Facility Clearance (FCL) and FSO Program Management Services
Most firms process your clearances. We run your entire security program, from FCL stand-up and a tailored SPP and Insider Threat Program Plan (ITPP), through every PERSEC action, to DCSA inspections, so your leadership can focus on the business.
Elite Security Solutions LLC manages the whole industrial security program under 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM). Our certified FSOs run your industrial security program, and ESS handles every interaction with DCSA, so you know the program is in professional hands.
Why full program management, not just PERSEC
Personnel security is the most visible part of a cleared company's obligations, and it is where most providers stop. They submit investigation requests and manage records in DISS, and leave the rest of the program to you: the Standard Practice Procedures, the insider threat program, reporting, training, self-inspections, and DCSA security reviews.
ESS takes the whole program. We stand up the facility clearance when one is required, write an SPP and an Insider Threat Program Plan (ITPP) tailored to how your company actually operates, carry out every required PERSEC action, manage your insider threat program if you want us to, and handle DCSA interactions, audits, and inspections. One firm owns the program from end to end.
Who this is for
- Companies sponsored for a facility clearance, or expecting a classified contract or subcontract that will require one.
- Small and mid-sized cleared contractors that do not want leadership time spent running the security program.
- Cleared companies whose current provider handles only PERSEC, leaving gaps in plans, training, and inspection readiness.
- Companies preparing for a DCSA security review, or recovering from findings.
- Cleared companies moving from non-possessing to possessing status.
- Companies going through change: new ownership, new key management personnel, mergers, or growth in the cleared workforce.
What's included
FCL stand-up (when required)
- Readiness review of your legal structure, ownership, and key management personnel (KMP).
- Foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI) identification and early discussion of mitigation options.
- Preparation of the FCL package in NISS, including the SF 328, DD Form 441, KMP list, organizational chart, and supporting business records.
- Coordination with DCSA from submission through interim and final FCL determination.
- KMP clearance sequencing so the right people are cleared in the right order.
Program documents built for your company
- Standard Practice Procedures (SPP) written to your facility, workforce, and contracts, not a template with your name on it.
- Insider Threat Program Plan (ITPP) tailored to your company, with the appointments and training it requires.
- Updates to both whenever your operations, contracts, or DCSA guidance change.
Personnel security (PERSEC)
- Investigation initiation and processing through DISS.
- Clearance records, visit requests, and access management in DISS.
- Continuous vetting enrollment and required reporting.
- Initial security briefings, annual refresher training, insider threat awareness training, and debriefings.
- Onboarding and offboarding of cleared employees.
Insider Threat Program management (when desired)
- Running the program day to day, including training records, reporting, and coordination with your Insider Threat Program Senior Official.
- Insider threat working group support.
- Review of the program before each DCSA security review.
DCSA interactions, audits, and inspections
- All routine correspondence with your DCSA Industrial Security Representative.
- Management of your facility's records in NISS, including change condition reporting and self-inspection certification.
- Annual self-inspections, findings, and corrective actions.
- Preparation for DCSA security reviews, and management of the review itself and any follow-up.
Possessing facility support
Our FSOs are certified for Possessing Facilities. If your contracts require you to safeguard classified material on site, we plan and manage that transition, and our MUSA practice can build the classified computing system that often comes with it.
How it works
- Consultation. We learn where your company stands: sponsored or not, cleared or not, possessing or not, and what your contracts require.
- Readiness review. We review ownership, KMP, FOCI indicators, and existing documents, and give you a plain list of what needs to happen and in what order.
- FCL stand-up, when required. We prepare and submit the FCL package in NISS and manage DCSA coordination through interim and final determination.
- Program build. We write the SPP and ITPP for your company, set up training and reporting, and complete the required appointments with you.
- Program operation. Our certified FSOs carry out PERSEC actions, reporting, briefings, and records month to month.
- Inspection readiness. We run self-inspections, close findings, and manage your DCSA security reviews from preparation through follow-up.
- Change management. When your company changes, the program changes with it: new contracts, new people, new owners, or a move to possessing status.
Typical timeline
FCL timelines depend on your sponsor, your ownership structure, any FOCI, and DCSA processing. We give you a realistic estimate after the readiness review.
Program management is ongoing once the program is in place.
Results
Facilities under ESS FSO support have never received a DCSA inspection rating below Commendable, including a Superior rating in 2026.
A certified team, one point of contact
An experienced team of certified FSOs manages your program. Every member is certified as an FSO for Possessing Facilities and as an Insider Threat Program Senior Official. Working as a team gives you redundancy of service, so your program never depends on one person's availability, and you still have one dedicated point of contact for your program.
Frequently asked questions
Does my company need a facility clearance before it can work on a classified contract?
Yes. A company needs a facility clearance (FCL) before it can access classified information. You cannot apply on your own; a cleared prime contractor or a government customer must sponsor your company for a specific classified need. Once you are sponsored, ESS prepares your FCL package and manages the process with DCSA through the final determination.
What is the difference between PERSEC support and full program management?
PERSEC support covers clearance processing for your people: investigations, records in DISS, and related reporting. Full program management covers the whole NISPOM program: the FCL, your SPP and Insider Threat Program Plan, training, reporting, self-inspections, and DCSA security reviews, along with PERSEC. ESS provides full program management so leadership does not have to run the program.
What does an outsourced FSO service from ESS include?
Companies looking for an outsourced FSO usually want experienced, certified people running their security program so leadership does not have to. ESS delivers that as full program management: FCL stand-up when required, an SPP and Insider Threat Program Plan tailored to your company, all required PERSEC, Insider Threat Program management when desired, and every DCSA interaction, audit, and inspection.
Do we still need to appoint our own FSO?
Every company must appoint an FSO who is an employee of the company. DCSA defines an employee as "a person who is directly compensated by the company." We will discuss available options during the initial consultation.
How do you prepare us for a DCSA security review?
We keep the program inspection-ready all year through self-inspections, current documents, and complete records. Before a review we check every program area against NISPOM requirements, close open items, and prepare your leadership and staff. We manage the review with DCSA and handle any follow-up actions.
Can you support a possessing facility?
Yes. Our FSOs are certified for Possessing Facilities. We support companies that already safeguard classified material and companies moving to possessing status, and ESS can also build the classified computing system that work often requires.
Do you only work with companies in North Carolina?
No. ESS is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and supports cleared companies across the state and nationwide, both on site and remotely.
Talk to us about your security program
Whether you are newly sponsored, already cleared, or tired of running the program yourself, start with a confidential consultation. Use the contact form or call 910-797-6345.