Cybersecurity & CMMC
CMMC readiness for small defense suppliers
We take defense suppliers from a prime's cybersecurity questionnaire to assessment-ready: CUI scoping, a gap assessment against all 110 NIST SP 800-171 requirements, a truthful System Security Plan, a defensible SPRS score, and a remediation plan ordered by what actually moves your score — at small-shop prices, from a consultancy with a defense background.
SAM.gov registered · CAGE 17GT3 · UEI EVYVLZ1CA1P5 · Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business
A prime sent us a questionnaire. How bad is this?
Manageable — if you start now and refuse shortcuts. Most small shops score deeply negative on their first honest self-assessment; that’s normal and fixable. What’s not fixable is an inflated score in SPRS: those are federal representations with False Claims Act exposure. We only do this work one way — truthfully — and we’ll show you the direct path: no shortcuts that fail an assessment.
What's the honest path, step by step?
Scope first (the boundary decision — often an enclave — controls the entire cost), then gap-assess against the real requirements, then the SSP and a lawful POA&M, then remediation in score order, then evidence and a mock assessment. You always make the official attestations; we prepare, you sign. Anyone who offers to “handle SPRS for you” is offering to commit your company to something. Decline.
Readiness is a project with an end. Keeping your score healthy between contracts is ongoing work — if no one on your team owns it, a fractional CISO retainer carries the program month to month.
General security, without the federal contracts?
For businesses without defense obligations we build right-sized security programs on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework: where you stand (evidence, not vibes), what to fix first, and the boring controls that stop real small-business losses — MFA everywhere, tested backups, access that dies when employment does. Insurance questionnaires stop being scary.
- Answered from scratch, before
- 3–4 weeks scrambling
- From your SSP + evidence, after
- 2 days
A maintained 800-171 program answers most questionnaires from evidence you already have.
Frequently asked questions
What does CMMC readiness cost for a small shop?
It depends almost entirely on scoping, which is why we quote the fixed fee after a scoping phase, never from a phone call. Beware anyone who quotes it sight-unseen.
Can't our IT provider do this?
Ask them for their 800-171 gap-assessment method and a sample SSP. If the answer is confident and specific, keep them — genuinely. Compliance is a different craft from IT support, and most good IT providers will say so.
Do you do penetration testing?
Not within readiness work — and never without separate written authorization. Our reviews are interview- and configuration-based by design.
What if we suspect we've already been breached?
Call us today, not after cleanup — covered contractors have 72-hour reporting duties, and preserving evidence matters. We'll help you respond in the right order.
DFARS clauses in your contracts?
Urgency buyers skip the assessment pitch — come talk to us directly.