Air Force's Top Secret Facility Clearance Mandate Backed by GAO
The Government Accountability Office denied a protest that challenged an Air Force advisory and support services procurement for requiring offerors to already hold the needed security approvals, in a decision released October 30. The protester argued that limiting competition to companies with existing Top Secret facility clearance approvals was unduly restrictive. GAO found that the restriction reasonably reflected the agency's concern that a contractor be able to perform every requirement from the first day of the contract, which covers portfolios such as arms control treaties and countering weapons of mass destruction. The decision supports agencies that require a facility clearance at the time of award rather than allowing a company to obtain one after selection.