Guide
What NIST 800-171 compliance costs (honest ranges)
800-171 compliance has three cost centers: knowing your gaps, closing them, and proving it. Here's what each one runs.
The labeled ranges
- 800-171 readiness / gap assessment: $15,000–$40,000 — SSP review, control testing, POA&M.
- Remediation support: varies wildly — the assessment tells you the size of this number. Budget internal staff time plus tooling (SIEM, MFA, vulnerability management).
- CMMC Level 2 assessment (C3PAO): $50,000–$150,000 — the authorized assessment itself.
All directory estimates (September 2026) with provenance in the pricing report — not quotes.
What moves the number
- CUI footprint: fewer systems in scope = smaller assessment. Scoping and segmentation before assessment pays for itself.
- Starting posture: mature IT with logging and MFA already in place cuts remediation dramatically.
- SSP quality: a real, current SSP accelerates everything downstream; a fictional one doubles the work.
Keep it down
Scope tightly, fix the cheap gaps yourself after readiness, and get 2–3 scoped quotes — pricing varies more than buyers expect. Our quote form routes to defense-stage firms that fit.
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