Evaluation depth: This is a public-source provider profile and buyer’s guide. We did not run a hands-on customer engagement with A-LIGN’s assessment team. We tell you exactly what we verified — and what we couldn’t — in the box below.
Disclosure: The Defense Compliance Report is an independent trade publication on CMMC 2.0 and DIB compliance. We may receive compensation for qualified introductions, sponsorships, or partner referrals when disclosed. Compensation does not control our regulatory analysis, provider-category recommendations, or Cyber AB status verification. As of June 10, 2026, we have no compensation relationship with A-LIGN. This is an independent profile.
If you’re reading an A-LIGN CMMC review, you’re probably deciding whether to hand A-LIGN your Level 2 assessment — so here’s the bottom line first. A-LIGN is a CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO) and a large, multi-framework compliance assessor. It’s a credible shortlist candidate if you already need a formal CMMC Level 2 certification assessment and your environment is ready. It is the wrong first call if you still need to implement controls — because by federal rule, the firm that remediates your environment generally cannot be the same firm that certifies it.
Your situation, and what A-LIGN is worth to you
Where you are
A-LIGN fit
Why
Your next step
Your contract requires CMMC Level 2 (C3PAO) and your controls and evidence are mature
Shortlist A-LIGN
A-LIGN is an established C3PAO built for formal assessments
Confirm current status, request a scoped quote
You still need scoping, an SSP, remediation, or implementation help
Don’t start with any C3PAO
An assessment is not implementation — and your assessor can’t both remediate and certify the same environment
Get readiness help first
Your contract requires a Level 2 self-assessment (common in Phase 1)
You may not need a C3PAO yet
The assessment type is set by your contract, not by preference
Confirm the clause and your SPRS posting
You’re not sure whether you even handle CUI
Pause before requesting quotes
Scope drives the path, the cost, and the right provider
Sort out CUI and scope first
You want A-LIGN, but price and timing matter
Compare A-LIGN with two or three C3PAOs
Availability, team, and scope assumptions vary widely
Use the quote checklist below
What we actually verified (and what we didn’t)
Provider category: CMMC C3PAO and large multi-framework compliance assessor (SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HITRUST, PCI). A-LIGN markets CMMC assessment services andhas issued CMMC Level 2 certifications — something only an authorized C3PAO can do. Confirm A-LIGN’s current “Authorized” status and exact legal entity on the Cyber AB Marketplace before you rely on it.
Compensation relationship: None as of the last-verified date.
What we could not verify: A-LIGN’s current CMMC pricing (not published), its current assessment backlog, your specific assigned assessment team, and any CMMC-specific customer-satisfaction data beyond provider-published case studies.
Is A-LIGN a CMMC C3PAO? (And how to confirm it yourself before you sign.)
Answer:A-LIGN is a CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization — a C3PAO, meaning it is authorized to conduct official CMMC Level 2 certification assessments and issue a Certificate of CMMC Status. A-LIGN has issued CMMC Level 2 certifications, which only an authorized C3PAO can do, so its authorization is well established. Because a C3PAO’s status can change, confirm A-LIGN’s current listing and legal entity on the Cyber AB Marketplace before you sign.
A C3PAO (CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization) is the independent firm that evaluates whether you meet CMMC requirements and reports the result to the government. The Cyber AB is the accreditation body the DoD authorized to oversee that ecosystem and maintain the official Cyber AB Marketplace, the public registry of authorized and accredited C3PAOs. If a firm claims to be a C3PAO and doesn’t appear on the live Marketplace, or its status says anything other than “Authorized” or “Accredited,” it cannot legally conduct your Level 2 certification assessment.
Under 32 CFR §170.9, C3PAOs must obtain authorization from the Cyber AB, comply with its conflict-of-interest, Code of Professional Conduct, and Ethics policies, and achieve and maintain compliance with ISO/IEC 17020:2012within 27 months of authorization. A-LIGN was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. In July 2025, the private-equity firm Hg acquired a majority stake from Warburg Pincus, with A-LIGN’s announcement citing more than 5,700 clients and over 31,000 audits completed across SOC 2, ISO, HITRUST, FedRAMP, CMMC, and PCI. Those market-leadership claims are company-stated; treat them as context, not our finding.
One detail almost no one checks — and you should
The “A-LIGN” you might contract with
What it is
Your check
A-LIGN Compliance and Security, Inc.
The cybersecurity and compliance firm (the C3PAO side)
Confirm this is the entity on your SOW and on the Cyber AB listing
Price and Associates CPAs, LLC, dba A-LIGN ASSURANCE
A separate CPA firm registered with the PCAOB
Know which entity is contracting with you, and for what
For a CMMC engagement, you want the C3PAO entity on your statement of work to match the entity listed on the Cyber AB Marketplace. Ask which entity is contracting with you, and get the C3PAO identifier in writing.
How to verify A-LIGN (or any C3PAO) on the Cyber AB Marketplace — do this first:
Confirm whether the listing shows Authorized or Accredited C3PAO status (not “Registered Practitioner Organization,” not “candidate”).
Note the status and the date you checked it.
Screenshot it for your file.
Re-check before you sign — listings change.
Start here: confirm A-LIGN’s current Cyber AB Marketplace status
Two minutes now prevents a six-figure mistake later. Confirm the legal entity, the C3PAO status, and the date — then keep reading to see whether A-LIGN is the right type of help for where you are.
Answer: Maybe not — and this is the most expensive misunderstanding in the CMMC market.Whether you need a C3PAO right now depends on the data you handle, what your specific contract requires, and where you are in the rollout. If you handle only FCI, or your contract calls for a self-assessment, you don’t need a C3PAO today.
A self-assessment is something you complete and affirm yourself; a certification assessmentis performed by a C3PAO like A-LIGN. They are not the same, and you don’t get to pick — your contract does. CMMC has three levels, and they don’t blur either. (For the full breakdown, see our CMMC levels guide.)
Level 1 (FCI): 15 basic safeguarding requirements from FAR 52.204-21. Annual self-assessment. No C3PAO.
Level 2 (CUI):110 security requirements organized into 14 control families, drawn from NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2. Depending on the contract, this is either a self-assessment or a C3PAO certification assessment.
Level 3 (most sensitive CUI): Level 2 plus a subset of NIST SP 800-172 (24 additional requirements), assessed by the government (DIBCAC), not by a C3PAO.
The CMMC Program Rule (32 CFR Part 170) took effect December 16, 2024. The acquisition rule took effect November 10, 2025, through DFARS 252.204-7025 (the solicitation provision) and DFARS 252.204-7021 (the contract clause).
The contract-language decoder
If your solicitation/contract says…
What it means
Is A-LIGN (a C3PAO) your move now?
CMMC Level 1 (FCI)
Annual self-assessment against 15 FAR 52.204-21 safeguards
No — self-assessment, no C3PAO
CMMC Level 2 Self-Assessment
You self-assess against NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 and affirm in SPRS
Not yet — use the runway to get ready; no C3PAO required for this contract
CMMC Level 2 (C3PAO)
A third-party certification assessment is required
Yes, if you’re ready — A-LIGN qualifies
CMMC Level 3 (DIBCAC)
Government-led assessment, NIST SP 800-172 subset on top of Level 2
No — DIBCAC assesses, not a C3PAO
Where you land — and what to do about it
Your situation
Need A-LIGN (a C3PAO) now?
Why, and your move
You handle FCI only
No
Level 1 is an annual self-assessment
CUI, clause requires Level 2 self-assessment (typical in Phase 1)
Not yet
Self-assess to NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, post in SPRS, and submit the required annual affirmation
CUI, clause requires Level 2 (C3PAO)
Yes — if you’re ready
Engage an authorized C3PAO. A-LIGN qualifies
Targeting awards on/after Nov 10, 2026
Yes — book early
Phase 2 makes a Level 2 third-party assessment standard for applicable CUI contracts
Not assessment-ready (gaps, no SSP, low SPRS score)
No — readiness first
A C3PAO can’t remediate then assess you
Most sensitive programs (Level 3)
No
Level 3 is assessed by DIBCAC, not a C3PAO
The dates to put on your calendar (sourced to 32 CFR §170.3(e) and DoD guidance):
Dec 16, 2024 — CMMC Program Rule (32 CFR Part 170) effective.
Nov 10, 2025 – Nov 9, 2026 — Phase 1. Applicable solicitations require Level 1 and Level 2 self-assessments as a condition of award.
Nov 10, 2026 — Phase 2 begins. Level 2 (C3PAO) certification becomes standard for applicable contracts.
Nov 10, 2027 — Phase 3. Broader Level 2 (C3PAO), plus Level 3 (DIBCAC) on applicable contracts.
Nov 10, 2028 — Phase 4. Full implementation across applicable contracts.
Not sure where you land?
Work through our CMMC readiness checklist to confirm whether you need a C3PAO now, readiness help first, or a self-assessment path. Still unclear?
Answer: No — and understanding why protects you, not them. To keep certifications honest, a C3PAO cannot perform the implementation or remediation work on your environment and then conduct the certification assessment of that same environment. A-LIGN does offer a readiness assessment (a mock audit that finds gaps), but if you need someone to actually build controls, write your System Security Plan, or fix findings, that has to be a different firm.
Here is the one honest knock on A-LIGN, stated plainly: A-LIGN is an assessor, not your implementation team — and the very independence that makes its certificate credible is the reason some contractors shouldn’t call A-LIGN first. If you’re not ready, starting with a C3PAO turns an expensive quote into a frustrating wake-up call.
The firewall is in the rule. Under 32 CFR §170.9, C3PAOs must comply with the Cyber AB’s conflict-of-interest and ethics policies and maintain ISO/IEC 17020 independence. The principle, reflected across the CMMC Assessment Process and the Cyber AB Code of Professional Conduct, is simple: an assessor cannot grade work it helped build. A C3PAO may tell you a control is “not met”; it cannot tell you which product to buy to fix it and then certify the result. (For the distinction between the firm that prepares you and the firm that assesses you, see RPO vs. C3PAO.)
What’s notable is that A-LIGN itself publishes this guidance. In A-LIGN’s own articles, the firm recommends starting with a qualified managed service provider or Registered Practitioner for the gap assessment and remediation work, then engaging an independent C3PAO for the official audit. That’s the correct sequence.
If you still need controls implemented, an SSP written, or gaps remediated — handle that before you spend assessment money
Readiness providers — Registered Practitioner Organizations, CMMC-focused MSPs and MSSPs — can get you assessment-ready. Tell us your level, scope, environment, and deadline, and we’ll match you with source-checked provider categories.
Who is A-LIGN a fit for — and who should look elsewhere?
Answer:A-LIGN fits best for assessment-ready contractors that want a large, established, multi-framework assessor — especially if you also need SOC 2, ISO 27001, or FedRAMP under one roof. It’s a weaker fit if you’re a very small shop with an unclear CUI boundary, if you need the lowest sticker price, or if you specifically want a boutique that does nothing but CMMC.
A-LIGN fit by company type
Company type
A-LIGN fit
Reason
Small subcontractor with an unclear CUI boundary
Low, until scope is defined
A C3PAO quote is premature when scope is unknown
Small contractor with a clean enclave and mature evidence
Possible
Strong candidate if status and assigned team check out
Mid-market DIB supplier with a Level 2 (C3PAO) clause
Strong possible fit
The formal assessment need is clear
Large prime or multi-site contractor
Possible — compare capacity
Team depth, travel, and multi-site scheduling matter
Contractor that still needs remediation
Not the first call
Readiness must come before formal assessment
The real, attributable proof. In May 2025, A-LIGN announced it had issued one of its first CMMC Level 2 certifications to Quiet Professionals LLC, a veteran-founded, Tampa-based defense firm. Quiet Professionals’ IT director, Cory Wilson, said A-LIGN’s “structured approach and expertise helped validate the work our cybersecurity team has done.” We point to this because it’s a named, attributable, provider-published example — not anonymous testimony — and it shows A-LIGN doing exactly what a C3PAO does: validating, not building. Evidence type: provider-published case study (May 2025).
What the public reviews tell you — and what they don’t.On third-party platforms like Gartner Peer Insights and G2, A-LIGN generally earns strong marks for professionalism and a smooth process. Recurring cautions: project-manager turnover year to year and difficulty pinning down an audit date. Two honest limits: review volume is relatively small and not always recent, and most accessible reviews cover SOC 2, ISO, and HIPAA — not CMMC specifically. Use those reviews to pressure-test scheduling, communication, and billing terms — then get commitments in writing.
What does an A-LIGN CMMC Level 2 assessment actually involve?
Answer:A formal Level 2 certification assessment follows the CMMC Assessment Process — pre-assessment, the assessment itself, reporting, and (if needed) closeout — and it evaluates a defined scope of your environment against the 110 requirements, using the assessment methods in NIST SP 800-171A. The work that determines your cost and your odds is mostly front-loaded: getting your scope and evidence right before the assessor arrives.
Phase
What happens on your side
What to ask A-LIGN
Pre-assessment
Scope confirmation, readiness review, evidence and documentation check, planning
“What do you need from us before scheduling, and how do you handle scoping disputes?”
Conduct the assessment
Interviews, testing, and evidence review against each requirement
“How are evidence requests managed, and who’s on the team?”
Report results
Findings, scoring, and the reporting workflow into the CMMC system
“When do we see draft findings?”
Certificate or POA&M closeout
Final status — or a closeout path if you have eligible gaps
“What’s included if we need closeout?”
Scope is the lever that moves everything — and you propose it. Under 32 CFR §170.19 and the DoD Level 2 Scoping Guide, for a Level 2 assessment every asset gets mapped into one of five categories:
Asset category
How it’s treated at Level 2
What it does to your assessment
CUI Assets — process, store, or transmit CUI
Assessed against the applicable Level 2 requirements
The core of your scope and cost
Security Protection Assets — provide security functions that protect CUI
Assessed for the protections they provide
Adds scope (your SIEM, identity tooling, and the like)
Contractor Risk Managed Assets — can but aren’t intended to handle CUI
Documented and managed under risk-based policy; assessor reviews the SSP and may run a limited check if your documentation raises questions
Sloppy documentation here invites deeper checks
Specialized Assets — OT, IoT, government-furnished equipment, test equipment, restricted information systems
Documented in inventory, SSP, and network diagram; assessor reviews the SSP but does not assess against other CMMC requirements
Must be inventoried and segregated — not ignored
Out-of-Scope Assets — cannot process, store, or transmit CUI; provide no protections; physically or logically separated
Not assessed
Counts as out of scope only if it truly can’t touch CUI and is separated — be ready to prove it
What about gaps?Level 2 allows a limited Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M). Under 32 CFR §170.17, where a POA&M is allowed, you can earn a ConditionalLevel 2 status, but you must complete a POA&M closeout assessment by a C3PAO and have the results posted within 180 daysof the status date, or the conditional status expires. Not every requirement is POA&M-eligible. Ask which of your open items can go on a POA&M, which can’t, and what closeout costs.
A clean scope is the cheapest risk reduction in CMMC. If your CUI boundary, SSP, or evidence isn’t defined yet, get readiness help to define your scope before you request assessment quotes.
How much does A-LIGN CMMC cost?
Answer:A-LIGN does not publish CMMC pricing, so the only reliable number is a scoped written quote. The part that surprises people: the assessor’s fee is the smaller line, not the big one. DoD’s final rule estimates the three-year cost of a Level 2 C3PAO certification — the assessment plus two annual affirmations — at about $104,670 for a small entity and roughly $118,000 for an other-than-small entity. That figure deliberately excludes the cost of getting ready. Real first-cycle spend runs far higher.
The C3PAO assessment fee — the part you actually pay A-LIGN — commonly lands around $35,000 to $75,000 for small and mid-sized scopes, and higher for complex, multi-site environments. The annual affirmation is small: DoD estimates about $1,459 a year for a small entity and $2,712 for an other-than-small entity. The money goes into readiness, not the audit.
What an A-LIGN engagement covers — and what it doesn’t
Line item
Typical range
Who you pay
Level 2 C3PAO certification assessment (this is A-LIGN’s lane)
~$35K–$75K for small/mid scope; higher for complex multi-site
The C3PAO (A-LIGN)
Readiness / gap assessment
$5K–$15K
A separate readiness partner — not your C3PAO
System Security Plan + documentation
$12K–$60K
Readiness partner / internal
Remediation + technology (usually the biggest line)
$20K–$150K+
Readiness partner / MSP / vendors
Annual affirmation (DoD estimate)
$1,459 small / $2,712 other-than-small
Internal / advisor (filed in SPRS)
POA&M closeout assessment (if Conditional status)
Additional C3PAO fee
The C3PAO
DoD three-year estimate, Level 2 C3PAO (assessment + two affirmations; excludes implementation)
~$104,670 small / ~$118,000 other-than-small
—
Published first-cycle total (readiness + assessment)
~$75K–$300K+
—
The honest takeaway: the fee you pay A-LIGN is a slice of the project, not the project.That’s also why, if you’re not ready, A-LIGN can’t be your first call — and can’t be your remediation provider either. For the full picture, see our CMMC cost guide.
If you’re assessment-ready, don’t accept the first quote in a vacuum
Compare scoped quotes from source-checked C3PAO options so you can hold A-LIGN’s assumptions — scope, team, timeline, travel, and closeout — up against two or three alternatives before you commit.
What to ask A-LIGN before you sign a CMMC statement of work
Answer: Ask the questions that separate a real, scoped quote from a number on a page: current Cyber AB status and legal entity, the assigned assessment team and lead assessor, scope assumptions, evidence handling, timeline with a held slot, the full fee breakdown, conflict-of-interest separation, and references that match your environment.
Copy and paste this. Send it to A-LIGN, and send it to every other C3PAO you’re considering. The firm that answers crisply is the firm that will run a clean assessment.
The 12-question C3PAO quote email
Please confirm your current Cyber AB Marketplace status and the exact legal entity we’d contract with.
Will the entity on the Cyber AB listing be the same entity on our statement of work?
Who will be our Lead Certified CMMC Assessor (CCA) and our assessment team?
Are the assigned assessors your employees, contractors, or a mix?
What Level 2 assessment windows are currently available, and how long will you hold a slot after quoting?
What assumptions are you making about our CMMC scope and asset categories?
How do you handle evidence and inherited responsibilities from our external service providers and cloud providers?
What is included in the base fee?
What costs extra — travel, retesting, rescheduling, POA&M closeout, evidence-platform access, or additional sites?
Have you or any related entity provided readiness or implementation work that could create a conflict of interest with our assessment?
Can you confirm the SOW contains no certification guarantee and no fee tied to a passing result?
Can you provide references from organizations with a similar CUI scope, environment, and timeline?
Red-flag answers — treat these as warnings:
No confirmation of current Marketplace status, or a vague “we’re authorized.”
No named Lead CCA.
No stated scope assumptions.
No written explanation of conflict-of-interest separation.
“We can help you with everything” (an assessor that also remediates you is a conflict).
A price with no scope behind it.
A timeline with no team assigned.
Any promise that you’ll pass, or any fee contingent on certification. No legitimate C3PAO guarantees an outcome — that cuts directly against the impartiality every C3PAO must maintain under ISO/IEC 17020 and the Cyber AB Code of Professional Conduct.
No reference that matches your scope or environment.
Use the 12 questions above before you sign with A-LIGN or anyone else. The fastest way to turn a sales conversation into a real, comparable quote — and catch a conflict or capacity gap before it costs you.
How long does an A-LIGN CMMC assessment take — and can you even get a slot?
Answer:Plan your timeline backward from your first contract, award, or option period that requires a status — and assume the assessor pool is tight. A-LIGN’s current availability changes quickly, so verify it directly rather than trusting any published timing claim.
Here’s the arithmetic, straight from DoD’s final rule. DoD estimates about 8,350 medium and large entities will need a Level 2 C3PAO certification as a condition of award. Yet it projects only 135 C3PAO-led certification assessments in year one, 673 in year two, 2,252 in year three, and 4,452 in year four. Read that again: thousands of contractors need a certificate, and the assessor pool is projected to complete a few hundred assessments in the first year. Demand dwarfs early capacity. If a Level 2 (C3PAO) requirement is in your future, start outreach before a solicitation forces the issue.
A few timing realities to plan around: the bulk of the calendar is your preparation, not the assessment week; a clean scope and mature evidence shorten everything; and if you land in Conditional status, you’re on a 180-dayclock to close out your POA&M (32 CFR §170.17). Don’t run on a “they can start in three weeks” assumption. Ask for the earliest staffed start date, how long the slot is held, when evidence is due, and what dates slip if your evidence is late.
A-LIGN vs. other C3PAOs: when should you compare?
Answer:Compare alternatives whenever price, capacity, scope complexity, environment fit, or assessor availability is material to you — which is most of the time. A-LIGN can be a strong shortlist candidate, but “the right C3PAO” is the one that’s currently authorized, genuinely independent of your remediation, available on your timeline, and experienced with environments like yours. A familiar brand name is not the deciding factor.
The CMMC C3PAO landscape includes large multi-framework assessors (A-LIGN sits here, alongside firms like Coalfire Federal and Schellman), CMMC-focused specialists (such as Redspin, often cited as the first authorized C3PAO), and CPA and advisory firms (such as Cherry Bekaert and RSM). Each archetype trades off differently on capacity, price, and how much non-CMMC work they do.
Use the same criteria across every firm:
Criterion
Ask each C3PAO
Cyber AB status
“Show me your current Marketplace listing and legal entity.”
Scope assumptions
“What systems, sites, and users are in scope?”
Assessment team
“Who’s assigned, and what are their credentials?”
Timeline
“What’s your earliest staffed start date?”
Price structure
“What’s included, and what’s extra?”
Conflict of interest
“What prior work would create a conflict?”
Evidence process
“How is evidence submitted and reviewed?”
POA&M closeout
“What’s included if we go Conditional?”
If you’re ready to certify but unsure which assessor fits, don’t guess
Compare A-LIGN with source-checked C3PAO options matched to your scope, environment, and timeline — so you choose on fit and availability, not on whoever quoted first.
This profile separates four kinds of information — primary-source regulatory facts, A-LIGN’s company-stated claims, provider-published case studies, and third-party review sentiment — and labels which is which. It does not imply a hands-on audit of A-LIGN’s delivery, a Cyber AB or DoD endorsement, or any certification guarantee.
Sources we read:
A-LIGN’s public CMMC service pages, buyer’s guide, case studies, and corporate announcements.
The Cyber AB Marketplace (for C3PAO status verification — confirm live before relying on it).
The Federal Register and eCFR rule text: 32 CFR Part 170, including §§170.3 (phases), 170.9 (C3PAOs and conflict of interest), 170.17 (Level 2 certification and POA&M closeout), and 170.19 (scoping).
Acquisition.gov for DFARS 252.204-7021 (the contract clause) and 252.204-7025 (the solicitation provision).
DoD CMMC guidance, including the Level 2 Assessment Guide and Level 2 Scoping Guide, and NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, 800-171A, and 800-172.
Third-party review platforms (Gartner Peer Insights, G2) and reputable business press for corporate and cost context.
Why there’s no star rating on this page. We don’t publish a numeric score or aggregate rating for A-LIGN. We didn’t run a statistically valid, hands-on customer review, and inventing a rating would mislead you. (See our editorial standards and corrections policy.)
Bottom line: should you contact A-LIGN now?
Answer:Contact A-LIGN now if your contract requires a Level 2 (C3PAO) assessment, your controls and evidence are mature, and you can verify A-LIGN’s current Cyber AB status, assigned team, timeline, fee structure, and conflict-of-interest separation. If you still need scoping, remediation, an SSP, or implementation, get readiness help before you spend assessment money. The expensive mistake isn’t choosing A-LIGN over another assessor — it’s booking anycertification assessment before you’re ready.
If this is true
Do this
Level 2 (C3PAO) requirement + mature evidence
Confirm A-LIGN’s status, then quote A-LIGN and one or two others with the checklist
Not sure whether you have CUI
Sort out CUI and scope first
You need implementation or remediation
Talk to readiness providers (RPO/MSP/MSSP) first
Your clause requires a Level 2 self-assessment
Follow the self-assessment and SPRS path, not a C3PAO-first process
You want A-LIGN but need price confidence
Request a scoped quote and compare assumptions
Assessment-ready but unsure which C3PAO fits
Use source-checked C3PAO matching
Need help deciding what type of CMMC provider you need?
Whether that’s a readiness partner, a secure-cloud or CUI-enclave provider, or an authorized C3PAO, we’ll point you to the right category for where you actually are — not where a sales team wants you to be.
A-LIGN is a CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO), markets CMMC assessment services, and has issued CMMC Level 2 certifications — which only an authorized C3PAO can do. Because a C3PAO’s status can change, confirm A-LIGN’s current listing and legal entity on the Cyber AB Marketplace before you sign a statement of work.
Is A-LIGN authorized or accredited for CMMC right now?
Verify this directly on the Cyber AB Marketplace on the day you’re deciding. Don’t rely on old screenshots, listicles, or a provider’s own statement alone — the Marketplace is the authoritative registry.
Does A-LIGN perform CMMC Level 2 certification assessments?
Yes. A-LIGN publicly lists CMMC certification assessment services and has issued Level 2 certifications, including one of its first to Quiet Professionals LLC in 2025. For a formal Level 2 assessment, confirm current status, scope, team, and timeline before signing.
Can A-LIGN do CMMC readiness and then certify us?
No. A-LIGN offers a readiness (“mock”) assessment, but under 32 CFR §170.9 and the Cyber AB Code of Professional Conduct, a C3PAO cannot perform implementation or remediation on your environment and then conduct the certification assessment of that same environment. Keep readiness and assessment with separate firms.
How much does A-LIGN CMMC cost?
A-LIGN doesn’t publish CMMC pricing. As context, the C3PAO assessment fee commonly runs about $35,000 to $75,000 for small and mid-sized scopes, and DoD estimates the full three-year Level 2 C3PAO cost — assessment plus two annual affirmations — at about $104,670 for a small entity. Most of your total spend goes into getting ready, not the audit. Get a scoped written quote.
How long is A-LIGN’s CMMC backlog?
Verify current availability directly; it changes fast. Structurally, demand outpaces C3PAO capacity into the Phase 2 window (which begins November 10, 2026), so book early and ask for the earliest staffed start date.
Should a small business use A-LIGN?
Possibly — if your scope, budget, timeline, and assigned team fit. A small contractor with an unclear CUI boundary or immature evidence is usually better served by readiness help first, before contacting any large C3PAO.
Should I choose A-LIGN or another C3PAO?
Compare A-LIGN with two or three alternatives whenever timeline, price, scope complexity, or conflict-of-interest separation is uncertain. The right C3PAO is currently authorized, independent of your remediation, available on your timeline, and experienced with environments like yours.
Does A-LIGN guarantee CMMC certification?
No legitimate C3PAO can. A certification guarantee or a fee contingent on passing runs against the impartiality C3PAOs must maintain under ISO/IEC 17020 and the Cyber AB Code of Professional Conduct. Treat any such promise as a red flag.
Does CMMC Level 2 use NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2 or Revision 3?
For CMMC purposes today, Level 2 maps to Revision 2 — 110 requirements across 14 control families. Some pages incorrectly cite Revision 3; CMMC Level 2 remains on Rev. 2 unless and until DoD amends the rule.
Is this an independent A-LIGN CMMC review?
This is an independent public-source profile by The Defense Compliance Report, an independent trade publication on CMMC 2.0 and DIB compliance. It is not a hands-on customer review, and we have no compensation relationship with A-LIGN as of the last-verified date.
The Defense Compliance Report is an independent trade publication on CMMC 2.0 and DIB compliance. Not affiliated with A-LIGN, the Cyber AB, the Department of Defense, or any U.S. government agency. This article is informational and is not legal, contractual, or compliance advice. Provider claims are attributed to the provider and should be independently verified. Last verified . Editorial standards · Corrections policy.
Sources:A-LIGN public CMMC service pages, buyer’s guide, case studies (including Quiet Professionals LLC, May 2025), and corporate announcements; The Cyber AB Marketplace; 32 CFR Part 170 (§§170.3, 170.9, 170.17, 170.19; effective Dec 16, 2024); DFARS 252.204‑7021 and 252.204‑7025 (effective Nov 10, 2025); DoD CMMC Level 2 Assessment Guide and Scoping Guide; NIST SP 800‑171 Rev. 2, 800‑171A, and 800‑172; DoD final-rule regulatory impact analysis (C3PAO assessment-volume projections, three-year cost estimates, annual-affirmation estimates); Gartner Peer Insights and G2 review platforms.