CMMC MSSP Providers: How to Choose an MSP or MSSP for CMMC Level 2
The bottom line
CMMC MSSP providers — managed security service providers that run security operations for defense contractors — are the right move when you handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), don’t have a 24/7 internal security team, and need monitoring, logging, vulnerability management, and incident response that will hold up at assessment. Here’s the part most pages bury: under the CMMC Program rule (32 CFR Part 170), your MSSP is almost certainly inside your assessment scope — not because it touches your CUI, but because its SIEM, EDR, and logging tools process your Security Protection Data. It doesn’t need its own CMMC certification. It does need to support your assessment, and the difference between a provider that helps you pass and one that quietly sinks you is almost never the technology. It’s the paperwork.
We read the rule text ourselves — not a vendor’s summary of it. And the gap between an MSSP that walks you into a clean assessment and one that sinks it comes down to a single document almost no contractor asks to see before signing. We’ll show you exactly what it is, what belongs in it, and the questions that separate a real CMMC practice from a polished sales deck.
Start here: what kind of provider does your problem actually call for?
Most contractors search “CMMC MSSP providers” when the real question is whichoutside partner they need — and “MSSP” is only one of five answers. Find your situation in the left column before you talk to anyone’s sales team.
| If your real problem is… | You probably need… | Not enough by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day IT for CUI users, devices, patching, MFA, backups | A CMMC-aware MSP (managed service provider) | A general help-desk shop |
| 24/7 monitoring, SIEM, log retention, alert triage, EDR, vulnerability management, incident response | A CMMC-aware MSSP (managed security service provider) | An MSP that only handles tickets |
| Gap assessment, SSP authoring, POA&M, SPRS scoring, a readiness roadmap | An RPO (Registered Provider Organization) / readiness consultant | An MSSP alone |
| The formal Level 2 certification assessment | An authorized or accredited C3PAO | An MSP, MSSP, or RPO |
| Shrinking what touches CUI to reduce assessment scope | A CUI enclave / secure-cloud provider | A generic Microsoft 365 setup |
Quick answers
- Does my MSSP need its own CMMC certification? No — but it’s in your assessment scope. See why ↓
- Is my MSSP in scope for my assessment? Yes, if it processes, stores, or transmits your CUI or Security Protection Data on its assets. See the matrix ↓
- Can an MSSP make me compliant? No — it can’t issue CMMC status, and the affirmation stays yours. See who owns what ↓
- What does it cost? Managed security commonly runs a few thousand dollars a month; the C3PAO assessment is a separate fee. See the breakdown ↓
- What should I verify before signing? A real CRM, US-based access, and assessor cooperation. See the SOW checklist ↓
Not sure whether you need an MSP, MSSP, RPO, or C3PAO?
Our path assessment asks 14 plain questions about your contracts, CUI environment, and timeline, then routes you to the provider categories that fit — no sensitive files required. Do not submit CUI, drawings, or export-controlled details. This intake is for buyer-need routing only.
Find My CMMC Path →Is your CMMC MSSP in your assessment scope? (the part most pages get wrong)
Almost certainly, yes. Under 32 CFR § 170.19 (the CMMC scoping rule), an External Service Provider (ESP) — an outside person, technology, or facility you use for IT or cybersecurity services — is in your assessment scope when your CUI or Security Protection Data is processed, stored, or transmitted on the provider’s assets. The CMMC Final Rule removed the requirement that ESPs hold their own certification, but it did not remove them from scope. Their services are assessed inside your assessment.
When you bring in an MSSP, the rule sorts its services into one of the asset categories defined in 32 CFR § 170.19(c)(1): CUI Assets (anything that processes, stores, or transmits CUI), Security Protection Assets (anything that secures your in-scope environment, like a SIEM or EDR platform), Contractor Risk Managed Assets, Specialized Assets, and out-of-scope assets. A managed SIEM that neversees a single CUI file is still a Security Protection Asset — because it processes the logs, alerts, configurations, and credentials that protect your assessed environment. That data is Security Protection Data.
What “in scope” actually means at the assessment table
- The provider’s use, its relationship to you, and the services it performs must be documented in your System Security Plan (SSP).
- The provider’s services are assessed against the relevant Level 2 requirements as part of your assessment.
- Your on-premises infrastructure that connects to the provider’s service is also in scope and gets assessed.
The Customer Responsibility Matrix is the document almost nobody asks for
A Customer Responsibility Matrix (CRM)is the artifact that splits security responsibility between you and your provider. The rule (32 CFR § 170.19(c)(2)(ii)) requires you to document the provider’s use, relationship, and services in your SSP, and to obtain the provider’s service description and a CRM. Our buyer standard requires the CRM to enumerate the applicable 110 NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 requirements and assign each to one of three owners: the provider, you, or shared with the responsibility split specified.
Here’s why it decides your fate. During a Level 2 certification assessment, the team works through the CRM and asks, for every control assigned to your provider: Did they actually implement it, and can they show evidence?If the CRM hands a control to your MSSP and your MSSP can’t produce the evidence, that control is scored not met — in your score, not theirs. You can lose a requirement you were paying someone else to own, and you may not find out until assessment week.
The CMMC MSSP Scope-and-Verify Matrix
| What your provider does for you | ESP? (CUI/SPD on provider assets) | FedRAMP Moderate / equiv. triggered? | In your Level 2 scope as… | What you must produce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs your SOC / SIEM / monitoring; stores your logs and configs (Security Protection Data); no CUI | Yes | No — SPD only | Security Protection Asset | SSP entry + CRM + service description |
| Administers your Microsoft 365 / GCC High / endpoints; touches CUI in the tenant | Yes | Yes — cloud offering hosting the tenant must be FedRAMP Moderate authorized/equivalent | CUI Asset (tenant) + provider services as Security Protection Asset | SSP + CRM + cloud’s FedRAMP Moderate evidence |
| Stores or backs up your CUI on its own non-cloud infrastructure | Yes | No (non-cloud) | CUI Asset | SSP + CRM; systems assessed against all 110 reqs in your assessment |
| Provides the cloud where your CUI lives (e.g., AWS GovCloud, a CUI enclave) | Yes (a CSP) | Yes — FedRAMP Moderate authorized or equivalent | CUI Asset | SSP + CRM + FedRAMP authorization / equivalency evidence |
| Help desk / managed IT with no access to CUI and no Security Protection Data | No | No | Out of scope (document the boundary) | A scope rationale showing no CUI/SPD access |
| Penetration test / vulnerability scan / incident response | Depends — applies if it retains CUI or SPD on its assets | Only if it operates a CUI cloud | Depends — Security Protection Asset if SPD retained; otherwise out of scope | Scope rationale, or SSP + CRM if it retains CUI/SPD |
| Also holds C3PAO authorization and wants to certify you | A role question, not a scope question | — | — | Use a separate, independent assessor — see the independence rule below |
The honest part
A good MSSP can make your security stronger, but it can also increasethe evidence you have to manage — because the moment its tools process, store, or transmit your logs, scans, credentials, or CUI, those services are inside your assessment. That’s the reason to choose a provider that can show you, on paper, exactly where its services sit in your SSP and CRM — not one that says “don’t worry, we handle it.”
Already have an MSP or MSSP touching your CUI environment?Before you renew or sign another statement of work, confirm whether you actually need an MSP, MSSP, RPO, enclave, or some combination — and what evidence to demand from each.
Check your provider category with the path assessment →Does your MSP or MSSP need to be CMMC certified?
No. An External Service Provider that isn’t itself a defense contract holder is not required to hold its own CMMC certification — but two caveats decide whether that fact helps you. First, its in-scope services are assessed within your assessment. Second, if it operates a cloud that holds your CUI, that cloud must be FedRAMP Moderate authorized or equivalent. A provider that voluntarily earns its own CMMC Level 2 can reduce your burden — your assessor may accept its results in lieu of re-testing those controls — but a certificate is not a prerequisite to hire one.
“Certified as what, by whom, for which scope, verified when?”
“CMMC certified” is the most abused phrase in this market. When a vendor uses it, ask the only question that matters: certified or listed as what, by whom, for which scope, and last verified when?The phrase could mean the provider holds its own CMMC status for its own environment, is a listed RPO, supports CMMC clients, has clients who passed assessments, is a C3PAO — or simply markets to the defense industrial base. Those are wildly different things, and only one of them is a credential you can verify.
What to verify in the Cyber AB Marketplace (in five minutes)
- Is the organization listed as an RPO (advisory) or a C3PAO (assessment)?
- Are its individuals listed as RP, CCP, or CCA (the practitioner and assessor credentials)?
- Is the provider claiming a status that actually appears in the Marketplace?
- If it holds multiple roles, how does it prevent a conflict of interest?
Never accept “almost certified,” “candidate status,” or a logo on a slide. Verify it yourself at cyberab.org.
The independence rule: your MSSP usually can’t be your assessor
Under the conflict-of-interest and Code of Professional Conduct rules every C3PAO and assessor must follow (32 CFR § 170.9, which binds them to § 170.8(b)(17)), the firm — or the individual assessor — that helped prepare or runs your environment cannot also be your Level 2 certifying assessor. The Cyber AB applies a separation between the consulting/implementation role and the assessment role for the same client, commonly described as three years. Some firms hold both a C3PAO authorization and a managed-services arm; that’s allowed, but they must hand your certification to an independent assessor. If a provider offers to “prepare and assess you end to end” for the same engagement, that’s your cue to separate the two. See the C3PAO directory.
Do you need a CMMC MSSP, a CMMC MSP, or an RPO?
An MSP manages your IT; an MSSP manages your security; an RPO prepares your paperwork; and a C3PAO certifies you — and no single vendor’s label tells you which one you’re talking to.An MSP handles identity, endpoints, patching, Microsoft 365 configuration, and backups. An MSSP adds the security operations center: SIEM, log retention, alert triage, vulnerability management, and incident response. An RPO is different again — the Cyber AB describes Registered Provider Organizations as advisory firms that provide non-certified consulting and do not conduct certified CMMC assessments. Mixing these up is how contractors end up paying twice.
| Provider type | Best for | What they should produce | What they cannot replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMMC-aware MSP | Identity, endpoints, patching, M365/GCC High, backups | Configuration records, patch evidence, access-control exports, change logs | RPO readiness work or a C3PAO assessment |
| CMMC-aware MSSP | SIEM, SOC, log retention, alert triage, EDR, vulnerability management, IR | Log architecture, alert workflow, vulnerability reports, IR evidence, CRM | The SSP owner, the SPRS submitter, the C3PAO |
| RPO / readiness consultant | Gap assessment, SSP, POA&M, SPRS score support, roadmap | Gap report, SSP support, scoring support, readiness plan | The formal certification assessment |
| C3PAO | The formal Level 2 certification assessment | An assessment result submitted into the CMMC system and SPRS | Implementation or managed services for the same engagement |
| CUI enclave / secure-cloud provider | Reducing or isolating your CUI footprint | Data-flow diagrams, CRM, FedRAMP / FedRAMP-equivalent evidence | A full enterprise security program |
Who should not hire an MSSP first
- You don’t know where your CUI lives yet. Buy scoping and readiness help first (CMMC gap assessment). An MSSP can’t secure a boundary you haven’t drawn.
- You only handle Federal Contract Information (FCI), not CUI.That’s likely a Level 1 self-assessment against the 15 basic safeguarding requirements in FAR 52.204-21 — full managed security may be overkill. See CMMC Level 1 vs Level 2 vs Level 3.
- You need an SSP, POA&M, and SPRS score more than you need a SOC. That’s RPO work. See best CMMC consultants.
- You’re hoping a vendor will “make you compliant” with no internal ownership. No vendor can — and the next section explains why.
What does a CMMC MSSP actually do for Level 2?
A CMMC MSSP operates the security functions that support Level 2 control implementation — and, just as important, produces the evidence those controls generate. CMMC Level 2 is built on the 110 security requirements in NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2, organized into 14 control families and measured against 320 assessment objectives in NIST SP 800-171A. (NIST published Revision 3 in 2024 — but CMMC Level 2 is still anchored to Revision 2.) The MSSP’s value is not “certification.” It’s running and documenting the security operations that map to those requirements.
The difference between a security-aware MSSP and a genuinely CMMC-aware one is documentation. A provider that can’t produce final, approved evidence for the controls it owns isn’t assessment-ready. Tie every service to its evidence output, and to an owner, before you sign.
| MSSP function | Why it matters for CMMC Level 2 | Evidence to request | Typical evidence owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIEM / log collection and retention | Supports audit-and-accountability requirements; this is Security Protection Data | Log source list, retention settings, a sample alert record | Shared |
| 24/7 SOC monitoring | Detection, triage, escalation | Alert-triage workflow, SLA, escalation records | Provider |
| Vulnerability management | Flaw identification and remediation tracking | Scan cadence, remediation reports, exception workflow | Shared |
| EDR (endpoint detection and response) | Endpoint protection and response coverage | Deployment coverage report, policy export, alert history | Provider |
| Incident response | Supports your DFARS 252.204-7012 reporting duties | IR plan, escalation path, a 72-hour reporting workflow | Shared |
| Identity / MFA monitoring | Access control and authentication | MFA enforcement reports, privileged-account review | Shared |
| Firewall / network monitoring | Boundary protection and event review | Rule-review cadence, change tickets, network diagram | Shared |
The clause your MSSP’s incident response has to satisfy: DFARS 252.204-7012
If you handle covered defense information, DFARS 252.204-7012 requires you to report any cyber incident within 72 hours of discovery through the DoD’s DIBNet portal (dibnet.dod.mil). The clock starts at discovery, not when your investigation wraps. The same clause requires you to preserve and protect images of affected systems and relevant monitoring and packet-capture data for at least 90 days from the date you submit the report.
The shorthand floating around — “DFARS requires 90 days of log retention” — is not what the clause says. The 90-day figure is about post-incident media preservation, not a blanket log-retention mandate. Ask your MSSP to walk you through, in writing: how they detect inside your boundary, how a detection becomes a reportable call, how you hit the 72-hour window, and how their tooling preserves the right telemetry for 90 days.
Can a CMMC MSSP make you compliant?
No. An MSSP can operate your controls and produce evidence, but it cannot make you compliant by itself and cannot issue a CMMC status. DFARS 252.204-7021 — the contract clause that puts CMMC into your award — requires the contractor to achieve and maintain the required CMMC status for covered systems, submit annual affirmations of continuous compliance in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS), and flow appropriate requirements down to subcontractors. None of that transfers to a vendor.
What your MSSP can own
Managed security operations, monitoring and alert triage, vulnerability reporting, EDR administration, SIEM and log retention, incident-response support, and the configuration evidence those services generate.
What you still own — no matter who you hire
Identifying your CUI, interpreting your contract, approving your assessment scope, owning the SSP, making SPRS submissions, signing the annual affirmations, flowing requirements to your subs, choosing your providers, and deciding when to engage a C3PAO.
What an RPO or readiness consultant may own
The gap assessment, SSP support, POA&M planning, SPRS score support, the readiness roadmap, and assessment preparation.
What only a C3PAO (or, for Level 3, DCMA DIBCAC) can do
Conduct the certification assessment and submit the result. A Level 2 certification assessment must come from an authorized or accredited C3PAO; Level 3 is assessed by DCMA DIBCAC and requires a Final Level 2 (C3PAO) status first.
Where DFARS 252.204-7019 and 252.204-7020 fit
Under DFARS 252.204-7019, to be eligible for award an offeror required to implement NIST SP 800-171 must have a current assessment — not more than three years old— with summary-level scores posted in SPRS. Under DFARS 252.204-7020, you must give the government access to your facilities, systems, and personnel for a Medium or High DoD assessment if asked, and flow the requirement down to subcontractors. An MSSP can help you produce and maintain the evidence behind your SPRS score — but the score, the posting, and the affirmation are yours.
How much do CMMC MSSP providers cost in 2026?
There is no single number, because “MSSP cost” usually bundles four different things — baseline managed IT, a CMMC compliance uplift, managed security, and one-time readiness — and none of those is the separate C3PAO assessment fee. Search the phrase and you’ll see figures from $2,000 to $25,000 a month, because everyone is adding up a different stack.
| Cost component | What it covers | Typical 2026 market signal | One-time or recurring | Who you pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline managed IT | Help desk, network, M365 admin, patching, backups | ~$150–$300/user/mo fully managed; ~$65–$120/user/mo co-managed | Recurring | MSP |
| CMMC compliance uplift | The CMMC-specific add-on layered on managed IT | ~$40–$90/user/mo | Recurring | MSP/MSSP |
| Managed security (MSSP) | SOC, SIEM, monitoring, threat detection, IR | Small biz ~$2,000–$5,000/mo; mid ~$5,000–$10,000/mo; full L2-managed reported up to ~$8,000–$25,000/mo | Recurring | MSSP |
| One-time readiness | SSP development, POA&M, gap assessment, pre-assessment | ~$25,000–$80,000 (varies widely by maturity and scope) | One-time | MSSP / RPO |
| CUI cloud migration | Moving CUI into GCC High / GovCloud / an enclave | ~$10,000–$40,000 | One-time | Cloud / integration partner |
| C3PAO assessment (a separate firm) | The official Level 2 certification assessment | Market ~$30,000–$150,000+ by scope | One-time per 3-yr cycle | An independent C3PAO — not your MSSP |
For an authoritative anchor, DoD’s own cost analysis in the Final Rule estimates a small entity’s Level 2 (C3PAO) assessment plus initial affirmation at roughly $101,752, including a $31,234 C3PAO assessment line item, with about $104,670 over the three-year cycle. See our full CMMC Level 2 cost guide.
Your MSSP fee is not your assessment fee.Anyone who folds “certification” into a monthly managed-services price is blurring two things the rule keeps strictly separate.
Comparing CMMC MSSP quotes that don’t include the same work?Get matched by scope — MSP, MSSP, RPO, enclave, or assessment — so you’re not stacking a help-desk contract against a full security-operations program.
Request scoped quotes from matched providers →What to put in a CMMC MSSP statement of work — and what to ask on the first call
Your statement of work (SOW) should define the services, the data flows, who owns evidence, incident timelines, and assessment support — because if it doesn’t say who owns your logs, tickets, vulnerability reports, and CRM inputs, you’ll discover the gap during assessment week.
SOW must-haves
- Scope of systems and users covered
- CUI and Security Protection Data handling
- Tool ownership (who owns the SIEM, the EDR, and the data in them)
- Tenant / enclave / cloud boundary
- Privileged-access model and logging
- SIEM and log retention settings
- Vulnerability management cadence and remediation tracking
- EDR / endpoint management coverage
- Incident-response escalation path
- DFARS 252.204-7012 reporting support (the 72-hour workflow and 90-day preservation)
- Evidence production and export process
- A commitment to cooperate with your assessor
- The Customer Responsibility Matrix as a contractual exhibit
- Explicit exclusions (what they do not do)
CMMC phase schedule
Phase 1 — November 10, 2025 to November 9, 2026
Level 1 and Level 2 self-assessments appear in applicable solicitations; DoD has discretion to require Level 2 (C3PAO) earlier.
Phase 2 — November 10, 2026
Level 2 C3PAO certification required at award in applicable solicitations.
Phase 3 — November 10, 2027
Level 3 (DIBCAC) requirements added; Level 2 certification extended to option exercises.
Phase 4 — November 10, 2028
Full implementation across all applicable contracts.
The capacity math, in DoD’s own numbers: DoD estimates 8,350 will need a Level 2 (C3PAO) certification — and DoD’s model projects just 135 C3PAO-led assessments in year one, 673 in year two, 2,252 in year three, and 4,452 in year four. As of the Cyber AB’s March 2026 Town Hall, just over 100 organizations were authorized to perform those assessments. See what the phases mean for your contracts.
One edge case worth knowing: under 32 CFR Part 170, some requirements can sit temporarily on a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) if you reach the minimum 80% score, but you have 180 daysfrom a Conditional status to close eligible items — and not every requirement is POA&M-eligible. Your MSSP’s job is to make sure the controls it owns aren’t the ones stuck on that list.
What we verified for this guide
Last verified: June 2, 2026.
- 32 CFR Part 170 — Level 2’s mapping to NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, scoping rules in § 170.19, asset categories, SSP/CRM requirements for External Service Providers, conflict-of-interest and Code of Professional Conduct rules in § 170.8(b)(17) / § 170.9.
- DFARS 252.204-7012: the 72-hour reporting definition, the 90-day media-preservation requirement, and the FedRAMP Moderate requirement for clouds that hold CUI.
- DFARS 252.204-7019 and 252.204-7020: current-SPRS-score requirement for award eligibility, government-access requirement for Medium/High assessments, and subcontractor flow-down.
- DFARS 252.204-7021 and the DFARS Case 2019-D041 final rule (effective November 10, 2025): contractor’s duty to hold and maintain CMMC status, annual SPRS affirmations, and the four-phase schedule.
- DoD CIO CMMC Level 2 Scoping Guide: the Security Protection Asset and Security Protection Data definitions, including the SIEM example.
- Federal Register cost analysis: the estimate that 8,350 medium and large entities will require Level 2 (C3PAO) certification, and the modeled assessment volumes (135, 673, 2,252, 4,452 across years 1–4).
NIST Revision 2 vs. Revision 3
NIST published SP 800-171 Revision 3 in May 2024 — but CMMC Level 2 remains anchored to Revision 2.The CMMC rule cites Rev. 2 (February 2020), and a DoD class deviation directs contractors under DFARS 252.204-7012 to keep using Rev. 2. If a provider is selling you a “Rev. 3” CMMC program today, that’s a flag — your Level 2 assessment will be scored against Rev. 2.
Frequently asked questions about CMMC MSSP providers
What is a CMMC MSSP provider?
A CMMC MSSP provider is a managed security service provider that runs security operations — SIEM, 24/7 SOC monitoring, alert triage, vulnerability management, EDR, and incident response — for a defense contractor’s CMMC environment. Because those services often process, store, or transmit your logs, configurations, and sometimes your CUI, they become part of your CMMC assessment scope and must be documented in your System Security Plan and a Customer Responsibility Matrix under 32 CFR § 170.19.
Does my MSP or MSSP need to be CMMC certified?
Not necessarily. Under the CMMC Final Rule, an External Service Provider that isn’t a contract holder is not required to hold its own certification. But its in-scope services are assessed within your assessment, and a cloud that holds your CUI must be FedRAMP Moderate authorized or equivalent under DFARS 252.204-7012.
Is an MSSP required for CMMC Level 2?
No rule requires every Level 2 contractor to hire an MSSP. Many do because Level 2 demands sustained logging, monitoring, vulnerability management, and incident response, but the need depends on scope, internal staff, contract requirements, and environment.
Is my MSSP in scope for my CMMC assessment?
Yes if it processes, stores, or transmits your CUI, or your Security Protection Data such as logs, configurations, vulnerability findings, or credentials, on its own assets. The relationship and responsibilities are documented in your System Security Plan and a Customer Responsibility Matrix per 32 CFR § 170.19. A managed SIEM that never touches CUI is still in scope as a Security Protection Asset.
Can my MSSP also be my C3PAO?
No. Under the conflict-of-interest and Code of Professional Conduct rules in 32 CFR § 170.9 and § 170.8(b)(17), the firm or individual that prepares or manages your environment cannot serve as your certifying C3PAO for the same engagement. Some firms hold both roles but must use separate, independent assessors for clients whose environments they manage.
What is Security Protection Data, and why does it matter for an MSSP?
Security Protection Data is the security-relevant information your protective tools store or process — log files, configuration data, vulnerability status, and credentials that protect your assessed environment. SOC, SIEM, and vulnerability-management services handle exactly this data, which pulls the provider into your assessment scope as a Security Protection Asset even when it never sees a CUI file.
What evidence should I ask a CMMC MSSP for?
Ask for a service description, a Customer Responsibility Matrix covering the applicable NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 responsibilities, a data-flow diagram, a log-source list and retention settings, the alert-triage workflow, vulnerability reports, the incident-response escalation path and 72-hour reporting workflow, the privileged-access model, and a sample evidence export. Verbal assurance is not evidence.
My current MSP says they don’t do CMMC. Do I need to fire them?
Not necessarily. It may mean you need to add an RPO for readiness, an MSSP for security monitoring, or an enclave to reduce scope rather than replace your MSP. Document what your MSP touches, what evidence they can produce, and which CMMC roles they decline to own, then fill the gaps.
Make the next CMMC decision with less guesswork
You came here to compare CMMC MSSP providers. The most valuable thing we can tell you is that the comparison starts one step earlier — with knowing whether you need an MSP, MSSP, RPO, C3PAO, enclave, or some combination, and what evidence to demand from each.
Our path assessment asks 14 plain questions about your contract level, CUI environment, and timeline, then routes you to the provider categories — and source-checked provider options — that fit. No CUI, drawings, or sensitive contract details required.
Find My CMMC Path →Prefer to self-serve first? Start with the CMMC Readiness Checklist.
Related guides
- CMMC Managed Compliance Services: What to Outsource, What You Still Own (2026)
- CMMC Level 2 Cost in 2026: Budget Ranges and Estimator
- CMMC Gap Assessment Services: Cost, Scope, Red Flags
- GCC High for CMMC: When You Need It and When You Don’t
- CMMC Managed Enclaves: Scope Reduction Without GCC High Migration
- C3PAO Directory: Authorized CMMC Level 2 Assessors
- CMMC Managed Service Providers: When Your MSP Is In Scope
- CMMC for Manufacturers: OT, CUI, and Multi-Prime Compliance
- CMMC Level 1 vs Level 2 vs Level 3
- Is My MSP Actually CMMC Compliant? How to Verify It (2026)
Sources
- 32 CFR Part 170, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program — Final Rule (effective Dec 16, 2024); § 170.4, § 170.8 / § 170.9, § 170.17, and § 170.19. eCFR and Federal Register (89 FR 83092).
- DFARS Case 2019-D041, Assessing Contractor Implementation of Cybersecurity Requirements — Final Rule (effective Nov 10, 2025). Federal Register.
- DFARS 252.204-7012, -7019, -7020, and -7021. Acquisition.gov / eCFR.
- NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2 and NIST SP 800-171A. NIST Computer Security Resource Center.
- FAR 52.204-21, Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems. Acquisition.gov.
- DoD CIO, CMMC Level 2 Scoping Guide. dodcio.defense.gov.
- The Cyber AB Marketplace and ecosystem roles (C3PAO, RPO, RP, CCP, CCA). cyberab.org. Last checked June 2, 2026.