NBIS supports end-to-end personnel vetting process, from initiation and application to investigation, adjudication, subject management, and monitoring.
One Consolidated System
NBIS will replace a suite of legacy background investigation and case management IT systems from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), including Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP), Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT), Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), Defense Information Security System (DISS), Position Designation Tool (PDT), Personnel Investigations Processing System (PIPS), and more. With one consolidated system, security managers, investigators, and adjudicators will be able to access case status throughout the lifecycle of a background investigation, enhancing capacity and creating synergies from easier data validation.
The Future of Personnel Vetting
NBIS is the foundation for future technology and policy requirements. As the federal government looks to reform and modernize its personnel vetting processes with Trusted Workforce 2.0 policy changes, NBIS will play an integral part. The system will leverage technology to improve delivery and capabilities. Notably, it will functionalize innovations, such as Continuous Vetting, as DCSA moves from periodic reinvestigations to real-time automated record checks, immediately alerting investigators to real-time concerns.
Heightened Security
NBIS will use cutting-edge technologies to safeguard the system, employing the same security controls used to protect warfighter communication systems. End-to-end data encryption and multiple layers of security will better segment data so that — in the event of an adversary attack or data spill — it will contain the spill and limit the impact.
Continuous Improvement
NBIS is leveraging proven Agile and DevSecOps pipeline approaches to software development. By facilitating fast, collaborative, incremental technology releases, these proven methodologies alleviate the need for broad system overhauls and will speed delivery, improve functionality, deliver customizable solutions, and enhance security. In this approach, NBIS users will be able to provide feedback to inform requirement generation and lead to continuous implementation and improvement.
Increasing Speed and Efficiency
New features such as e-Adjudication (automatically adjudicating background investigations with no substantive information of concern) and mass initiation (allowing users to request investigations for multiple similar subjects at once) will greatly expedite the investigation process. Security managers will also be able to tag cases and develop refined metrics to meet reporting needs. Thirty-two agencies are now using e-Adjudication.
Expanding Transparency and User Experience
The new subject portal, e-App, will allow subjects to track their individual case status. The application itself will be easier to use and provide better information for vetting professionals. Subjects will have the ability to save their application more easily.
NBIS is working to build out multiple delivery methods to meet our customer’s needs for delivery through the system as well as delivery to external systems. These mechanisms are still in development but are expected to be configurable for each agency based on their preferences and agreements with DCSA.
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Agency Delivery: Similar to NP2, NBIS will be able to deliver case files to on boarded agencies directly inside NBIS. Through this mechanism, authorized agency users will be able to access and download their case files as well as take appropriate actions based on the product.
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Shared Service Delivery: For customers that are on boarded to an NBIS shared service, NBIS will be able to deliver cases directly to the on boarded shared service. This model allows for direct use of the case product being delivered as a part of the use of the shared service. For example, if agencies that use NBIS for adjudications services will receive investigations as an incoming adjudication case.
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System Delivery: For customers that do not elect to receive their cases inside the system, NBIS is intending to use the DISA SFG for delivery of case files to external case management systems. This effort should reduce the need for customer agencies to use proprietary tools as part of the process of receiving case files from NBIS.
Investigative Products and Configurations
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Case products are being managed as configurable items inside the NBIS system by DCSA. As configurable components, NBIS expects certain aspects of the case will change as the mission’s need changes. The configurable components include the content of the PDF as well as which documents from the subject, agency, and data provider are provided in the deliverable.
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NBIS will be providing updated information on the case products that NBIS generates that will further specify the XML schema, including data elements associated with NBIS products as well as information around how NBIS is packaging case products for delivery through SFG.
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For each on boarded organization, NBIS will track which delivery process should be utilized from the available methods. The desired delivery method may differ for each service being provided.
For additional information, including SFG Onboarding Guide and FAQ for System Transition, please visit the NP2 Portal.
