Progress reported in security clearance process.

The process for government contractors to obtain security clearances for employees has improved somewhat in recent years but remains fraught with "black holes," according to a recent survey conducted by the Information Technology Association of America and the National Defense Industrial Association.

Eight out of 10 companies reported an increase in contractual requirements for cleared personnel in the past five years. More than 100 companies who provide sensitive defense and technology support to the federal government were surveyed. Many respondents have more than 1,000 employees who require clearances.

"The problem is that, as the government's need for cleared private-sector employees has grown, the government's ability to process those clearances has barely kept up," said Trey Hodgkins, senior director of defense and intelligence programs for ITAA. "Everyone loses when delays slow down products and projects deemed essential to national security."

To receive the necessary clearances for employees, the survey found that more than two-thirds of companies must wait six to nine months. More than a quarter of those companies averaged more than nine months for clearances. Companies experience the most difficulty obtaining clearances for work with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The survey did find some good news: more than half of companies said they have noticed at least "some improvement" in the security clearance process since a year ago, and slightly more than 10 percent reported "marked improvement."

These responses contrast to a 2006 survey by Federal Computer Week, ITAA, NDIA and other trade associations in which 55 percent of companies said the clearance process had gotten worse or stayed the same.