How to obtain or get a Facility Clearance (FCL)

A company seeking to obtain a Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret facility clearance (a.k.a facility

security clearance) must be sponsored for it by a federal government agency or another company that

already has a facility clearance. A company cannot simply apply for a facility security clearance of

its own accord. However, in most cases it is unnecessary to obtain a facility security clearance

before winning a contract that requires the FCL. Rather, the company is first awarded the contract and

then it gets the facility clearance when the agency or cleared company sponsors the contractor for

the FCL.

In some cases, though, bidders will need access to classified information to prepare their bids on a

classified contract. In those cases, companies must possess a facility clearance at the required level to bid

on the contract. If a company interested in bidding on such a contract does not already possess a facility

clearance, it may be able to persuade the prime contractor or federal agency to sponsor it for a facility

security clearance so that it may prepare a bid.

If you would like assistance with this, or have other related questions or concerns, please contact us. The

first discussion is free of charge and can often clarify matters significantly.