9th February 2012 - Details Of Incorrect Check Showing On CMS
CMS users may notice that in certain cases Cerberus will show a written testimony check has been selected and completed when no such check was requested. This is a known problem and DBS NSV is looking to fix this as soon as is practicable. DBS NSV can confirm that no charges are levied in such cases.
6th February 2012 - Helpdesk ASI Email Queries
Customers please note:
From the week commencing 13th February 2012 DBS NSV Helpdesk will no longer reply to emails requesting Application Status Information (ASI) for any MOD customer including the List X community.
DBS NSV do not give updates on cases in progress as sponsors are able to check this via the portal. Email requests for ASI information will not be responded to and will be deleted upon receipt.
12th January 2012 –
Important Information for CERBERUS CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Customers on the GSi Network
You may already be aware that on the 20 February 2012, the Government Secure interconnect (GSi) network will cease to exist and customers will be transferred to the GCN network. This is an interim network, still managed by Cable & Wireless, until the Public Services Network (PSN) is brought into service towards the end of 2012/mid 2013.
In order to ensure that current GSi customers maintain the same level of service that they receive now (including their accessibility to the Cerberus Case Management System), there is a requirement to declare the services that they require for the interim GCN contract to be detailed on a contract request form from Cable & Wireless. This needs to be submitted to Cable & Wireless no later than the 20 January 2012. This information should already have been sent to all IT departments for current GSi customers. Customers need to ensure that those services used, but provided as standard on the current GSi contract, are requested individually on the new contract request form as these will not be provided as standard under the GCN contract.
Customers are therefore advised to contact their IT departments ASAP to ensure that the technical requirements for connectivity to Cerberus are requested in this new contract request note to ensure that their connectivity to the Cerberus Case Management System is maintained post the 20 February 2012 as it is the GSi customers’ responsibility to do so.
30th November 2011 - Helpdesk Email Address Change
DBS NSV Helpdesk email address has now changed to reflect our new name. With immediate effect all email enquiries should be sent to the following address:
DBS-NSV-CustomerEnquiries@mod.uk
All emails previously sent to the old address will still be actioned. Customers are requested not to send duplicate emails of those already sent.
17th November 2011 - Selection of NATO Clearance by Sponsors
Since the availability on the sponsor section of the e-Form and NSV 001 to select the NATO Clearance option it has become apparent that there has been a marked increase in the number of these requests. After undertaking an audit DBS NSV has established that some list X industry and service establishments have requested the NATO Clearance on a ‘ just in case basis’ .
As part of the Cerberus programme the NATO clearance option was made available on the forms to assist sponsors in getting the correct level of clearance for the subject’s employment and should only be selected if there is a legitimate requirement. Applications submitted on a 'just in case' basis are inappropriate and have a direct impact on our limited resources.
Action by Sponsors: All sponsors should ensure that the appropriate type of clearance is selected for the subject when completing their sections of the e-Form and NSV001. The DBS NSV undertakes regular monitoring and auditing of National Security Vetting applications for quality and control purposes. Should requests for inappropriate NATO clearances continue there is a risk that these cases may be cancelled.
7th November 2011 - Revised Helpdesk Opening Times.
Could all Customers please note the DBS NSV Helpdesk opening times are changing as of Monday 14 November 2011.
The DBS NSV Helpdesk will be open from:
09:00 until 16:00 Monday to Thursday
09:00 until 15:00 on Friday
31st October 2011 – NSV002 DV Forms.
From the 5th December 2011, DBS NSV will no longer accept the NSV002 Form with the version number 23196. This is due to technical issues when scanning the form. The NSV002 Form, version 31540, available to download from this website is the only acceptable version. Please ensure that the number 31540 appears at the top left of the form.
10th October 2011 – 12 month extension of CTC & SC clearances for all MOD Customer Groups.
In order to assist with the recovery of vetting services from recent difficulties, Directorate of Business Resilience (DBR) has decided to implement changes to the expiry dates of Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) and Security Check (SC) security clearances due to expire between 01 December 2011 and 30 November 2012.
All MOD cases with expiry dates within this period have been extended by 12 months on CERBERUS and an explanatory note added. Work is ongoing to ensure the consequential changes are fed through to JPA and HRMS.
The change applies to all MOD Customer Groups (including List X and Non List X etc) but does not apply to MOD Repayment Customers (including the Trading Funds) or to NATO Secret security clearances.
The effect of this is that there will be no requirement to submit applications for renewal activity for CTC and SC security clearances that are due to expire between 01 December 2011 and 30 November 2012. Any applications falling into this category which have already been submitted should be cancelled.
SLCs will need to consider whether their risk registers contain any cases where an earlier review is nonetheless needed and any such application should be specifically flagged.
9th September 2011 - Completion of hard copy Security Questionnaires
Customers are to note that in some cases, it is taking up to one month for Security Questionnaires completed in hard copy to be scanned and uploaded into the new Cerberus IT system. This is due to the tighter quality control measures Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) are now applying to all NSV applications, which will not allow incomplete or incorrect forms to be entered onto the system.
Sponsors are therefore encouraged, to set up their vetting subjects to use the e-Form versions of the Security Questionnaires, available on the Cerberus e-Form Portals. The e-Forms are fast, user friendly and intuitive, as the applicant only needs to complete the sections of the Security Questionnaire which are relevant to the information that they supply. Using the e-Forms will mean that you get your clearance quicker.
9th September 2011 - Cerberus Access and Permissions
OGD customers, please note that once DBS NSV has received your signed SyOps you will be contacted individually to discuss the next steps of access and permissions to the Cerberus Case Management System (CMS).
5th August 2011 - e-Forms HM Government and Supervisor Section
The technical issues applicants have been experiencing with the HM Government and Supervisor sections (under the HM Forces section) on the subject's part of the e-Form have been resolved and users should now be able to complete these sections of the form. The sections are contingent on one another, so both must be completed for their successful completion to be recognised. If problems persist then please contact the DBS NSV Helpdesk.
4th August 2011 - Requesting Priority Clearances
Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) has received a sudden influx of priority clearance requests across their customer base. This is having a knock on effect on processing times for priority and routine clearances.
DBS NSV recognises that performance has been affected since Cerberus go-live, but priority clearances should only be requested where there is a real business need for a clearance to be processed within the priority timescales, which are:
- Within 10 calendar days for CTC/SC level clearance
- Within 30 calendar days for DV level clearance
Please note that for Other Government Department (OGDs) cases DBS NSV resource is focussed around the volume and type of work as detailed in the agreed Joint Business Agreements (JBAs). If there is a change in your requirements and more priority cases arise, then please do not hesitate to speak to your designated Customer Account Managers.
When creating an application through the e-Form portals, selecting the 'priority' precedence will automatically bring up a link titled 'justification'. Clicking on this hyperlink will bring up a free text field which needs to be populated with a brief business case that provides the justification for the priority request. If this field is not populated the application will be treated as routine.
If the application has already been submitted to DBS NSV for processing and it subsequently becomes a priority case, i.e. the clearance is needed within the next 7 days for an SC/CTC, then the sponsor will need to contact the DBS NSV Helpdesk and submit an email that provides the justification for the priority request. Sponsors should quote their unique sponsor ID on all contact with the DBS NSV Helpdesk and the case ID to which the priority request is required.
3rd August 2011 - Hastener & Cancellation e-Mails
With effect from 3rd August 2011 customers will start to receive hastener and cancellation emails from our system.
Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) published extensive e-Portal guidance for both Sponsor and Subject, before Cerberus went live, which explained that a Subject has only 63 days in total to complete and submit their e-Form.
Please be advised; any cases that have been cancelled off the portal cannot be reinstated as, due to the e-Form not being fully completed, DBS NSV will not have received the data.
The Sponsor and Subject must complete the eForm again.
The e-Form Portal User Guides for both Sponsors and Subjects can be found using the Cerberus & e-Forms Information and Assistance link under Related pages.
These are also available on the Defence Intranet under Hints & Tips for Sponsors.
Please also note that DBS NSV Helpdesk telephony message also refers to these guidance documents.
If you have any cases that are In Progress on the portal and you receive a cancellation email, please contact the DBS NSV Helpdesk to confirm the status of the case.