Hello, I submitted and SF-86 for a private contracting job back in February of this year. I was not asked to submit fingerprints with this paperwork. I recently was advised that my file was being held, as the company offering my the position was re-competing for the contract and the government wasn’t processing new requests until that happened. They were awarded the contract at the end of last month, and I was told the clearance process would pick back up now.
My two questions are:
I waited almost 8 moths until the contract was awarded, so is it likely that the typical wait for a secret clearance (a year or so) will be just starting now for me? Or will the investigators pick my file back up more quickly because it was held to the side for so long?
I still have not been instructed to submit any fingerprints, and I know this is a step that needs to be done. I recently asked my employer this a few weeks ago, and he advised he wasn’t sure exactly when the fingerprinting step is done, but that it was not up front, so I didn’t miss anything. When should I expect to be instructed to get fingerprinted? I would hate for my process to be delayed further due to paperwork issues.
Thank you in advanced for any help or insight regarding these matters.
I suspect that unless you had a previous investigation done where fingerprints were already on file you are not in the queue for investigation. Fingerprints have to be submitted within 14 days of the e-QIP application being released by the sponsoring agency, otherwise it gets kicked back. Also, your signed releases are nearing expiration, so it is more than likely you will have to resubmit the e-QIP and get fingerprints taken. before an investigation gets initiated.
I’ve had my fingerprints taken in the past, as I worked in law enforcement, would they have access to those prints, or would I have to submit new ones? If not, do I just continue waiting, or do I have to initiate something on my end?
Guaranteed you do NOT have an investigation in progress. All SF-86 submissions MUST be done through e-QIP and no, fingerprints have to have been submitted specifically for a national security background investigation. Seems your potential employer was just prescreening you in order to show potential candidates in the event they won the contract bid. Happens all the time!
Forgive my ignorance in the matter, as this is all new to me, but what does this mean? Should I contact the admin people and inquire about this, or just wait until they reach out to me?
If you want a job you should not wait for someone to contact you. If they won the contract and needed the position filled they may have already found someone else who is already cleared. Call them!