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Automated and enhanced background checks for public authorities
Public authorities manage critical societal functions, sensitive data, and significant public funds, placing high demands on accountability, information security, and the prevention of insider threats. With the NIS2 Directive and the CER Directive, requirements for personnel security and access control are tightening, including the need for documented and continuous background checks of employees and suppliers with access to critical systems. P-Secure digitises the entire process — from hiring to re-checks — with full traceability and compliance with GDPR.
Compliance challenges for public authorities
Public authorities must ensure that, within their critical entities, a large number of employees, suppliers, and partners across administrations, agencies, and supply chains undergo relevant background checks. At the same time, documentation must be kept up to date, consistent, and at all times be demonstrable as accurate, traceable, and audit‑ready in connection with supervisory oversight.
In practice, this can give rise to significant compliance challenges, as the sector is characterised by:
- Large numbers of employees and employee turnover across functions with varying levels of access to sensitive information
- External suppliers and consultants with temporary or recurring access to systems and buildings
- Large organizations with complex hiring processes combined with increasing requirements for ongoing controls
This increases the risk of inconsistency, manual errors, delays in onboarding, and substantial administrative effort related to conducting background checks, re‑checks, documentation, and audit preparation.
Useful features for public authorities
P‑Secure automates and standardises key elements of the background screening process and adapts them to the diverse needs of the public sector. Automation ensures that background checks are carried out consistently and on time, reduces the risk of human error, and significantly eases administrative workloads - even within very large and complex organisations.
The solution supports, among other things:
ID and CV check
Verification of identity, CV checks, and employment history, including documentation of employment gaps
Criminal record check
Criminal record checks in relation to the responsibilities of the role, the exercise of public authority, or work involving vulnerable citizens
Driver's licence check
Driving licence verification for employees in roles requiring official vehicle use
Re-check
Ongoing re‑checks and automated follow‑up when roles, rights, or access levels change
Recommended screening categories for background checks
In collaboration with stakeholders in the public sector, P-Secure is working to establish a common standard for screening and background checks that can be applied across the sector. Download our recommended screening categories for the public sector.
Regulatory framework and P‑Secure’s recommendations
Regulatory requirements for background checks in the public sector are currently primarily framework‑based and allow for a risk‑based approach, particularly under the NIS2 and CER legislation applicable to critical entities.
Basic requirements include:
- ID verification
- Criminal record checks
Security clearance
Particularly in ministries and agencies, there are employees who must obtain security clearance. In this context, P‑Secure recommends carrying out background checks that align with the criteria of a security clearance in the period leading up to the completion of the security clearance process.
In addition, P‑Secure recommends — with reference to practices in other sectors and sector‑specific regulation — the following elements as part of a strengthened, risk‑based decision framework:
- Personal data verification
- CV checks — typically at least five years back, including documentation of periods without employment
- Education
- Residence and work permits
- Residence abroad exceeding six months (five years back)
- Previous and current professional roles
- Photo ID (passport and/or driving licence)
This provides public authorities with a structured and well‑documented basis that can be adapted for permanent employees, new hires, consultants, and suppliers alike.
NIS2 and CER
P‑Secure supports compliance with NIS2 legislation on cybersecurity and CER legislation on the resilience of critical entities. For public authorities, this entails increased requirements regarding the identification, management, and documentation of risks related to personnel security, access control, and organisational resilience.
With P‑Secure, public authorities gain a solution that integrates personnel processes, risk management, compliance, and audit into a single, scalable platform.
The need for modern background screening
Implement automated and compliant background checks
Requirements for security, transparency, documentation, and public accountability in the public sector are becoming increasingly stringent. At the same time, many authorities face growing pressure where background checks remain manual, decentralised, or fragmented.
The benefits of automated background screening include:
- Reduced administrative burden
- Faster and more efficient hiring processes
- Consistent and transparent documentation
- Strengthened internal controls and audit readiness
- Continuous compliance rather than one‑time checks
- Applicability across both employees and supply chains
Continuous compliance
More than a background check
P‑Secure is not merely a tool for one‑off background checks, but a platform for continuous compliance in the public sector:
- Supports compliance with NIS2, CER, GDPR, and relevant national requirements
- Centralises all documentation in one place — ready for audit, supervision, and review
- Enables risk‑based re‑checks and dynamic access control
- Supports secure, documented, and GDPR‑compliant data processing
