Reference · Secure facilities & shielding
Facility Clearance (FCL)
Facility Security Clearance
A Facility Clearance (FCL) is an administrative determination that a company is eligible to access classified information at a given level. It is granted under the NISP after the company meets personnel, ownership, and security requirements — not something a company can buy.
What it is
An FCL certifies a company (not an individual) to work on classified contracts up to a specified level. It requires cleared key management personnel, a sponsor with a classified requirement, and resolution of any Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence.
Why it exists
It lets the government extend classified work to industry with assurance that the company is structurally and administratively eligible to protect it.
Who it applies to
Contractors that need to access or store classified information to perform a contract. It is sponsored — typically by a prime or a government customer with a classified requirement.
Frequently asked
How does a company get a Facility Clearance?
A company cannot request an FCL for itself — it must be sponsored by a prime contractor or government customer with a classified requirement. It then clears its key management personnel, mitigates any foreign ownership or control, and meets NISPOM requirements before DCSA grants the clearance.
This one is background: it shapes the market Longlead works, though it isn't itself a demand signal. Longlead reads public federal and state records to infer which projects will need your scope, delivered as a cited qualification brief with confidence and lead time, typically 9–18 months before a named solicitation on major projects. You make the call, from your own channels; nothing leaves the system.
Or just see what Longlead finds for your scope.
Tell us what you sell and what you don't, and see the demand Longlead is inferring for you right now.