Common use of Authority to Operate Clause in Contracts

Authority to Operate. The Contractor shall not input, store, process, output, and/or transmit sensitive information within a Contractor IT system without an Authority to Operate (ATO) signed by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, in consultation with the Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer. Unless otherwise specified in the ATO letter, the ATO is valid for three (3) years. The Contractor shall adhere to current Government policies, procedures, and guidance for the Security Authorization (SA) process as defined below.