Certification requirements are moving from self-assessment into contract award decisions. Here's how to prepare without boiling the ocean.
The shift from attestation to assessment
For years, defense suppliers could self-attest to NIST SP 800-171. CMMC changes the burden of proof: for most contracts involving Controlled Unclassified Information, an independent assessment becomes the gate.
As requirements phase into solicitations, the practical question is no longer whether CMMC applies, but when it will appear in the contracts you care about.
Start with scope, not controls
The single most effective lever is scope. An enclave that isolates CUI can shrink the assessment boundary from the whole company to a handful of users and systems.
Map where CUI actually flows, email, file shares, CAD systems, the shop floor, before writing a single policy.
Write an SSP your team can maintain
Assessors read the System Security Plan closely. A plan written in plain language, reflecting how you really operate, is worth more than a template padded with boilerplate.
Rehearse before it counts
A mock assessment surfaces evidence gaps while there's still time to fix them. Treat it as a dress rehearsal, not a formality.