, broken down into two parts, for new contractors and for current contractors.
The contracting officer will issue you a packet of security clearance forms. One of those forms is the Contractor Information Worksheet (CIW). You will work with your Requesting Official to complete this form.
A “requesting official” can be anyone you work with who is responsible for getting you sponsored for your Access Card. This includes Contracting Officers (CO), Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR), Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR), Project Managers, PBS Building Managers, and local Access Card Point of Contacts.
The CIW is a brief 6 part form that asks for contract Employee Information; Contract Information; Project/Work Location Information; Type of Investigation Requested; Requesting Official Information; and a section for government use.
Your Requesting Official will direct you to the appropriate fingerprint service using for FD258. When you go to get fingerprinted you will need two forms of acceptable ID, which includes:
U.S. Passport
Drivers License
ID card issued by federal, state or local government,
School ID card with a photograph
Voter’s Registration card
U.S. Military card or draft record; and other forms if ID. To see a full listing, go to: http://forms.nih.gov/adobe/personnel/I-9.PDF
One form of identification shall be a valid Government-issued picture ID (typically a driver’s license or other form of ?official ID).
Do not return your own fingerprint card to your Requesting Official. Your Requesting Official will provide you a preaddressed, sealable envelope for the fingerprint service to return by mail, overnight express or interoffice mail.
e-QIP stands for Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing. You will receive an email from the Federal Protective Service (FPS) with instructions for logging on to the secure e-QIP system and completing the application for the investigation. For more information on e-QIP, go to:
http://www.opm.gov/e-qip/reference.asp
Print, sign and make copies of all of your signature forms for your own records and forward the signed copies to your Requesting Official. You Requesting Official will review the CIW, fingerprint cards, and signature forms and forward them to your Access Card Point of Contact, who then sends the entire package to the FPS.
Temporary Badge Pick Up: After you have received a favorable initial suitability decision, you may receive a temporary “T” badge which you can use with our government-issued photo ID while you wait for your Access Card. Check with your Requesting Official for the procedures for contractors to obtain a temporary badge in their facility. Requesting Officials can check with the local Regional Credentialing Officer for further guidance.
To be eligible for an Access Card, you must be sponsored by a designated employee who will confirm your need for an Access Card and collection of the required personal identity data. Your Human resource Officer will sponsor you if you are coded to the Central Office. If coded to a region, your Access Card POC will sponsor you.
Once sponsored, you will receive two sponsorship emails. The first sponsorship email form the Identity, Credential, and Access Management Office (ICAMO) is to inform you that you have been sponsored and should expect an email from the GSA Managed Service Office (MSO [go to
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