CMMC Readiness for Defense Contractors
Defense contract eligibility requires more than a compliance plan. It requires a defensible technical environment, accurate scope, and controls that work.
Common Reasons Organizations Reach Out
A prime contractor is asking about your cybersecurity posture
You are pursuing a new defense contract
Your SPRS score is under review or in question
You have a DFARS 252.204-7012 clause in a contract
You are not sure whether you handle CUI
Understanding FCI and CUI Applicability
Federal Contract Information (FCI)
FCI is information provided by or generated for the government under contract that is not intended for public release. Nearly all defense contractors handle FCI. Protecting FCI is a baseline requirement.
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
CUI is information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls under federal regulations. Whether your organization handles CUI depends on your contracts, the data you receive, and the data you produce. CUI applicability determines your CMMC level requirement and compliance scope.
CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, DFARS, and SPRS
CMMC builds on the existing DFARS requirement for contractors to implement the 110 security controls in NIST SP 800-171. CMMC formalizes the verification of these controls through third-party assessment at Level 2 for organizations that handle CUI.
The SPRS (Supplier Performance Risk System) score reflects your current self-assessed implementation status. It is visible to contracting officers and affects contract eligibility. An accurate SPRS score requires honest evaluation of each control’s implementation status.
Understanding how these frameworks relate to each other — and to your specific contracts — is the first step toward a defensible readiness posture.
Compliance Coordination and Technical Implementation
Documentation Alone Is Not Sufficient
Many organizations have policies, procedures, and system security plans. But documentation without corresponding technical implementation does not satisfy NIST SP 800-171 or CMMC. Assessors verify that controls are actually implemented and operating effectively.
Both Are Required
Common Cyber addresses both compliance coordination and technical implementation. We help establish policies that reflect actual operations and implement controls that match the documentation. This alignment is what makes a compliance posture defensible.
Scope and Boundary Challenges
CUI scope directly affects cost, complexity, and timeline. The systems, users, and locations that store, process, or transmit CUI define the compliance boundary. In many organizations, this scope can be reduced through architectural decisions, network segmentation, and workflow adjustments.
Common Cyber helps evaluate and define your system boundary to ensure it is accurate, defensible, and as efficient as practical.
CMMC Readiness and Scope Assessment
Clarify applicability, establish scope, evaluate readiness, and build an executable path toward a defensible operating environment.
Start a CMMC Readiness AssessmentRemediation and Implementation
After the assessment, Common Cyber supports the remediation and technical implementation needed to close identified gaps. This includes control implementation, system hardening, documentation development, evidence collection, and preparation for third-party assessment.
Ongoing Compliance
Implementation is the beginning, not the end. Common Cyber offers managed compliance operations to maintain your security posture, update documentation, sustain evidence, and support continuous monitoring after the initial engagement.
Learn about Managed Compliance