DCSA Develops Road Map for National Background Investigation Services Modernization

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has created an 18-month road map to accelerate the modernization of the IT system for the National Background Investigation Services program, which saw delays in the integration of new capabilities over the past years.

While $1.35 billion has already been spent on NBIS, the federal government’s one-stop-shop IT system for end-to-end personnel vetting, the software platform still offers a limited set of new capabilities. The Department of Defense previously expected the system to integrate all the latest features in 2019, Federal News Network reported.

During a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, DCSA Director David Cattler, a speaker at the Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon International Summit in October, indicated that the agency needs to retire legacy software systems that increase the NBIS’ operational costs.

In his written testimony, he highlighted priority actions under the road map, including modernizing and migrating NBIS applications, aligning acquisition and development actions, and strengthening cybersecurity protections.

Once the DCSA secures approval to implement the plan, the agency would begin transitioning select NBIS applications to the cloud, Cattler said.