Facility clearance · Hiring help

Hiring an FSO consultant

An FSO consultant can help a company prepare for a facility clearance and run its security program afterward. This guide covers what consultants do, what the rules keep inside your company, the warning signs, and what to ask before you sign.

Where to find one Facility clearance map

What an FSO consultant does

Services vary by firm. These are the usual areas, each with the guide on this site that covers the same ground.

Facility clearance readinessOrganizing the sponsorship and FCL package, identifying the key management personnel (KMP) and answering the foreign-interests questions. See the readiness check and the SF 328 guide.

Security proceduresWriting and keeping current the procedures 32 CFR Part 117 (the NISPOM) requires for the company’s level of involvement with classified information.

Self-inspections and security reviewsRunning self-inspections, preparing for DCSA security reviews and documenting corrective actions. See security reviews and corrective actions.

Insider threat programDrafting the program plan, training and reporting routes that the insider threat program senior official (ITPSO) oversees. See the insider threat program tools.

Security educationInitial briefings before access, and the refresher training every cleared employee must receive every 12 months (§117.12(k)).

Contracts and personnel securityReviewing a contract’s security requirements and supporting personnel clearance requests. See the DD Form 254 guide and who does what in the clearance process.

What stays with your company

A consultant can take on much of the work. The rule keeps the key appointments, and the responsibility for the program, inside your company.

The FSO is your employeeTo be processed for an FCL, the company appoints a U.S. citizen employee as its FSO (§117.9(d)(1)(iii)). The senior management official makes the appointment in writing (§117.7(b)(2)(ii)), and DCSA’s FCL Orientation Handbook adds that the FSO must hold a personnel clearance at the level of the FCL or higher.

So is the ITPSOThe insider threat program senior official must also be a U.S. citizen employee (§117.9(d)(1)(iv)). One employee may hold both roles.

The FSO completes the trainingThe FSO completes FSO training within six months of appointment, and the company ensures others performing security duties complete the training the CSA considers appropriate (§117.12(d)).

A consultant with classified access counts as your employeeFor compliance with the rule, a consultant who needs access to classified information is treated as an employee of the company using their services, and does not access classified information off your premises except on authorized classified visits (§117.10(m)).

Hire help for the work, not to hand off the roleThe FSO supervises and directs the security measures the rule requires (§117.7(b)(3)(i)). A consultant can draft, train, inspect and advise, but your appointed FSO stays accountable.

Warning signs

An offer to sponsor you, or to get you an FCLA company cannot apply for its own FCL. A government contracting activity (GCA) or a cleared contractor sponsors it when the company must have access to classified information to take part in a contract or solicitation (§117.9(a)(10)), and DCSA makes the determination.

A guaranteed outcome or timelineDCSA decides the FCL and the KMP clearances. A consultant who promises a result is promising something they do not control.

Advertising its own facility clearanceA cleared contractor may not use its FCL for advertising or promotional purposes, though it may advertise positions that require a clearance (§117.9(a)(9)).

Questions to ask before you hire

Have you worked with companies like ours? A first FCL is different work from keeping an established program, and a facility approved to store classified material has more to manage than one that is not.
Who will do the work, and how do we reach them between visits?
Which certifications do you hold, and how can we confirm them with the issuer?
How is the work scoped and priced: a fixed project, a monthly retainer or hourly?
Will you need access to classified information? If so, the rule treats you as our employee for compliance (§117.10(m)).
What will we keep when the engagement ends? Written procedures, training records and self-inspection results should stay with your company and your FSO.

Use DCSA’s own help alongside a consultant. After the FCL is issued, your assigned Industrial Security Representative (ISR) reaches out within 120 days to assess your security and insider threat programs, and DCSA points new facilities to CDSE’s FSO Toolkit (FCL Orientation Handbook, §§2.3 and 7.0).

Where to find one

The FSOtools consultant directory lists FSO consultants and firms for free. Businesses list themselves and every listing is reviewed before it appears. Nobody pays for placement, and FSOtools does not rank or recommend anyone.

FSO consultantsNISP industrial security: FCL readiness, FSO program support, self-inspections, insider threat, classified IT and training. Filter by state served, credentials, or help with a first facility clearance.

Cybersecurity and CMMCCMMC readiness and assessment, NIST SP 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7012 support for controlled unclassified information.

Security clearance attorneysStatements of Reasons, DOHA hearings and appeals, and FOCI or CFIUS counsel.

Find an FSO consultant →

DCSA, DoD and other agencies do not endorse consultants. Confirm qualifications yourself before you hire.

Sources

32 CFR §117.9(a)(9)–(10) and (d)(1)(iii)–(iv): no advertising of an FCL, sponsorship, and the FSO and ITPSO as U.S. citizen employees.
32 CFR §117.7(b)(2)(ii) and (b)(3)(i): the written appointment and the FSO’s role.
32 CFR §117.10(m): consultants with access to classified information.
32 CFR §117.12(d) and (k): FSO training and annual refresher training.
FCL Orientation Handbook (July 2026), §2.3 (post-FCL ISR outreach), §4.1.3 (FSO requirements) and §7.0 (CDSE toolkits).

Checked October 25, 2026 against 32 CFR Part 117 (eCFR text current as of July 24, 2026) and the FCL Orientation Handbook. A guide to hiring help, not legal advice; follow your CSA’s instructions.