Showing results for: network
Do Government Contractors Get Paid During a Shutdown?
When Congress ended the 2025 shutdown on November 12, 2025, it did not forget the people who had gone unpaid. Section 116 of Public Law 119-37 made federal employees whole. Section 120 rescinded reduction-in-force notices issued during the lapse and returned those employees to du… more
CI vs. Full-Scope Polygraph: Which Programs Require Which, and What Each One Asks
The Defense Department retired the phrase "full scope polygraph" in writing. Its polygraph instruction defines the exam readers mean, then adds five words in the glossary: "Previously known as full-scope polygraph." The government-wide directive did the same. Energy's rulebook ne… more
What a Cleared Hire Really Costs: Time-to-Fill, Agency Fees, and the Job-Board Math
In the third quarter of FY2025, a Top Secret background investigation took an average of 163 days. Three quarters later it took 57. That figure comes from the Security, Suitability, and Credentialing Performance Accountability Council's Trusted Workforce 2.0 report for FY2026 Q2.… more
IAT Level II: The Exact Certifications That Qualify, and Which One to Take First
The chart that tells a cleared job seeker which certifications satisfy IAT Level II has not been publicly readable since March 9, 2023. That is the last archived rendering of the DoD Cyber Exchange page that returned the table instead of a login redirect. Snapshots from August 11… more
8140 Certification Requirements on a Cleared IT Contract: What the Employer Must Verify
Open the DFARS Part 239 that Defense contracting officers have been directed to use since 1 February 2026 and look for the information assurance certification rules. One line sits where they used to be: Subpart 239.71-239.73 [Reserved]. The words "8570," "8140," "information assu… more