Are you accidentally a DoD contractor?
If your contract touches CUI, through an aerospace prime, a federal civilian agency, or any DFARS clause that flowed down to you, you're on the hook for all 110 NIST 800-171 controls. Most teams find out when their prime asks for the SPRS score. CMMC Phase 2 is enforceable November 10, 2026.
- All 110 NIST 800-171 r3 controls + 320 assessment objectives
- DFARS 252.204-7012 flow-down tracker through Tier 4 suppliers
- CMMC L1 / L2 / L3 readiness on the same library
- For procurement teams: supplier portal with cascade verification
What is NIST 800-171 compliance software?
Your DoD primes will ask for your SPRS score before the next renewal. CMMC Phase 2 is enforceable November 10, 2026. RiskWatch tracks all 110 NIST 800-171 r3 controls + the 320 assessment objectives a C3PAO actually grades against, fans DFARS 252.204-7012 flow-down through Tier 4 suppliers, and walks L1 / L2 / L3 readiness on the same library. Most teams think in practices and miss AO-level documentation, that’s the actual failure mode.
45% of contractors haven't read the standard. The other 55% can't agree what it means.
NDIA survey hard data: less than 60% of DIB contractors had read the cybersecurity clause; half of those found it hard to understand; 45% hadn't read 800-171 guidelines at all. The pain isn't the technical controls, it's knowing what's in scope, what the controls actually require, and how to document compliance for a DoD assessment.
Where does CUI live in your environment? You're guessing.
The hardest challenge contractors face is determining whether a system is processing covered defense information (CDI/CUI) and is therefore in DFARS 252.204-7012 scope. NIST's boundary guidance is high-level and does little to address real-world network architecture. CUI scope wizard walks the systems-classification flow auditors expect, in-scope, connected-to, out-of-scope, with boundary-justification documentation captured automatically.
Documentation difficulty exceeds technical implementation difficulty.
Implementing access controls, encryption, MFA, these are tractable. Producing the System Security Plan (SSP), incident response plan, and audit log review documentation that an assessor can navigate is what derails most contractors. SSP, POA&M, and incident response plan generated from the same control library, versioned, exportable, structured the way DoD assessors expect.
Self-attest to SPRS. POA&M for what's left. DoD reads the score.
The SPRS submission is one number that DoD source-selection officials read. A 88/110 with documented POA&M reads differently than a 110/110 with no evidence. SPRS score auto-calculated from your control implementation status, with the POA&M items prioritized by SPRS-score impact. Submit the right score with the right backing evidence.
Every module a DoD contractor needs, in one platform.
Sixteen modules sharing the 800-171 r3 catalog, CUI inventory, and SSP/POA&M artifacts. Built around the CUI scope determination so the rest of the assessment flows from a defensible boundary.
SPRS score at a glance
Per-family compliance %, SPRS score trend, POA&M closure rate, DFARS clause coverage.
All 110 controls · 14 families
Access Control, Awareness & Training, Audit, CM, IR, Maintenance, Media, Personnel, Physical, RA, SA, SC, SI, plus newly-renumbered r3 families.
The #1 contractor pain solved
Walks systems-classification flow: in-scope (processes/stores/transmits CUI), connected-to (provides services), out-of-scope. Boundary justification captured.
System Security Plan auto-built
SSP per 800-171A assessment procedures. Per-control implementation statement + evidence linkage. Versioned, exportable as PDF/Word.
Plan of Action & Milestones
Open findings + milestone dates + risk ratings + remediation evidence. Prioritized by SPRS-score impact.
DoD-format basic assessment
Auto-calculate SPRS score from control implementation status. Submit per DFARS 252.204-7019. Track score across assessment cycles.
Same controls, two deliverables
All 110 NIST 800-171 controls overlap CMMC 2.0 Level 2. Score 800-171, get CMMC 2.0 readiness automatically.
DFARS 7012 72-hour clock
Incident reporting per DFARS 252.204-7012(c), 72-hour notification to DoD via DIBNet. Templates and audit trail.
DFARS is ongoing, not one-time
Continuous compliance, DFARS adherence is required across the contract lifecycle. Quarterly reassessment cadence per family.
DFARS 7012(b) flow-down
Track CSPs handling CUI on your behalf. Verify FedRAMP Moderate baseline. Maintain DFARS flow-down clauses.
Awareness + role-based + insider threat
Schedule, deliver, attest per 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3 controls. Evidence per workforce member.
800-171 + CMMC + 800-53 + ISO 27001
Each control maps to CMMC 2.0 practice + NIST 800-53 r5 control + ISO 27001 Annex A control + CIS v8 safeguard.
Import 200 systems in 5 minutes
Bulk import asset register, system inventory, prior assessments. CMDB sync. Customize fields without IT.
"Who closed 3.5.3?" answered instantly
Timestamped log of every score change, evidence upload, POA&M closure. C3PAO-grade for CMMC overlay.
Per 800-171A procedures
Question-by-question scoring against the 800-171A assessment objectives. SPRS-aligned scoring methodology.
DFARS 7012(m) cascade
Track DFARS clause flow-down to subcontractors handling CUI. Verify their compliance before contract execution.
From Access Control to System & Information Integrity.
NIST 800-171 r3 organizes 110 controls into 14 families. Some families (Access Control, Audit, IR, RA) carry most of the SPRS-score weight; others are quick wins. RiskWatch ships with all 110 r3 controls, the 800-171A assessment procedures per control, and SPRS-impact ranking so you prioritize the right gaps first.
- 3.1 Access Control (22 controls), the heaviest family, MFA, least privilege, remote access, mobile devices
- 3.3 Audit & Accountability (9 controls), audit logging, time stamps, audit log protection, audit reduction
- 3.5 Identification & Authentication (11 controls), MFA for privileged + remote (3.5.3), authenticator management, FIPS-validated crypto
- 3.6 Incident Response (3 controls), IR capability, IR testing, IR tracking
- 3.11 Risk Assessment (3 controls), risk assessments, vulnerability scanning, ranking
- 3.13 System & Communications Protection (16 controls), network segmentation, encryption, FIPS-validated crypto in transit + at rest
- 3.14 System & Information Integrity (7 controls), flaw remediation, malicious code, system monitoring, security alerts
NIST 800-171 + CMMC 2.0 + NIST 800-53 + ISO 27001.
NIST 800-171 is the foundation, CMMC 2.0 Level 2 is the same 110 controls plus a third-party assessment requirement. CMMC 2.0 Level 3 adds 24 controls from 800-172. RiskWatch maps every 800-171 control to its CMMC 2.0 practice, NIST 800-53 r5 parent control, ISO 27001 Annex A counterpart, and CIS v8 safeguard. Score 800-171 once, see CMMC 2.0 readiness automatically.
- CMMC 2.0 Level 2, all 110 NIST 800-171 controls + 320 assessment objectives, same data, different deliverable
- CMMC 2.0 Level 3, Level 2 + 24 controls from NIST 800-172 enhanced security
- NIST 800-53 r5, parent controls, most 800-171 controls derive from FedRAMP Moderate baseline
- ISO 27001:2022 Annex A, for international contractors running ISO + 800-171
- NIST CSF 2.0, outcome-based mapping for board reporting
The four clauses that drive 800-171 compliance.
Safeguarding Covered Defense Information + 72-hour cyber incident reporting
Notice of NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements (SPRS submission)
NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements (Basic / Medium / High)
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Requirements (CMMC 2.0 cascade)
From CUI scoping to SPRS-submitted in five stages.
Most teams complete CUI scope determination in their first week, the foundation for everything else. SPRS submission is the milestone that gets you eligible for new contracts.
Scope CUI
CUI scope wizard walks systems-classification flow. Document boundary justifications. CMDB sync auto-classifies systems.
Score 110 controls
Question-by-question scoring against 800-171A assessment objectives. Evidence linked per control. Auto-fill from prior assessments.
SSP + POA&M
System Security Plan generated from control library. POA&M for not-yet-implemented controls. Prioritized by SPRS-score impact.
Submit + monitor
SPRS score submitted per DFARS 252.204-7019. Continuous monitoring + quarterly reassessment. POA&M items closed to closure.
DoD source-selection ready
SPRS score visible to DoD contracting officials. SSP + POA&M evidence packaged for assessor review. CMMC 2.0 Level 2 readiness 80%+ complete.
The DFARS scoping that stopped getting flagged.
Real DoD contractors. Real CUI scope decisions defended. Real SPRS scores submitted on time.
The CUI scope wizard caught two systems we'd under-scoped. Documentation our last assessor said was “the best he'd seen.”
“Self-assessment used to be a 6-week project. Now it's continuous. SPRS score updates automatically when controls change.”
“We're pursuing CMMC 2.0 Level 2 by Phase 2. Cross-framework mapping means our 800-171 work translates directly to CMMC readiness, same controls, two deliverables.”
“DFARS flow-down to our subcontractors was killing us with spreadsheets. Subcontractor module catches missing flow-downs at intake, before contracts execute.”
Plus every framework on the DoD/Federal contracting path, cross-mapped.
NIST 800-171 is the foundation, CMMC 2.0, NIST 800-53, ISO 27001 all cascade from the same control work. Score once, satisfy multiple.
Take RiskWatch home before you sign anything.
Three downloads. Use them to evaluate, share with your subcontractors, or build the DFARS readiness business case.
NIST 800-171 r3 Self-Assessment Checklist
Thirty-six pages walking all 110 controls across 14 families with 800-171A assessment procedures and the SPRS scoring methodology. Includes the CUI scope determination worksheet.
- All 110 controls + 800-171A procedures
- CUI scope determination worksheet
- SPRS scoring methodology
SSP + POA&M Template Pack
DFARS-aligned System Security Plan template + Plan of Action & Milestones template + DFARS clause flow-down checklist for subcontractors.
- DFARS-aligned SSP template
- POA&M with milestone dates
- Subcontractor flow-down checklist
NIST 800-171 + CMMC Platform Buyer's Guide
Vendor scorecard, CUI scope determination depth, SSP/POA&M generation features, CMMC 2.0 readiness alignment, pricing.
- Feature matrix · 6 vendors
- CMMC 2.0 alignment scorecard
- Pricing benchmarks
Common questions, answered up front.
About NIST 800-171 r3, DFARS clauses, CUI scope determination, SPRS score submission, SSP/POA&M, and how RiskWatch covers all of them.
What is NIST 800-171 compliance software?
What's the difference between NIST 800-171 and CMMC 2.0?
How does CUI scope determination work?
What is the SPRS score and how is it submitted?
What is the SSP and POA&M?
How does NIST 800-171 r3 differ from r2?
How long does NIST 800-171 implementation take?
Is there a free trial?
Run your CUI scope wizard this week.
Start a 30-day free trial, every NIST 800-171 r3 control, the CUI scope wizard, SSP/POA&M generation, SPRS scoring, DFARS coverage, and CMMC 2.0 Level 2 alignment. No credit card required.
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