Who holds security cognizance when contract work is performed at a contractor's own cleared facility or at another cleared contractor site?

• A. Installation Commander or Agency Head
• B. GCA
• C. CSO
• D. DoD

Answer: (A)

The key idea is who retains the authority to oversee security when work happens at a contractor’s cleared facility or another cleared contractor site. In these cases, security cognizance stays with the Installation Commander or Agency Head. This arrangement keeps a government authority directly responsible for safeguarding classified information and making security decisions, inspections, and enforcement, even though the work is performed off the government’s own premises.

The Government Contracting Activity administers the contract but doesn’t hold the ultimate security cognizance; the Contract Security Officer at the contractor site carries out security duties under government oversight. The DoD is the department, but not the specific responsible authority for security cognizance in these contractor environments.