CMMC is now live & in over 100 contracts. It requires that organizations who handle CUI achieve CMMC Level 2 Certification, which will require an independent assessment every 3 years by a C3PAO (CMMC Third Party Assessment Organization).
The DoD estimates the cost of these CMMC assessments will exceed $100,000, plus the cost of any technology. However, our survey of over 2,000 defense contractors revealed that 70% of them budgeted less than that, underscoring a significant gap.
This guide helps defense contractors understand CMMC certification costs and provides strategies to cut expenses at each stage of the process.
How Much Does CMMC Certification Cost
The DoD estimates that small defense contractors will spend over $100,000 to achieve CMMC Level 2 certification through a C3PAO assessment — a figure that includes technology, documentation, and the assessment itself. Contractors must also submit annual affirmations of compliance. Below is a breakdown of the CMMC costs defense contractors should be considering.
CMMC Costs for Defense Contractors to Consider
1. Assessment Costs
CMMC Assessment Fees by Level
- Level 1 Self-Assessment: Between $4,000–$6,000 for self-assessment activities.
- Level 2 Self-Assessment: Between $37,000–$49,000 (if contract allows internal assessment).
- Level 2 Third-Party Certification (C3PAO): Between $105,000–$118,000 is typical, but can vary with size and scope.
- Level 3 Certification: Between $145,000–$158,000 to cover advanced controls.
2. Preparation & Readiness Costs
- Gap Assessment & Initial Review: Between $3,500–$20,000+ depending on size and thoroughness.
- Remediation & Implementation: Between $10,000–$250,000+ Fixing gaps and implementing controls – based on complexity and current maturity.
- Policy & Documentation Development: Between $3,000–$25,000 Writing the SSP, POA&M, procedures, etc.
- Readiness Coaching / Pre-Assessment Support: Between $3,000–$20,000 for mock audits and preparation assistance.
Learn more about these cost estimates from the Federal Register here.
3. Security Technology & Tooling
Tools needed to satisfy CMMC requirements.
Required Security Tools
- Endpoint Protection / EDR: $3,000–$10,000+ annually (varies by endpoints).
- SIEM / Logging (optional): $500–$3,000+ per month.
- Vulnerability Scanning Tools: Included in many SIEM / MSP bundles.
- Backups & Encryption: $200–$2,000+ per month based on data needs.
- CUI Enclave Setup: $300–$400 per user/month, hosted secure enclaves often or $3,000–$4,000+ per month for managed environments.
- IT Infrastructure Upgrades: $5,000–$30,000+ for hardware upgrades, network segmentation, cloud transitions, etc.
4. Consulting & Advisory
Expert help to guide implementation and strategy.
- CMMC Consultants: At an estimated hourly rate of about $250–$400+ per hour, in total the projected costs could be between $50,000–$300,000+ depending on scope.
- MSP / Managed Security Services: Depending on services (monitoring, patching, SOC) this could cost between $3,000–$25,000+ per month.
- Project Management Support: Compliance project management could cost between $9,000–$30,000 per quarter.
5. Internal Labor & Personnel Costs
Often underbudgeted but significant.
- Internal Staff Time: 200–800+ hours of IT, compliance, documentation, evidence collection. At an internal loaded rate, this can translate to $10,000–$100,000+ based on team size and hourly rates.
- Hiring or Training Staff: Cost depends on new hires or role expansions.
6. Training & Awareness
Auditors expect evidence of training.
- Security Awareness Training: Between $1,000–$5,000+ annually.
- Role-Based or Incident Response Training: $2,000–$8,000+.
7. Ongoing & Recurring Compliance Costs
CMMC is not a “set it and forget it” situation.
- Tool & Service Renewals: $10,000–$40,000+ annually (EDR, SIEM, backups, MFA, etc.).
- Continuous Monitoring / MSP: Monthly SOC or managed services: $3,000–$25,000+ depending on scope.
- Annual Training Updates: $500–$1,500+ per session per user.
- Reassessment & Renewal Budget: Level 2 third-party reassessment every 3 years: $15,000–$50,000+.
8. Legal & Contractual Costs
Budget for contract reviews and flow-down requirements and the legal review/redlining can be several thousand dollars depending on counsel rates.
9. Supply Chain & Subcontractor Costs
If you enforce CMMC on suppliers: Third-party verification programs or costs to support subcontractors could be another cost factor.
Typical CMMC Costs by Level
According to DoD estimates, here are the CMMC certification costs broken down by level.
There are several other costs to consider beyond just the certification however, see the estimate for all CMMC costs by level below.
CMMC Level 1
- Total: $5,000–$15,000 for most small businesses completing self-assessment and basic controls.
CMMC Level 2 (most common for DoD subcontractors)
- Total: $75,000–$300,000+ when including tools, consulting, remediation, and third-party assessment.
CMMC Level 3
- Total: Often $500,000+ due to advanced controls and infrastructure.
CMMC Level 2 Cost Estimates
For a DoD defense contractor with less than 500 employees or revenue under $7.5 million, these are the estimated costs provided by the DoD:
- To conduct the CMMC assessment the estimated cost is $76,743.
- To plan and prepare for the C3PAO assessment the estimated cost is $20,699.
- To report CMMC assessment results the estimated cost is $2,851.
- And the annual affirmations will cost an estimated $1,459 each year, which over a 3 year period will come to $4,377.
In total, the costs of a CMMC certification comes to an estimated $104,670.
These CMMC certification cost estimates include time spent by both in-house IT specialists and External Service Providers (ESPs) such as Registered Practitioners (RPs), Certified CMMC Assessors (CCAs), and C3PAOs.
These cost estimates start at the C3PAO assessment phase and do not include any costs up to that point. That’s because defense contractors have been required to comply with NIST SP 800-171—which CMMC Level 2 requirements mirror—since 2017. Therefore, DoD doesn’t consider NIST SP 800-171 compliance technologies or documentation a new expense.
CMMC Cost Saving Strategies
Organizations can achieve compliance more quickly and affordably by deploying these proven strategies:
1. Limit Your Compliance Boundary
If only a portion of your organization handles CUI, then it makes sense to narrow the scope of the security requirements by creating a separate enclave. A smaller scope means a simpler assessment, which significantly reduces costs. Unlike GCC High, which often requires deployment organization-wide, PreVeil can be used in just the enclave, saving costs and reducing complexity.
On the importance of scoping: “One of the key things you have to figure out to make you successful with CMMC is scoping. Get your scope figured out and don’t include systems that are outside your scope. You’re just creating more work for yourself that you don’t need to do.” – Paul Miller @ Virtra
How PreVeil addresses: PreVeil can be easily deployed to an enclave, reducing your compliance and saving you time and money.
2. Select an Easy-to-Deploy Platform to Protect CUI
Choosing a compliant, user-friendly platform simplifies deployment and minimizes training costs. GCC High often requires a complete overhaul of IT systems, making implementation costly and complex.
How PreVeil addresses: PreVeil can be deployed in hours, uses your existing email address and is easy for your team to use since it integrates directly with the tools you’re already using, like Outlook, Gmail, File Explorer and MacFinder.
3. Deploy a Solution with Proven CMMC Credentials
If your organization has migrated to the cloud, know that services such as Microsoft 365 Commercial and Gmail do not meet CMMC requirements for storing, processing and transmitting CUI. Choose a solution that has proven CMMC credentials to avoid retroactive fixes, which can be costly and time-consuming.
How PreVeil addresses: Over 100 PreVeil customers have achieved CMMC compliance with a perfect 110 score. Through a combination of inherited and shared controls, PreVeil supports over 90% of the NIST SP 800-171 security controls (102 of the 110). Read about how we meet CMMC requirements here.
4. Leverage Pre-Filled Compliance Documentation
Passing an assessment requires contractors to provide detailed, evidence based documentation clarifying how the controls are addressed within their company. This can be a daunting, time-consuming and costly task.
How PreVeil addresses: PreVeil’s proven Compliance Accelerator provides pre-filled documentation for the System Security plan (SSP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), POAM worksheet and more and cuts documentation work by 60%. In addition, we add walkthrough videos with C3PAOs and 1×1 support if you get stuck.
“Having the PreVeil compliance Accelerator package is what made compliance and documentation not as big of a burden. We got a top-notch Shared Responsibility Matrix and System Security Plan from PreVeil that we used as our base. The SSP was pre-populated with the control descriptions related to all the PreVeil areas of responsibility and inherited controls and we did minor modifications to those PreVeil controls for our environment. And that covered a lot of our work.” – VP of IT at a $300M Technical Consulting Firm
5. Leverage Certified Consultants Who are Familiar with Your Technology
Many organizations lack the internal security expertise to accurately self-assess their environment. Outside partners can save time and money if you get stuck and need help.
How PreVeil addresses: PreVeil has built a partner network of C3PAOs, Registered Practitioners, MSPs, and other consultants and organizations certified by the Cyber AB that have expert knowledge of DFARS, NIST, CMMC and PreVeil. This coordinated access streamlines your engagement because no time is spent learning how PreVeil supports compliance.
6. Hire Certified Assessors
The C3PAO assessment is your single largest CMMC cost. An assessor already familiar with your tech stack spends less time learning how your controls map, which means a faster, cheaper assessment.
How PreVeil addresses: PreVeil maintains a network of preferred C3PAOs vetted by our compliance team. As Dan Ciarlette, CTO and a Lead CMMC Assessor at DeMase-Tech, puts it:
“As an assessor, I can certify a PreVeil environment faster and at a lower cost than the alternatives, with no compromise on quality.”
Learn more about achieving CMMC compliance without unnecessary costs below:
Cost-Effective CMMC Compliance Tool for SMBs: The PreVeil Solution
PreVeil is the leading solution for CMMC Level 2 compliance and is trusted by more than 3,000 small and midsize defense contractors. To date, 100 defense contractors and C3PAOs have used PreVeil to achieve CMMC compliance with a perfect 110 score.
Learn more about how PreVeil can help your organization achieve CMMC Level 2 compliance faster and more affordably. Get a custom quote for your organization.
