What is C3PAO?
C3PAO stands for CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization. A C3PAO is an organization authorized by the Cyber AB to conduct official CMMC Level 2 certification assessments.
A CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO) is the entity that performs your formal Level 2 assessment and issues certification. C3PAOs are authorized and listed on the Cyber AB Marketplace.
C3PAOs continue to conduct authorized Level 2 assessments, but the Department suspended the Phase II transition and future implementation milestones on July 13, 2026. Contractors should schedule against actual contract and prime requirements rather than the former November deadline.
A C3PAO cannot both consult for and assess the same client within a defined window, which is why readiness partners (RPOs) and assessors work as separate roles in the ecosystem.
- CUICUI is government-created or -owned information that requires safeguarding under law, regulation, or government-wide policy, but is not classified.
- DIBCACDIBCAC is the DoD organization that conducts government-led high assessments and CMMC Level 3 assessments.
- POA&MA POA&M is a tracked plan for remediating security controls that are not yet fully implemented, with owners and target dates.
See where you actually stand on the 110 controls.
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