Insights · Government Contracting · 5 min read · 2026-06-17
CMMC for Small Primes: Assessor-Ready Without Compliance Theater
Small defense primes get sold generic SSP templates that fall apart the moment an assessor asks how a control works in your environment.
By Alexander Morrow, Founder & CEO · Blackbox Intelligence Group
Why templates fail
CMMC readiness is not a document exercise. Assessors want evidence that NIST 800-171 controls are implemented in your systems - logging, identity, configuration, incident response - not copied policy language.
A phased path that works
Run a gap assessment against your actual environment. Write the SSP and POA&M for your own systems. Collect evidence for assessor interviews. Remediate identity, logging, and boundary controls first.
What good looks like
You can explain every high-risk gap, who owns closure, and what evidence exists today. You are not claiming certification - you are demonstrating operational security an assessor can verify.
Want to teach this?
These topics are covered in the Blackbox CLC curriculum. Browse the units or talk to us about a program.