USIS Contracts Ended, Investigators Search for New Employment

It turns out a cyber attack was the straw that broke the back of embattled security clearance investigation firm USIS. Late last evening it was announced that the Office of Personnel Management is ending its contracts with USIS. The firm had been under a stop-work order for the past month, following the announcement of a data breach within the USIS network, likely a state-sponsored attack.

“We are deeply disappointed with OPM’s decision, particularly given the excellent work our 3,000 employees have delivered on these contracts,” the firm said through a spokeswoman, Ellen Davis. “While we disagree with the decision and are reviewing it we intend to fulfill our obligations to ensure an orderly transition.”

The troubles for USIS began more than a year ago, with the Department of Justice filing several complaints against the company, including charges of incomplete background investigations and improperly conducted quality reviews. The criticism included several specific investigators, but the charges were more broadly applied to the USIS management structure, which the Department of Justice accused of “deliberately circumventing contractually required quality reviews.”

It’s a move that would have seemed implausible just a few years ago, when USIS carried out more than half of the investigations for the five million professionals requiring a security clearance. For many current and former USIS investigators, however, the handwriting has been on the wall for months. The media broke the story last evening, before USIS could notify personnel themselves. Today, many investigators find themselves looking for new employment opportunities, from contracts with other security clearance investigation services such as CACI and KeyPoint, or transitioning to a new career entirely.

Investigators can trade job search tips, leads and more in the Adjudicators/Investigators section of the ClearanceBlog Forum