FAR 53.204—Administrative matters.

Safeguarding classified information within industry (DDForm254, DDForm441).

FAR 53.204-1 identifies the Department of Defense forms that must be used when contractor access to classified information is required under the National Industrial Security Program (NISP). It covers two specific forms: DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification, and DD Form 441, Security Agreement. The section applies to DoD components and to nondefense agencies that have agreements with DoD to receive industrial security services for NISP purposes. In practice, this provision tells contracting personnel which standardized security documents must be used to communicate classification requirements to contractors and to establish the contractor’s security obligations. It ties directly to the classified-information safeguarding requirements in FAR subpart 4.4 and the contract clause at 52.204-2, so it is part of the mechanism that ensures contractors know what classified material they may access, how it must be protected, and what security commitments they must accept before performance begins.

[Reserved]