5.15. Verifying Compliance with Security Requirements
- Before contract award, the contracting officer must verify with the Canadian Industrial Security Directorate (CISD) that the proposed contractor meets the security requirements of the bid solicitation. This verification can be done by contacting the CISD call centre and requesting a security status sheet for the successful bidder. The contracting officer shall not rely on the security indicator in the Vendor Information Management (VIM) system as it may not always be up to date. The request to CISD for a security status sheet should include the proposed contract number, the full name and address of the proposed contractor, if applicable, the address of location of the work performance, as well as the required security levels stipulated in the proposed contract. If the supplier has the appropriate security clearance, the contracting officer must sign the Security Requirements Check List (SRCL) at block 16 and include the fully signed SRCL as an annex in the resulting contract. In the case of call-ups against a standing offer or contracts against a supply arrangement, it is the responsibility of the user to verify that the contractor meets the security requirements.
IMPORTANT: When security clearances such as IT, Production and/or COMSEC are required, seek assurance of these specific security types from CISD as they are contract specific and not blanket clearances held by the organizations. - During the period of the contract, the client must ensure that all contractor or subcontractor personnel who will have access to any classified or protected information, assets or sensitive work sites, or to government systems are identified as working under the contract and that their security status has been verified with CISD. The contracting officer will assist in this process as required.
- When security clearances are mandatory, they must be obtained before the commencement of any work. However, it is recognized that there may be circumstances under which, for reasons of urgency, the contractor, or the contractor’s employee(s) must begin the work before the completion of the security process. In these cases, consult with CISD for options. However, in a competitive solicitation, the method of selection must be followed; therefore, any delay must be in accordance with the solicitation procedures.
- If, at any time during the period of the contract, the contracting officer becomes aware that a subcontractor, whose security status has not been verified with CISD, will require access to any classified or protected information, assets or sensitive work sites, the contracting officer must consult with CISD to ensure the necessary subcontract SRCLs are submitted and as well verify that the subcontractor meets the security requirements.