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The DoD's Own Cyber Monday: Defense Department Releases CMMC Assessment Guides

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.09.20

Fresh off the heels of the DFARS Interim Rule, the Department of Defense (DoD) released Assessment Guides for Levels 1 - 3 of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). These Guides will be used by Certified Assessors to determine whether contractors have satisfied the practices and processes required to attain CMMC certifications at the level needed to be awarded future DoD contracts. These new assessment procedures, which DoD calls “authoritative,” are leveraged from NIST SP 800-171A, the NIST guidance used to assess compliance with NIST SP 800-171. 

A notable inclusion in the Levels 2 – 3 Guide is the assessment criteria used to evaluate a contractor’s implementation of processes for each of the 17 CMMC Domains. Under the CMMC, the DoD has stated that contractors will not be certified at CMMC Levels 2 and above if the contractor has not satisfied both the technical practices and process maturity for the desired level.

These Guides will provide useful insights as contractors prepare for the DoD’s phased implementation of CMMC requirements into all DoD contracts over the next 5 years. 

Insights

Client Alert | 2 min read | 07.31.25

A Greater Sum of Certainty: ASBCA Weighs in on when Sum Certain Defense Is Not Waived

A recent Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals decision provides useful guidance on when the government may (or may not) waive its defense that a contractor’s claim failed to state a sum certain. In GE Renewables US, LLC, the contractor had submitted a claim to the contracting officer for a determination that the contractor had the right to an economic price adjustment (EPA) due to an inflation-related price increase. Notably, the contractor did not provide the value of its requested adjustment in its claim. The contracting officer denied the claim, and the contractor appealed to the Board....