Out-of-country verification process, aftercare responsibilities, and international contract security requirements
Communiqué: March 14, 2018
Public Services and Procurement Canada recently updated its website to provide you with more detailed information about three Contract Security Program requirements:
- out-of-country verification processes
- a company security officer aftercare responsibilities
- international contract security
Out-of-country verifications
The Standard on Security Screening allows applicants greater flexibility when having to account for time spent out of Canada.
When employees apply for a personnel security screening and have lived outside of Canada continuously for 6 months or longer (within the background period under assessment), they need to account for their activities during that time. To make sure a proper assessment is done during the security screening, applicants need to provide specific out-of-country documents.
As a company security officer, you are responsible to inform applicants, who have spent time outside of Canada that they need a police certificate or alternative documents (if allowed) from each country they had lived in. By making every effort to get a police certificate or alternative documents before submitting an employee's application, you can help streamline Public Services and Procurement Canada's verification process.
- examples of alternative documents can be a letter of reference or referral from the foreign embassy in Canada or a letter from a law enforcement agency
- see a complete list of acceptable alternative documents
Longer processing times
The requirement for out-of-country verification increases the processing time of an application since all out-of-country documentation must be validated by a Program analyst. This includes alternative documents which may further increase the processing time.
Although Public Services and Procurement Canada's Contract Security Program is experiencing a backlog on files that require additional verifications, it is taking prompt measures to reduce the backlog and improve service delivery.
Note
If the identity and biographical information that applicants provided to account for their time out of Canada cannot be verified by a Program analyst, an informed Program decision cannot be made. As a result, an applicant's personnel security screening request may be denied.
Please review our updated web page on out-of-country verification requirements. We have also included a scenario to help demonstrate how company security officers can implement out of country verification requirements:
Aftercare responsibilities
A company security officer plays a vital role in an organization's ability to meet the security requirements of federal government contracts. Aftercare practices:
- provide the confidence in an individual's continued reliability and loyalty when working on a sensitive government contract.
- help identify when a person's eligibility to access government of Canada sensitive information or assets has changed.
- help build a culture of security where individuals understand and implement security best practices.
Aftercare activities include:
- giving formal and planned security briefings to your organization's employees
- implementing and adapting security awareness measures
- updating or upgrading your employees' clearances on time
The Standard on Security Screening also requires you to report:
- changes in your employees' behaviour or personal circumstances that may be cause for a security concern
- unusual contacts or attempts by an unfamiliar individual to access information, assets or facilities
- actual or potential security incidents and breaches
Please review your company security officer responsibilities by visiting our updated web page:
Learning tools
A webinar on aftercare will be available to help company security officers further understand their responsibilities and how they can remain compliant with Public Services and Procurement Canada's Contract Security Program's security requirements.
Visit the Contract security training web page for more details. This webinar will be presented by a subject matter expert and allow for a question and answer period at the end.
International contract security
We have updated our website to better inform you and explain how to contract or subcontract with a foreign government or business. These updated pages also identifies where company security officers should send their questions.
This section also includes detailed information about foreign organizations who want to bid on Canadian sensitive government solicitation requests with security requirements.
Visit the International contracting security requirements for more details.
General inquiries
Please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada's Contract Security Program.