Interim Clearance Onboarding: The Workflow from EOD to Badge

Picture a mid-size defense contractor losing 11 billable days on a new hire because the FSO submitted the interim clearance request before the I-9 was completed and the E-Verify case was closed. The agency's security office flagged the discrepancy, paused the adjudication queue, and the contractor sat idle waiting for a badge. Eleven days at a loaded labor rate on a cost-plus contract is a real number. The fix was procedural, not technical: sequence the steps correctly.

This post walks through the full interim clearance onboarding workflow, from the moment a conditional offer is accepted (EOD, or Entry on Duty) through physical or logical badge issuance. Every step has a dependency. Miss one and the downstream queue stalls.

What an Interim Clearance Actually Is

An interim clearance is a temporary favorable determination issued by DCSA (or the relevant adjudicative authority) while the full background investigation is pending. It is not a full clearance. It grants access only to the specific program or facility the contractor is being onboarded to, and it can be pulled at any point if derogatory information surfaces during the investigation. Interim Secret is the most common; Interim Top Secret is granted more selectively and requires a stronger preliminary record.

The practical value is significant: a full Secret investigation currently runs anywhere from several months to well over a year depending on case complexity and workload. An interim, when granted, can come back in days to a few weeks, letting the contractor start billing and contributing while the full adjudication continues.

The Workflow: Step by Step

Step 1: Conditional Offer and Pre-Start Paperwork

The offer letter should be explicit that employment is contingent on eligibility for the required clearance level. This language matters legally and operationally. Do not issue an unconditional offer for a cleared position.

At this stage, collect the contractor's full legal name (exactly as it appears on government ID), date of birth, Social Security Number (for SF-86 and E-Verify), and contact information. If your onboarding platform supports it, push the I-9 Section 1 to the employee electronically under ESIGN/UETA before their first day so they can complete it with a valid electronic signature. Section 2 still requires in-person document inspection or an authorized representative process.

Step 2: I-9 and E-Verify Closure

This step must be completed before the SF-86 is submitted. E-Verify case status must reach "Employment Authorized" before the security package goes forward. A Tentative Nonconfirmation (TNC) or an open case creates a legal and adjudicative problem: you cannot certify employment eligibility, and DCSA will not adjudicate a package where employment status is unresolved.

I-9 Section 2 must be completed no later than the end of the employee's third business day of work for pay. E-Verify must be initiated within three business days of the hire date. Build both deadlines into your onboarding calendar with hard alerts, not soft reminders.

Step 3: SF-86 Initiation in DISS/e-QIP

Once I-9 and E-Verify are closed, the FSO initiates the investigation request in the Defense Information System for Security (DISS), and the subject completes the SF-86 (Questionnaire for National Security Positions) in e-QIP. The contractor completes the form directly in e-QIP. The FSO's role at this stage is to: verify the subject's identity against government-issued ID, confirm the position sensitivity level and investigation type required, and certify the package before submission.

Common FSO errors that delay interim grants: submitting without a completed fingerprint record, leaving employment or residence gaps unaddressed in the remarks section, or failing to annotate foreign contacts or travel that the subject disclosed. Adjudicators flag incomplete packages and return them, resetting the clock.

Step 4: Fingerprinting

Electronic fingerprints must be submitted and accepted by OPM/DCSA before an interim can be granted. Most facilities use a live-scan device on-site or schedule the contractor at an approved enrollment center. The fingerprint transaction must link to the active investigation request in DISS. Confirm the transaction status in DISS before assuming it was accepted; rejected prints (poor quality, mismatched identifiers) are common and must be resubmitted promptly.

Step 5: Interim Determination

After the package is submitted and fingerprints are accepted, the adjudicative authority reviews the preliminary record. For Secret-level positions, this typically means a review of the National Agency Check components that return quickly: credit, criminal, and terrorism databases. If nothing disqualifying surfaces, an interim favorable determination is entered in DISS.

The FSO receives a notification in DISS. This is the trigger for the next phase. Do not assume the interim was granted; verify the determination code in DISS before proceeding to access provisioning.

Step 6: Visit Authorization and Facility Access Request

If the contractor is working at a government facility rather than a cleared contractor site, the FSO must submit a Visit Authorization Request (VAR) through DISS to the gaining facility's security officer. The VAR certifies that the individual holds an interim clearance at the required level and is authorized to access the facility for a specific purpose and period.

The receiving facility's security officer reviews the VAR, confirms the clearance level in DISS, and approves access. This step is frequently where delays accumulate because it involves two security offices coordinating. Build in at least two to three business days for VAR processing and do not schedule the contractor's first day on-site before the VAR is confirmed.

Step 7: HSPD-12 / PIV Enrollment (Where Required)

For contractors requiring logical or physical access to federal systems, HSPD-12 compliance means PIV card issuance or a PIV-Interoperable (PIV-I) credential. PIV enrollment requires: a completed identity proofing session at an approved Identity Management System (IDMS) enrollment station, two forms of identity source documents, and a confirmed favorable determination (interim is generally sufficient for PIV-I; full PIV may require a final determination depending on agency policy).

PIV card production typically takes five to ten business days after enrollment. Interim logical access via a sponsor-issued account is often granted while the card is in production, but this varies by agency. Confirm with the COR or facility security officer before promising the contractor a start date on a system that requires PIV.

Step 8: Badge Issuance and Access Activation

Physical badge issuance is the final step. At a government facility, this is handled by the Physical Security or Badging Office after the VAR is confirmed and PIV enrollment is complete (or interim access is authorized). At a cleared contractor facility, the FSO coordinates with physical security to issue a facility badge tied to the interim determination.

Document the badge issuance date, badge number, and access level in your onboarding record. Set a calendar alert for the interim expiration or review timeline, which varies by agency and adjudicative authority. If the full investigation has not concluded by then, the FSO must request an extension or the contractor loses access.

Practical Takeaway

Map every step above to a named owner and a hard deadline in your onboarding system. The sequence is: offer letter with contingency language, then I-9 and E-Verify closure, then SF-86 submission with fingerprints, then interim determination, then VAR or PIV enrollment, then badge. Skipping ahead or running steps in parallel without confirming prerequisites is how you lose billable days and create compliance exposure. An interim clearance is a time-limited asset; treat the workflow that produces it with the same rigor you apply to contract deliverables.

If your onboarding process for cleared contractors needs a structured review, reach out to IT Custom Solution to discuss how Winrove (available at winrove.com) handles sequenced clearance onboarding workflows, from conditional offer through badge issuance.