DFARS 252.204-7012 - NIST 171 - CMMC Compliance

Level 2 (Advanced – aligned to NIST SP 800-171)

Level 2 costs are higher because it requires full implementation of controls and a third-party assessment.

Most organizations should expect total costs between $50,000 and $150,000, with higher costs applying only to large or highly complex environments.

Common cost components include:

• Gap assessment and remediation:
  Typically $20,000 to $100,000, depending on how much work is needed to close gaps
• Documentation (SSP and POA&M):
  Often $10,000 to $50,000, based on scope and environment complexity
• Third-party assessment (C3PAO):
  Commonly $30,000 to $100,000, depending on system size and assessment duration

Additional ongoing costs may include annual compliance support, evidence maintenance, and required exercises.

Companies most often fail due to documentation that doesn’t match actual operations, unclear system boundaries, weak or missing evidence, access control gaps, and lack of demonstrated incident response and contingency planning. Assessments are also delayed when vendor responsibilities are unclear or staff are unprepared for interviews.

No. A gap assessment identifies missing controls. Readiness includes fixing gaps, validating controls, preparing evidence, and ensuring the organization can withstand assessor scrutiny.

No. You cannot fully inherit CMMC compliance from an MSP or External Service Provider. Even when services are outsourced, your organization remains responsible for meeting CMMC requirements. Only specific controls may be shared or inherited, and these must be clearly documented and supported with evidence during an assessment.

Yes, if the MSP understands CMMC requirements.

Timelines vary. Most organizations take 12 to 18 months, with more complex environments or cloud migrations requiring additional time. Schedules are influenced by resource availability, leadership commitment, and whether dedicated CMMC expertise is in place.

A gap assessment compares your current environment against CMMC Level 2 requirements to identify missing controls, weak implementations, and documentation gaps.

You should receive a control-by-control analysis, remediation actions, SSP observations, and a realistic roadmap with priorities.

No. CMMC requires ongoing compliance, documentation updates, and operational discipline. Continuous compliance is maintaining SSPs, POA&Ms, evidence, and controls between assessments.

Responsibility is shared between the organization, enclave provider, and any MSP or MSSP involved.

Missing evidence, misaligned SSPs, unclear boundaries, and poorly defined vendor responsibilities.

Yes. Templates can be a cost-effective starting point when writing CMMC policies.
CKSecurity Solutions (CKSS) offers cost-friendly policy and procedure templates aligned to CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171. These templates are designed for small and mid-size DoD contractors and include guidance tailoring them to your environment, helping reduce time, cost, and assessment risk.

A CMMC enclave is a segmented environment used to isolate CUI, often implemented using Cloud Resources such as Microsoft Azure or Microsoft 365 GCC High.

Common mistakes include poor boundary definition, assuming providers handle compliance, missing documentation, and unclear shared responsibilities.

CKSS focuses on hands-on readiness, remediation, and continuous compliance rather than high-level strategy alone.

CKSS partners with enclave providers while focusing on compliance, remediation, documentation, and ongoing monitoring.

Yes, advisory consultants, including RPO organizations, may support contractors during a CMMC assessment when their role is clearly defined in a shared responsibility matrix. Advisory Consultants may help clarify documentation, explain implemented controls, and support coordination activities, but they do not act as assessors, make determinations, or influence assessor judgments. Final responsibility for demonstrating compliance remains with the contractor.