International contract security requirements

Is your organization thinking about contracting or subcontracting with a foreign government or business? Find out how the Contract Security Program can help your organization get the security clearance it needs to compete in the global marketplace.

On this page

• Security requirements for international contracts
• Bidding on classified contracts with foreign governments
• Subcontracting to foreign organizations
• Requesting foreign assurances
• Exchanging protected or classified information
• Bidding on North Atlantic Treaty Organization contracts
• Getting approval for visitors to secure sites
• International industrial security instruments
• Training and information for international contract security

Security requirements for international contracts

Security requirements are clauses written into government contracts with private sector organizations. They specify what levels of security are required to safeguard sensitive information, assets and work sites.

Security requirements for international contracts are listed in the:

• request for proposal
• security aspects letter
  • includes the security requirements of the contract, and is equivalent to the security requirements checklist
• project security instruction
  • includes security requirements that may fall outside of internationally recognized standards and bilateral industrial security instruments

Foreign organizations wanting to bid on Government of Canada contracts with security requirements must contact the designated security authority, which is the government organization responsible for contract security, in their home country.

Canadian organizations wanting to bid on contracts with foreign countries government must first contact the Government of Canada’s Contract Security Program.

Bidding on classified contracts with foreign governments

1. Preparing to bid

If your organization is bidding on a classified contract or subcontract outside of Canada, you must contact the program with your intention to bid on a foreign contract or subcontract:

• Contact the Contract Security Program

The program will:

• help your organization understand foreign contract security requirements, and ensure they comply with the bilateral security instrument in place with that country
• provide security screening once your organization is sponsored by the foreign designated screening authority or a Canadian approved source

Learn how to obtain security screening for your organization.

2. During contract award

The foreign government or organization responsible for the contract will:

• issue a standardized foreign security clause for your contract or subcontract
• contact the Contract Security Program for a foreign assurance to confirm that your organization and employees are cleared to the appropriate level
  • learn about requesting foreign assurances

3. After contract award

If your organization has been awarded the contract, the program will:

• assess your organization’s security plans
• process approvals for visitors to secure sites and document transfers
  • approval for visits to secure sites
• approve Project Security Instructions
• ensure compliance with the program

Subcontracting to foreign organizations

Before subcontracting to a foreign organization, Canadian organizations must get written approval from the program and the foreign designated security authority.

The program will:

• obtain foreign assurances to verify the security status of the foreign organization and its personnel
• ensure compliance with the provisions of the security agreement between Canada and that country
• authorize the transfer of sensitive information to foreign organizations
• process approvals for visitors to secure sites
  • approval for visits to secure sites

Requesting foreign assurances

A foreign assurance is the confirmation that a foreign organization and its personnel meet the security requirements of a contract or subcontract. If the organization and its personnel do not meet the requirements, they will be screened at the appropriate and required level by the designated security authority in their home country.

Assurances for Canadian organizations

The program provides assurances to foreign governments for Canadian organizations bidding on sensitive foreign contracts.

Assurances for foreign organizations

Canadian organizations subcontracting to a foreign organization must contact the program to request a foreign assurance.

Your organization will need to provide a:

• point of contact for the foreign organization
  • include the email address, telephone number, physical address and country of origin
• contract number
• security levels and requirements of the contract
  • for example, state whether your subcontractor will need access to sensitive information and assets or access only to a specific secure work site

If available, you can also provide the organization’s business registration number, equivalent to your Canadian Procurement Business Number.

• for subcontractors based in the United States, this number is called the Commercial and Government Entity Code
• for subcontractors based in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country, this number is called the NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code

Assurances for foreign personnel

The program conducts foreign assurances for employees who hold personnel security clearances in countries that share bilateral industrial security instruments with Canada.

To request an assurance for personnel, you must provide the program with the following information:

• name, place of residence, place of birth, date of birth and citizenship of the employee
• name and address of their employer
• contract number
• government-issued identification, such as a Social Security Number in the United States or the equivalent in other countries

Exchanging protected or classified information

You must contact the program if your organization needs to exchange or transfer information or assets during a program, project or contract with a foreign organization or government.

• Learn how to transfer sensitive information and assets

The program will determine if the information or asset can be released to, and safeguarded by, that foreign organization or government.

Bidding on North Atlantic Treaty Organization contracts

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 29 member countries from North America and Europe. This partnership gives Canadian organizations the opportunity to bid on NATO contracts.

• Who are North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries?

You can learn how the NATO procurement process works by consulting:

• Guide to navigating North Atlantic Treaty Organization procurement

NATO contracts are advertised here:

• Buyandsell—Government of Canada procurement opportunities
• Merx—Canadian public tenders
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization business portal
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization Communications and Information Agency Bulletin board
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization Support and Procurement Agency–Procurement

North Atlantic Treaty Organization clearances for organizations

Organizations bidding on NATO opportunities must meet the security requirements listed in the contract.

A NATO facility security clearance gives access to information and assets to the level of:

• NATO Confidential
• NATO Secret
• COSMIC Top Secret^{Footnote 1}

For contracts requiring access to NATO Restricted information and assets, organizations may need a designated organization screening with document safeguarding capability at the level of Protected A.

How to get a North Atlantic Treaty Organization clearance for an organization

• if your organization has a Canadian clearance at the level of the contract:
  • contact the Contract Security Program, to transfer your clearance to the NATO contract
• if your organization does not have a NATO clearance:
  • learn how to obtain security screening for your organization

North Atlantic Treaty Organization clearances for personnel

Once your organization is granted a NATO facility security clearance, you need to request NATO personnel security clearances for employees to gain access to NATO information and assets.

Who is eligible?

Organizations can request NATO clearances for employees who are:

• citizens of Canada or permanent residents
• citizens of other NATO nations—the Contract Security Program will coordinate with the security authority of that nation
• citizens of non-NATO nations at NATO secret clearance level or lower

How to get a North Atlantic Treaty Organization clearance for personnel

Organizations that have obtained the required organization clearances can request NATO clearance for their employees. The program will send you a NATO security briefing form to be completed by the company security officer (CSO) and the employee. Once approved, the employee is considered NATO security cleared, with access to NATO information and assets when required.

You can learn more about NATO security requirements in the Industrial Security Manual:

• Security requirement for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Getting approval for visitors to secure sites

If you are hosting a visit to a secure site in Canada, or visiting a secure site abroad, you must get approval from the Contract Security Program.

• Approval for visits to secure sites

International industrial security instruments

The Government of Canada works with foreign governments to safeguard the exchange of protected and classified information, and to help Canadian organizations compete internationally.

Bilateral industrial security instruments

To help Canadian organizations access international contracts involving classified information, Canada has negotiated bilateral industrial security instruments with various countries.

The countries are:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Israel
• Italy
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

Expanded security framework

An expanded security framework provides an alternative solution for Canadian organizations wanting to bid on contracts and subcontracts not covered under bilateral security agreements. The framework ensures the proper handling and safeguarding of Protected A and B information and assets abroad. It means that Canadian organizations can award—or bid on—contracts or subcontracts with more than 50 countries.

The Multinational Industrial Security Working Group

Canada is part of the Multinational Industrial Security Working Group that consists of senior government officials responsible for contract security. This working group consists of all NATO countries (except Iceland), as well as Austria, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

The group works to achieve shared security practices and procedures for the exchange of classified and unclassified information.

Training and information for international contract security

• Register for the webinar: Contracting outside of Canada
• Find guidelines for international contract security in the Industrial Security Manual:
  • International security issues