Gov jobs that require "secret" or "top secret" clearance?

[tankman1989]

I've seen countless gov positions that require this and I'm wondering about the requirements for employers to employ people with this clearance. If the employing company has 3 employees with top secret clearance, does the owner of the company also have to have the clearance as well, or can I just contract out my employees to this position? Can any work be done in house by these employees if they have clearance?

Does anyone know where I can find info on the rules and regs for this type of work?

 

[gikstar]

Why not contact the NSA with that question?
I don't know who qualified me for a Top Secret Crypto Clearance when I worked for the Army Security Agency 1962-1965 but the fruits of our labor was forwarded to the NSA even at that time.

 

[cmonova]

See if I understand right…."Your" company hires 3 employees with Top Secret clearances…You do not have a clearance…

There is work that needs to be done and that requires individuals to have Top Secret clearances..You want to place those 3 people in those positions?

If that is the scenario then the answer is no. It has nothing to do with if you are the owner and do not have a clearance…It has to do with your business does not have a facility clearance…These 3 individuals with clearances have to be on someones rolls that has a facility clearance to claim ownership of them.

 

[HawkinsPC]

Side story about my old clearance. I was big and pregnant and had only been with the company a few months. We worked on a government site with live nerve agent. Anyways, one of the HR ladies goofed entering my info into the system and had an employment lapse of 6 months by accident. This warranted a visit with a DOJ Investigator. I was called into a special room and quizzed over everything. Our actual conversation:

"You lived with Mr. Hawkins from June until now?"
"Yes..."
"You were married in October?"
"Yes..."
"How did your grandmother feel about you living with a man before marriage?"

Seriously.

 

[MotzTech]

Well, how did she feel???

 

[frederick]

If you do not have a clearance, but your employees do, you are not privaliged with any information of a secret or a top secret nature. I've had commanders above me who didn't have a clearance as high as mine. You can do this, however, strongly discouraged. If you own it, get it as well, this will help open doors. I can have a conversation with you for awhile, and give you the skinny on how US cleaeances work.

Hawkins, the DOJ doesn't care about your statements unless they are doing a poly. Been there done that. They care more about what everyone else around you says.

This is from a former member of the military intelligence community. I take clearances seriously.

 

[cmonova]

I disagree with this "You can do this, however, strongly discouraged"

IF the work you are trying to get and to place people in those positions requires a security clearance and you are their employee then your company/business needs to have a facility clearance.

Somebody basically owns those individuals clearances and are carrying them on their rosters.

If you do not have a clearance, but your employees do, you are not privaliged with any information of a secret or a top secret nature. I've had commanders above me who didn't have a clearance as high as mine. You can do this, however, strongly discouraged. If you own it, get it as well, this will help open doors. I can have a conversation with you for awhile, and give you the skinny on how US cleaeances work.

Hawkins, the DOJ doesn't care about your statements unless they are doing a poly. Been there done that. They care more about what everyone else around you says.

This is from a former member of the military intelligence community. I take clearances seriously.

 

[AndyM]

Why not contact the NSA with that question?

No need to. They were reading it as he typed it.....

Andy

 

[dr_ram]

"You lived with Mr. Hawkins from June until now?"
"Yes..."
"You were married in October?"
"Yes..."
"How did your grandmother feel about you living with a man before marriage?"

Seriously.

You should hear some of the questions they ask if you want to be a Scientologist. I don't know if it's appropriate to type them up here but they are of a very personal and crude nature.

 

[Ccomp5950]

"You lived with Mr. Hawkins from June until now?"
"Yes..."
"You were married in October?"
"Yes..."
"How did your grandmother feel about you living with a man before marriage?"

I was a US Army Counter Intelligence Agent and did a few hundred or so security clearance investigations.

There is actually a very good reason to ask that question. If you sold crack to kids or murdered you can get a clearance, just one thing is required. Disclose that information on your pre-interview worksheet. We don't care if you've done it, all we care about is "Are you blackmailable"? Is there something you are ashamed of that the risk of disclosure exceeds your willingness to safeguard the information you are left with.

-----------------------------------------

For the actual question, there is no way to do what you are wanting to do.

Classified information and it's handling has many requirements, a secure facility and systems is one of them. Something you have absolutely no chance of having. We don't just leave information laying around in a regular office.

If you are wanting to provide IT support for classified systems this is handled by larger companies that will cover entire facilities or bases (and multiples thereof). At best you might be able to get a subcontract on an FBI field office if the contract isn't already covered (unlikely). Either way it's not a niche that is easy to get into as the people that handle the contracts do play favorites despite the law and best practices thrown their way.

TL;DR: It's not happening with only 3 employees. It's probably not happening with 15 employees unless you can subcontract through someone willing to let you work on site, and a bit of bribery.

 

[dr_ram]

all we care about is "Are you blackmailable"?

I have no experience in professional intelligence but this is what I was getting at with the Scientology questions. I assumed that was how the game was played just from what I've heard and read.

 

[frederick]

If your company gets something about requiring a clearance, it'll be sub contatract work. You are too small right now. I've worked with tons of sub contractors from tiny companies. They were bodies. Their boss has no clue what they are actually doing, he just supplies the bodies. These guys take these jobs with these companies in order to get to the people to getthem the better job. Considered this path myself, but why do it when boeing, lockheed, and many others will pay me to work for them directly because I've alrwady worked with them.

 

[cmonova]

Bottom line unless someone sponsors your company you will not get a facility clearance, which means you can not bid or take on opportunities that require cleared personnel.

Now being a sub contractor to the big boys or whoever really does not matter. The point is getting your foot in the door and build off of that. The chances of winning an outright opportunity with no past-performance is slim to none.

The company I contract for is what they call the "Prime" on many contracts but also a "Sub" on others, it's just the nature of the beast.

But, here is one that was just won and we are a "Sub" on it..Reason we are a sub is there is no chance we could of won...It would of had to be a company the size of Boeing, Lockheed, etc that would be the prime of such a big contract (but it was not either of them)...

Point being the value is approximately 3.45 Billion over 5 years...

BUT, the contract states that the "Prime" has to meet the following conditions in work distribution:

Total Small Business-35%
Small Disadvantaged Business-5%
Woman Owned Small Business-5%
HUB Zone-3%
Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business-3%
Veteran Owned Small Business-3%

So if you are classified as a "total small business" then you could in theory get 35% of the work...But typically they will spread the wealth around to more than one in each classification. Now if you are a "total small business" and also one of the others then you can get work out of each category...

Does not take a math genius to see that no matter if you are a "sub" or not you are going to make some very very good money from this endeavor.

 

[Markverhyden]

Bottom line unless someone sponsors your company you will not get a facility clearance, which means you can not bid or take on opportunities that require cleared personnel.

That's the short and sweet version. First you have to have a Government agency sponsoring you as a primary contractor. Of course your contract has a contract number tied to it.

Once you are a prime then you can sub-contract based on the primary contract spec's. The sponsoring Government agency still has to submit the request to Office of Personnel. Of course anyone applying has to fill out paper work, like SF-85's. SF-85P's, etc. They will usually issue a provisional clearance within a few days but the full thing can take weeks or months depending on any number of things.

Many of them used to be life time. But Obama issued an executive order that they need to be renewed every 2-3 years. At least that was with the SF-85P I had with the DoD.

A lot of people have this notion that a clearance is like a drivers license. Not even close. The closest you can get is a TWIC which may satisfy some if it comes to one off work.

 

[cmonova]

Actually another company with a facility clearance can sponsor you...And they are not sponsoring you as a prime or sub...they are sponsoring you to get a facility clearance.

The SF85's and SF-85p's don't even matter until you do the DD Form 2051 to get a cage code and of course you can't do that until you get the GCA or cleared company to sponsor you.Then you need the DD From 441,441-1 and SF 328 along with a ton of other info to even get the ball rolling.