A contractor means that she wasn’t enployed by the government...
She more than likely received her TS (likely SCI as well) while on active duty. Contractor companies do not want to pay the expense of requesting a new clearance for a perspective employee.
Until last week I was a contractor, now I’m a govt civilian for the DOD. I was hired for my contract job in large part because I retired from active duty with a valid and current clearance.