CMMC Level 2 Certification – Denver (CO)

Yes, most organizations seeking Level 2 certification must undergo a third-party assessment conducted by a CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). However, some contracts may only require a CMMC Level 2 self-assessment with affirmation. The Affirming Official shall submit a CMMC affirmation attesting to continuing compliance with all requirements of the CMMC Status Level 2 (Self).

The duration can vary depending on the scope of the environment, type of implementation, number of physical locations and amount physical controlled unclassified information (CUI). Typically, the assessment will cover a three-to-six-week time period. This includes the pre-assessment, assessing conformity of the security requirements and completing and reporting the assessment results. There is usually one week dedicated to interviews during the assessment of conformity.

Key steps include identifying the scope and boundaries, conducting a gap analysis against NIST SP 800-171, documenting a system security plan (SSP) performing a self-assessment. It is recommended that your chosen C3PAO is engaged to perform a Level 2 mock assessment several months prior to the Level 2 Certification assessment.

Once granted, CMMC Level 2 certification is valid for three years, with annual affirmations required to ensure continued compliance.

You’ll need comprehensive documentation, including a System Security Plan (SSP), network diagrams, asset inventories, controlled unclassified information (CUI) data flow diagram, self-assessment with Met/Not Met and explanation for all 320 security requirements, policies, procedures, and supporting evidence of implementation of the security requirements.

A CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO) is an authorized assessor that assesses your organization’s CMMC Level 2 implementation and verifies whether you meet the CMMC Level 2 requirements before issuing a final or conditional CMMC Level 2 certification.

If your organization fails, you will receive a report of Met, Not Met, or N/A for all 320 security requirements. If a security requirement is Not Met, the report will include a clear explanation of why the security requirement was Not Met. You will be required to engage a C3PAO and go through the entire CMMC Level 2 Certification assessment process again. M&A recommends that you engage your selected C3PAO to perform a Mock Assessment of selected control objectives as part of preparation for the Level 2 Certification Assessment.

C3PAOs are forbidden from consulting on CMMC implementation and conducting the CMMC assessment for the same organization. A C3PAO can consult if they are not doing the assessment. A Registered Practitioner Organization (RPO) should be engaged to assist with CMMC implementation. We also recommend engaging your selected C3PAO to perform a Mock Assessment several months before the scheduled CMMC Level 2 Certification Assessment.