3.55. Contract security requirements (personnel or organization)
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Contracting officers should take into account security requirements when developing the procurement strategy, or the project plan, and also when determining the procurement schedule as security screening timelines can influence these acquisition gates. Security requirements can be present throughout the entire project (from planning through execution) or at certain phases as the project is being executed. Procurement strategy and approval documents should identify the existence of any security requirements.
3.55.1 Security and timelines
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- Procurement schedules must take into account that the organization, personnel, physical and IT security screening processes may take a considerable length of time. The contracting officer must provide as much lead time as possible to the Contract Security Program (CSP) to process organization or personnel security screenings, as well as to give time to bidders to implement security recommendations before contract award.
- For all procurements with security screening requirements, contracting officers must include the Application for Registration (AFR) form with their bid solicitation documents. Bidders are required to complete and submit the AFR form along with their bid. Contracting officers must submit the completed AFR forms to the CSP. For more information on the AFR process, please visit the CSP website.
Note: If potential foreign-based suppliers are identified by the client when issuing the requisition, the client must contact the CSP’s International Industrial Security Directorate (IISD) for the applicable clauses. PWGSC contracting officers must also contact the CSP prior to contract award for verification of security with foreign government partners, as appropriate. If security clearances are required for foreign-based suppliers, the timeframes required to provide them could have a significant impact on the procurement schedule. The CSP’s IISD can be reached at tpsgc.dgsssiprojetintl-dobissintlproject.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. - Foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI): When requested, the bidder has 30 days from the request date to submit all the required documents to the CSP. Timelines for processing FOCI evaluations depend on the complexity of the structure of the organization being evaluated and the timelines of other involved stakeholders in the FOCI evaluation process. Information discovered during the evaluation may impact the timelines for the completion of the FOCI evaluation.