What Happens After an Unsuccessful CMMC Assessment
Didn’t pass your CMMC assessment? You’re not alone - and it’s not the end. Learn what happens next, how to fix gaps, and how Hive Systems can help get you back on track.
Risk Level
Read Time
Imagine this: After spending a considerable amount of both time and resources, your company did not pass its assessment for CMMC compliance. While this may be an unfortunate reality for some, it does not mean the end of your organization’s CMMC journey!
Putting it Simply
Many Department of Defense (DoD) contracts that involve Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) are going to start requiring a CMMC Level 2 certification. Failing to pass your C3PAO assessment ultimately means you do not receive this certification, and are therefore ineligible for any new Department of Defense contracts that specify this requirement. But this doesn’t just stop at new contracts - if you currently hold DoD contracts involving CUI, the certification requirement will apply to any new option years on existing contracts. Failure to achieve the required certification level before your option year renews could result in losing your existing contracts.
A Matter of Time
The consequences of a failed assessment are not just lost revenue; if your organization wants to continue down the road of CMMC compliance, there are major impacts to the timeline that you will have to consider, some of which are noted below:
Fixing compliance issues can be costly in both time and money.
One of the few benefits to a failed assessment is knowing exactly which problem-areas need to be addressed prior to attempting a new assessment. Your C3PAO can’t tell you how to fix the issues, but this road-map of sorts can help guide your organization on the path forward.
However, this is also very costly - Not only do you have to dedicate resources to remediating any issues, which can take a variable amount of time depending on the deficiency, a new assessment will have to be paid for and then scheduled from the beginning of the process.
Scheduling assessments will only get harder from here
The reality of CMMC is that there is a limited number of assessment teams to verify CMMC compliance. Many Certified Third-Party Assessor Organization (C3PAO) teams have limited assessment availability, and slots are filling up quickly with the approach of 48 CFR’s publication.
So far, many companies are ahead of the curve - By securing an assessment early, their organization’s schedule becomes a lot more flexible without the added stress of having to find an assessment team with an open slot.
“What Should I Do Next?”
Luckily, even having a lower CMMC assessment score doesn’t necessarily mean having to start the process over. Depending on your achieved score, as well as what specific deficiencies there are, the Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) process may come into play depending on the following conditions:
Scoring above 88 (i.e., 80% compliant);
Having POA&M-able controls (only controls worth 1 point are able to be included in a POA&M. Failed requirements worth 3 or 5 points result in an instant failed assessment, and there are a few 1-pointers outlined in 32 CFR that can’t be POA&M’d either);
Remediating any POA&M items within the 180-day requirement.
Even a failed assessment can offer a valuable silver lining - it provides a clear roadmap for improvement. The insights gained highlight exactly where adjustments are needed, turning setbacks into actionable next steps.
One of the most effective ways to position yourself for success in a future assessment is to partner with a team of experienced consultants. Instead of going it alone, a support team can help address the identified weaknesses, implement targeted remediation strategies, and guide you confidently back toward your next CMMC compliance opportunity.
“Ok but how can I ensure success next time?”
One of the most important aspects of an assessment is preparation. The most successful assessments are the ones that go through a mock assessment to truly test the readiness to pass a CMMC assessment, and is something we encourage all of our clients to pursue.
Hive Systems offers what we call our “Peace of Mind” assessment, which bundles a mock and certification assessment together. With this approach, you get the same team for both assessments so you know control interpretations won’t change, and you can identify exactly which controls need to be remediated before your official CMMC Level 2 Certification Assessment occurs.
We are here to help you, no matter what challenges your organization may face - Contact us today to ensure your CMMC assessment is completed successfully!
How do we know all of this? We’re a C3PAO!
Follow us - stay ahead.
