06/13 Facility Security Clearances: The Complete Guide to Getting One Obtaining a facility security clearance (FCL) enables your business to work on contracts involving classified national security information. Without it, you can't get any of the billions of dollars that the U.S. government spends on such contracts each year. Thousands of organizations from large defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, to colleges, to tiny family companies have obtained facility security clearances and are getting a piece of the action. If your organization is eligible for a facility security clearance, why miss out?
But what are your chances of obtaining a facility security clearance? And what are the additional security requirements once you have obtained one? There are official and unofficial sources of information on the Web, but they're generally incomplete or misleading. And the government's guidance on the subject is not intended to optimize your chances of obtaining a facility security clearance. That's where this invaluable guide comes in. It covers issues and provides insights you won't find elsewhere, including:
• Requirements your organization must meet to be eligible for an FCL
• The hidden requirement that’s crucial for small businesses to understand—what it is and where it’s buried in an obscure government letter
• How you can assess whether your organization is likely to be granted (or denied) an FCL
• Justifications that can be used to sponsor your organization for an FCL
• Why the government rejects a third of FCL sponsorship requests and what you can do to prevent rejection
• Storing vs. not storing classified materials at your site
• Answers to more than a dozen frequently-asked questions not found on the Defense Security Service’s Facility Clearance Checklist Web page
• How long it takes to get a facility security clearance and what you can do to influence it
• A free, simple, online search technique for uncovering federal contracting opportunities for your company that involve an FCL
• Which of your company's personnel must obtain security clearances
• Links to the necessary federal forms and instructions for completing them
• Links to free, helpful resources
• Lists of documents and information about your organization required for the FCL—much of which the Defense Security Service doesn’t disclose on its site!
• Where you can locate your FCL—your home may suffice!
• Determining the time and money costs of maintaining an FCL
• An overview of how to maintain a facility security clearance—packed with sources of free information, training, and guidance
• Why you must never advertise your facility security clearance
• Keeping your FCL from getting revoked
• Our guidance on whether to hire a security specialist (Facility Security Officer) to maintain your facility security clearance—it’s not always necessary to hire new personnel!
Michael Bush, one of only a few hundred experts certified in industrial security clearances, draws on his in-depth training and years of experience guiding clients through this complex process to provide this insightful handbook. Updated for 2014, it's your most up-to-date and thorough guide to obtaining a facility security clearance. 【キャッチコピー抜粋】
