Upcoming changes to the Contract Security Program’s security screening process: Phase 2 implementation
Communiqué: February 14, 2022
On June 2021, Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Contract Security Program (CSP) announced it would be implementing changes to improve its security screening process.
Phase 1 of the changes to the Contract Security Program’s security screening process, which came into effect on October 4, 2021, focused on the personnel security screening process and allowed screenings to be processed more quickly for employees of organizations with valid security requirements.
The CSP is now preparing to implement Phase 2 of the changes on May 2, 2022. Phase 2 focuses on the organization security screening process for organizations participating in government solicitation processes, with improvements to address the feedback received.
May 2022 changes
Starting May 2, 2022, the CSP will conduct organization security screenings (new clearances, renewals and upgrades) on organizations who:
- have responded to a government solicitation, request for standing offer (SO) or request for supply arrangement (SA) with security requirements with a CSP Application for registration (AFR) form
- will be awarded a contract or subcontract with security requirements
- are underrepresented
- are involved in a multinational program
Starting May 2, 2022, the CSP will also introduce:
- a new provisional security clearance for organizations who require access to protected or classified information during the pre-solicitation stage of a procurement process (for example, prior to bid submission)
- flexible options for contractors to simplify the subcontracting process
Please note that the process for organizations to retain or upgrade their organization security clearance under pre-approved methods of supply, such as an awarded SO or SA , is under review. Any changes to this process will be announced at a future date.
More information
To support your organization to understand and prepare for these changes, the CSP will be providing additional guidance and tools in March 2022, along with the most up-to-date version of the AFR form.
As soon as this additional information is available, the CSP will be pleased to respond to inquiries. Until then, the CSP kindly asks that you refrain from contacting the client service centre or other CSP personnel with inquiries related to Phase 2 of this initiative.