As prescribed in (HSAR) 48 CFR 3004.470-4(a), contracting officers shall insert the basic clause at (HSAR) 48 CFR 3052.204–71, Contractor Employee Access, in solicitations and contracts when contractor and/or subcontractor employees require recurring access to government facilities or access to CUI. Contracting officers shall insert the basic clause with its Alternate I for acquisitions requiring contractor access to government information resources. For acquisitions in which contractor and/or subcontractor employees will not have access to government information resources, but the department has determined contractor and/or subcontractor employee access to CUI or government facilities must be limited to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, the contracting officer shall insert the clause with its Alternate II. Neither the basic clause nor its alternates shall be used unless contractor and/or subcontractor employees will require recurring access to government facilities or access to CUI. Neither the basic clause nor its alternates should ordinarily be used in contracts with educational institutions.
CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE ACCESS ALTERNATE I (JUL 2023)
(a) Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is any information the Government creates or possesses, or an entity creates or possesses for or on behalf of the Government (other than classified information) that a law, regulation, or Governmentwide policy requires or permits an agency to handle using safeguarding or dissemination controls. This definition includes the following CUI categories and subcategories of information:
(1) Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI) as defined in 6 CFR part 27, ‘‘Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards,’’ and as further described in supplementary guidance issued by an authorized official of the Department of Homeland Security (including the Revised Procedural Manual ‘‘Safeguarding Information Designated as Chemical-Terrorism Vulnerability Information’’ dated September 2008);
(2) Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) as set out in the Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 (title XXII, subtitle B of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as amended through Pub. L. 116– 283), PCII’s implementing regulations (6 CFR part 29), the PCII Program Procedures Manual, and any supplementary guidance officially communicated by an authorized official of the Department of Homeland Security, the PCII Program Manager, or a PCII Program Manager Designee;
(3) Sensitive Security Information (SSI) as defined in 49 CFR part 1520, ‘‘Protection of Sensitive Security Information,’’ as amended, and any supplementary guidance officially communicated by an authorized official of the Department of Homeland Security (including the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration or designee), including Department of Homeland Security MD 11056.1, ‘‘Sensitive Security Information (SSI)’’ and, within the Transportation Security Administration, TSA MD 2810.1, ‘‘SSI Program’’;
(4) Homeland Security Agreement Information means information the Department of Homeland Security receives pursuant to an agreement with State, local, Tribal, territorial, or private sector partners that is required to be protected by that agreement. The Department receives this information in furtherance of the missions of the Department, including, but not limited to, support of the Fusion Center Initiative and activities for cyber information sharing consistent with the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015;
(5) Homeland Security Enforcement Information means unclassified information of a sensitive nature lawfully created, possessed, or transmitted by the Department of Homeland Security in furtherance of its immigration, customs, and other civil and criminal enforcement missions, the unauthorized disclosure of which could adversely impact the mission of the Department;
(6) International Agreement Information means information the Department of Homeland Security receives that is required to be protected by an information sharing agreement or arrangement with a foreign government, an international organization of governments or any element thereof, an international or foreign public or judicial body, or an international or foreign private or non-governmental organization;
(7) Information Systems Vulnerability Information (ISVI) means:
(i) Department of Homeland Security information technology (IT) systems data revealing infrastructure used for servers, desktops, and networks; applications name, version, and release; switching, router, and gateway information; interconnections and access methods; and mission or business use/ need. Examples of ISVI are systems inventories and enterprise architecture models. Information pertaining to national security systems and eligible for classification under Executive Order 13526 will be classified as appropriate; and/or
(ii) Information regarding developing or current technology, the release of which could hinder the objectives of the Department, compromise a technological advantage or countermeasure, cause a denial of service, or provide an adversary with sufficient information to clone, counterfeit, or circumvent a process or system;
(8) Operations Security Information means Department of Homeland Security information that could be collected, analyzed, and exploited by a foreign adversary to identify intentions, capabilities, operations, and vulnerabilities that threaten operational security for the missions of the Department;
(9) Personnel Security Information means information that could result in physical risk to Department of Homeland Security personnel or other individuals whom the Department is responsible for protecting;
(10) Physical Security Information means reviews or reports illustrating or disclosing facility infrastructure or security vulnerabilities related to the protection of Federal buildings, grounds, or property. For example, threat assessments, system security plans, contingency plans, risk management plans, business impact analysis studies, and certification and accreditation documentation;
(11) Privacy Information includes both Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (SPII). PII refers to information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone, or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual; and SPII is a subset of PII that if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual. To determine whether information is PII, DHS will perform an assessment of the specific risk that an individual can be identified using the information with other information that is linked or linkable to the individual. In performing this assessment, it is important to recognize that information that is not PII can become PII whenever additional information becomes available, in any medium or from any source, that would make it possible to identify an individual. Certain data elements are particularly sensitive and may alone present an increased risk of harm to the individual.
(i) Examples of stand-alone PII that are particularly sensitive include: Social Security numbers (SSNs), driver’s license or State identification numbers, Alien Registration Numbers (A-numbers), financial account numbers, and biometric identifiers.
(ii) Multiple pieces of information may present an increased risk of harm to the individual when combined, posing an increased risk of harm to the individual. SPII may also consist of any grouping of information that contains an individual’s name or other unique identifier plus one or more of the following elements:
(A) Truncated SSN (such as last 4 digits);
(B) Date of birth (month, day, and year);
(C) Citizenship or immigration status;
(D) Ethnic or religious affiliation;
(E) Sexual orientation;
(F) Criminal history;
(G) Medical information; and
(H) System authentication information, such as mother’s birth name, account passwords, or personal identification numbers (PINs).
(iii) Other PII that may present an increased risk of harm to the individual depending on its context, such as a list of employees and their performance ratings or an unlisted home address or phone number. The context includes the purpose for which the PII was collected, maintained, and used. This assessment is critical because the same information in different contexts can reveal additional information about the impacted individual.
(b) Information Resources means information and related resources, such as personnel, equipment, funds, and information technology.
(c) Contractor employees working on this contract must complete such forms as may be necessary for security or other reasons, including the conduct of background investigations to determine suitability. Completed forms shall be submitted as directed by the Contracting Officer. Upon the Contracting Officer’s request, the Contractor’s employees shall be fingerprinted or subject to other investigations as required. All Contractor employees requiring recurring access to government facilities or access to CUI or information resources are required to have a favorably adjudicated background investigation prior to commencing work on this contract unless this requirement is waived under departmental procedures.
(d) The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to prohibit individuals from working on the contract if the Government deems their initial or continued employment contrary to the public interest for any reason, including, but not limited to, carelessness, insubordination, incompetence, or security concerns.
(e) Work under this contract may involve access to CUI. The Contractor shall access and use CUI only for the purpose of furnishing advice or assistance directly to the Government in support of the Government’s activities, and shall not disclose, orally or in writing, CUI for any other purpose to any person unless authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer. For those Contractor employees authorized to access CUI, the Contractor shall ensure that these persons receive initial and refresher training concerning the protection and disclosure of CUI. Initial training shall be completed within 60 days of contract award and refresher training shall be completed every 2 years thereafter.
(f) The Contractor shall include this clause in all subcontracts at any tier where the subcontractor may have access to government facilities, CUI, or information resources.
(g) Before receiving access to information resources under this contract, the individual must complete a security briefing; additional training for specific categories of CUI, if identified in the contract; and any nondisclosure agreement furnished by DHS. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will arrange the security briefing and any additional training required for specific categories of CUI.
(h) The Contractor shall have access only to those areas of DHS information resources explicitly stated in this contract or approved by the COR in writing as necessary for performance of the work under this contract. Any attempts by Contractor personnel to gain access to any information resources not expressly authorized by the terms and conditions in this contract, or as approved in writing by the COR, are strictly prohibited. In the event of violation of this provision, DHS will take appropriate actions with regard to the contract and the individual(s) involved.
(i) Contractor access to DHS networks from a remote location is a temporary privilege for mutual convenience while the Contractor performs business for DHS. It is not a right, a guarantee of access, a condition of the contract, or government-furnished equipment (GFE).
(j) Contractor access will be terminated for unauthorized use. The Contractor agrees to hold and save DHS harmless from any unauthorized use and agrees not to request additional time or money under the contract for any delays resulting from unauthorized use or access.
(k) Non-U.S. citizens shall not be authorized to access or assist in the development, operation, management, or maintenance of Department IT systems under the contract, unless a waiver has been granted by the Head of the Component or designee, with the concurrence of both the Department’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or their designees. Within DHS Headquarters, the waiver may be granted only with the approval of both the CSO and the CIO or their designees. In order for a waiver to be granted:
(1) There must be a compelling reason for using this individual as opposed to a U.S. citizen; and
(2) The waiver must be in the best interest of the Government.
(l) Contractors shall identify in their proposals the names and citizenship of all non-U.S. citizens proposed to work under the contract. Any additions or deletions of non-U.S. citizens after contract award shall also be reported to the Contracting Officer.
(End of clause)
The Contractor shall include the substance of this clause in all subcontracts at any tier where the subcontractor may have access to Government facilities, sensitive information, or resources.