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Security+ Certification: Week 2 – One Page at a Time

Security+ Certification: Week 2 – One Page at a Time

Nov 7, 2025

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Cover image for Starla speaks into a microphone while sitting behind a laptop. Text on the image reads “The Overlooked Front Line in Federal Security: Why Recruitment Is a Security Risk.” A document titled “Human Resources’ Role in Preventing Insider Threats” appears beside her, and wooden letter blocks spelling “RISK” balance on a board in the foreground. The background is red with a geometric pattern.

Workforce Development

The Overlooked Front Line in Federal Acquisition: Why Recruitment Is a Security Risk

Nov 4, 2025

In a recent video, Alexander Parsons, Portfolio Manager for Technology & Infrastructure, broke down the fundamentals of facility and personnel clearances. He explained how each clearance type safeguards mission-critical work by ensuring only authorized individuals can access sensitive information. It was a straightforward, practical look at how compliance underpins national security.But as Starla Condes, Portfolio Manager for Talent Acquisition, points out in her follow-up video, the conversation shouldn’t end there. Clearances protect information once someone is already in the system. What protects the system from who gets in?“Espionage isn’t just a firewall issue,” she says. “It’s also a recruiting issue.”That single line reframes an often-overlooked truth: national security starts before an offer letter is signed.When Hiring Becomes a Security FunctionRecruiting has long been seen as an administrative process, but in government contracting, it carries national implications. Each résumé, interview, and background check represents both opportunity and risk.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) notes that human resources teams play “an integral role in developing and contributing to multi-disciplinary threat management teams to effectively detect, deter, and mitigate insider threats.”Starla explains that while recruiters have always verified work history and education, the stakes have changed. “We’re not just protecting the quality of hires anymore,” she says. “There’s an element of national security that is being protected.”In other words, the line between cybersecurity and human resources is thinner than most realize.Verification as a First Line of DefenseStarla describes every stage of hiring as a checkpoint. Each interaction with a candidate is a chance to confirm, clarify, or catch something that doesn’t add up. “Every touchpoint with a candidate during the interview phase is a checkpoint, and those checkpoints matter,” she says.She encourages interviewers to move past surface-level questions. Ask about past managers, project details, team communication, and results achieved. “Ask them for examples,” she says. “Make them explain and talk through what’s on their résumé.”The Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) reinforces that personnel vetting is often the first opportunity to identify insider threats before they gain access to sensitive systems. Similarly, a RAND Corporation report on continuous evaluation found that long gaps between personnel investigations leave organizations vulnerable to undetected insider activity.Verification, then, is not about catching someone lying. It’s about confirming trustworthiness at a moment when prevention matters most.The Cost of Overlooking Recruitment RiskWhen verification is skipped or rushed, the impact isn’t limited to HR metrics. It affects contract performance, compliance, and mission readiness. A single falsified credential can derail deliverables or trigger costly re-screenings. In more serious cases, it can create insider-threat exposure that puts entire programs at risk.The National Insider Threat Special Interest Group (NITSIG) reports that insider incidents across federal agencies and contractors remain a persistent challenge.In acquisition terms, that’s not just a personnel issue—it’s a performance risk. Contracting officers and program managers are accountable for results, and unverified or unvetted hires can introduce vulnerabilities that no amount of technical security can fix.Closing the Gaps in the Security ChainParsons explained how facility and personnel clearances form the structural framework of security. Starla builds on that by focusing on the human gateway that comes before clearances ever begin.Clearances safeguard classified information. Recruitment safeguards access.Treating hiring as part of the security perimeter closes a gap that technical defenses cannot. It’s a mindset that treats people, process, and policy as one integrated system rather than separate silos.Guidance for Acquisition ProfessionalsFor Acquisition Professionals, this isn’t theoretical. It’s operational. Integrating stronger verification standards into contracts and oversight processes can directly reduce mission risk. Consider these practical steps:Include verification requirements in contract terms. Ask for documented credential checks, interview validation procedures, and audit-ready hiring records.Involve HR in risk management planning. CISA emphasizes that human resources teams should be part of insider-threat and risk management structures from the start.Train hiring managers to recognize behavioral red flags. The NITSIG Insider Threat Indicators Guide lists early signs that may surface during interviews, including inconsistent timelines, unreported foreign travel, or vague explanations of past work.Promote continuous evaluation. RAND’s research confirms that ongoing review and re-verification are essential to maintain the integrity of cleared programs.Each step supports a culture where recruitment is recognized as a shared responsibility, not an isolated function.The New Security PerimeterFirewalls, encryption, and access controls will always matter. But security begins long before an employee logs into a system. It begins the moment their résumé is submitted.Starla summarizes it best: “If talent-acquisition professionals treat the hiring process with the same vigilance that IT treats a firewall, we can harden some of the most overlooked entry points into an organization—the hiring process itself.”Parsons and Starla are addressing two sides of the same mission. One protects information. The other protects access to it. Together, they remind acquisition leaders that compliance is not the finish line. It’s the starting point of national defense.If you missed the first part of this discussion, check out Alexander Parsons’ video on the basics of facility and personnel clearances. It lays the groundwork for understanding how security starts long before hiring ever begins.

Cover image for Thumbnail image for a YouTube video titled “What Does It Really Cost to Chase a Federal Contract?” The graphic features bold white text on a red background with a hexagonal pattern. Below the text, a hand holding money reaches toward another holding a government contract document, set in front of the U.S. Capitol building. On the right side, a smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing a zip-up olive top, is shown.

Contract Management

What Does It Really Cost to Pursue a Federal Contract?

Oct 29, 2025

How much would you spend for a chance to lose?Behind every glossy proposal are hours, salaries, subscriptions, and strategy sessions that never make it into the spotlight. The financial reality of bidding is one of the least discussed and most misunderstood aspects of federal acquisition.The Spending Starts Before the RFPBy the time a solicitation is released, many competitors are already financially committed. Capture work begins long before any official posting appears. Teams spend months attending industry days, building relationships, and shaping opportunities that may never mature into revenue.Under FAR 31.205-18, these early efforts fall under Bid and Proposal (B&P) or Independent Research and Development (IR&D) costs, which are allowable if they are reasonable and properly allocated. These costs can be counted as indirect expenses, but only with careful documentation.Travel, conference fees, and the cost of market intelligence tools like GovWin or HigherGov pile up fast. Add salaries for business developers, capture managers, and executives, and the financial risk begins before the competition even starts. These are not theoretical costs. They are real, recurring, and rarely visible outside the organization.When the RFP Drops, the Meter Starts RunningOnce a solicitation is live, spending accelerates. Proposal teams scramble to interpret requirements, model staffing plans, and produce compliant narratives that can withstand audit-level scrutiny.Chapter 33 of the DCAA Guidebook classifies these proposal costs as allowable, but only when supported by detailed documentation. Every labor hour, consultant invoice, and review cycle must be traceable.Meanwhile, the less visible cost builds in the background. When subject matter experts, engineers, or managers shift focus from billable work to proposal writing, productivity drops. Those lost hours never show up in pursuit budgets, but they hit where it matters most--profitability.The pursuit quickly transforms from an opportunity into an expense that must be justified by a win.The Math Isn’t PrettyIndustry estimates put proposal development at one to three percent of a contract’s total value. On paper, that sounds manageable. In practice, it can mean burning through hundreds of thousands, or even millions, before a single evaluation begins.The GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide stresses that accurate cost tracking and documentation are essential for realistic decision-makingWhen companies underestimate pursuit costs, they erode profit margins long before award. When they overestimate, they price themselves out of contention.Those dynamics shape who competes and who steps back. Complexity, speed, and unclear expectations all carry financial weight. Every page of requirements, every data call, and every re-release adds to the cost of competition.The Real Cost of Skipping the HomeworkIn a recent episode of Unsolicited, Capture and Proposal Strategist Nichole Reber described what happens when technical professionals step into capture or proposal roles without understanding the business side of the process. She has seen engineers and IT specialists take on management positions where motion becomes the metric for success, chasing every opportunity that appears in a CRM because it feels like progress.That approach might look busy, but it’s a slow financial drain. Nichole explained that when teams skip early capture work, they waste time, energy, and resources on pursuits they were never positioned to win. Over time, that pattern can cost people their jobs and push companies toward collapse.“The cost is literally losing your job,” she said.Her point reframes proposal culture as a leadership problem, not a procedural one. Firms that fail to treat bidding as a strategic investment often spend themselves into exhaustion. Skipping the homework doesn’t save time, it multiplies the cost of failure.When Awareness Shapes OutcomesPursuit costs are not just a business development concern. They influence the health of the entire acquisition ecosystem. Every solicitation design, response timeline, and evaluation format affects how much money is burned before a contract is even awarded.Understanding those economics leads to stronger competition and more sustainable performance. For some, it means rethinking what “readiness” really looks like. For others, it means recognizing when to walk away before the cost of staying in the game becomes the reason they can’t play next time.So before the next internal rallying cry to “go after it,” pause for a different kind of calculation: What will it actually cost to compete… and is it worth it?

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