Contractor Background Investigative Work is Slowing Down

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency now conducts 95% of the background investigations for the Federal Government using a mix of federal employee investigators and contractor companies who are designated investigative service providers. The ratio of federal investigators to contractor investigators stands is hard to distinguish because DCSA ramped up the number of federal investigators when it took over from the Office of Personnel Management last year in order to tackle the 400,000 investigation backlog. At the same time, according to the chatter on our blog site, the contractor investigator’s work slowed down considerably and rumor has it work will dry up even more.

As far as which companies are still working under DCSA, here are some of the more well-known companies still advertising as hiring to do background investigation work, but take note that investigators are hired on as independent consultants, not as company employees.

• Information Systems and Network Corporation (ISN)
• Securitas Critical Information Structures, Inc (SCIS)
• Perspecta
• Omniplex World Services Corporation
• KENTECH Consulting, Inc

With Continuous Vetting in play for the DoD in lieu of doing full periodic reinvestigations, more investigative analysts are needed to review hits that pop up on credit reports, arrest reports, drug tests, travel records and other sources. Additionally, the rest of the Federal agencies have to implement their own continuous evaluation programs and need personnel security staff, separate from adjudicators, who are trained to review adverse information reports and determine if additional information or courses of action is needed.