CMMC enforcement began November 10, 2025. By 2028, 80,000+ defense contractors will need Level 2 certification — and the assessor pool is already overwhelmed.
We're the veteran-led operator team that gets you authorized — and keeps you there.
// CURRENT THREAT LANDSCAPE
Three independent exposure surfaces. Each one ends careers and contracts.
// CMMC ENFORCEMENT
80,000
Phase 2 mandatory C3PAO assessment hits Nov 10, 2026. New-client wait times projected to exceed 18 months by Q3 2026.
DFARS 252.204-7021 · DoD CMMC Program Office
// FEDRAMP AUTHORIZATION
$800K-$2M
12-18 months end-to-end. 325+ NIST 800-53 controls at Moderate, 421 at High. No ATO, no federal marketplace.
GSA FedRAMP PMO · Industry Data 2025
// FALSE CLAIMS ACT
3×
CMMC 2.0 requires annual affirmation of continuous compliance. False signatures trigger DOJ Civil Cyber-Fraud exposure.
DOJ Civil Cyber-Fraud · 31 U.S.C. § 3729
// THE REAL PROBLEM
Every vendor in the federal space claims to be "CMMC-ready" or "FedRAMP-aligned." Tools track controls, dashboards score gaps, templates fill binders — none of it produces an ATO. Authorization is human work: drafting the SSP that survives technical review, building the POA&M that defends every gap, negotiating findings with assessors, signing the annual affirmation, and being right when the DOJ pulls the contract file. We're the operator team that does it. Tools store evidence. We deliver authorization.
// SERVICES
Our methodology is mapped to the federal, state, and DoD environment we operate in — not a commercial framework with a govcon tab bolted on.
// 01
The fastest path from "we have to be CMMC Level 2 next year" to a clean C3PAO assessment and a signed Authority to Operate.
CMMC · FedRAMP · FISMA · NIST · ATO · SSP · POA&M
// 02
The operator layer behind the authorization. Continuous monitoring, vCISO leadership, and the human-led work that keeps the ATO from getting revoked.
vCISO · ConMon · CISA KEV · SCRM · DFARS
// 03
Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government are not paperwork drills. When the incident hits the agency or the prime, the response is what protects the contract — and the citizens.
COOP · COG · CIRCIA · IR · TABLETOP · DR
// WHO WE SERVE
// 01
Defense contractors at every tier — primes flowing CMMC down, subs racing the Phase 2 C3PAO clock, and manufacturers handling CUI under DFARS 252.204-7012/7021.
// 02
Cloud service providers and federal civilian contractors pursuing FedRAMP Low, Moderate, or High authorization — plus FISMA-covered systems operating on behalf of federal agencies.
// 03
California state and local agencies, law enforcement, and public-sector organizations. Direct procurement through CMAS #3-25-06-1018 plus CJIS Security Policy support.
// 04
Defense technology startups and dual-use platforms selling to DoD. CMMC readiness paired with SOC 2 and ISO 27001 — built for AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, and GCP for Government.
// ENGAGEMENT SNAPSHOT
100%
Across CMMC, NIST 800-171, HIPAA, and SOC 2 engagements. Programs reach the assessment window pre-rehearsed and evidence-backed — so when the assessor arrives, the program is ready.
DoD
Engagements supporting the Department of Defense, State of California, California DMV, and Port of San Diego. CAGE 9CQZ9, SAM UEI UN1KZXJAMUH3, DUNS 118777292.
CMAS
California Multiple Award Schedule #3-25-06-1018 for state and local procurement. SDVOSB, DVBE, and SBE certified for federal and California set-asides. Available for direct award and prime/sub teaming.
// OPERATIONAL HERITAGE
From securing tactical communications
on U.S. Army Special Forces and Naval Special Warfare teams
to securing the federal networks that depend on them.
// PROCUREMENT
WatchUr6 is structured for federal, state, and DoD procurement from day one. We hold the certifications, contract vehicles, and registrations contracting officers need to award without friction — and the past performance to justify the award once they do.
// THE NEXT MOVE
// FREQUENTLY ASKED
The DFARS CMMC final rule (DFARS 252.204-7021) took effect November 10, 2025, starting a phased three-year rollout.
Phase 1 (Nov 10, 2025): contracting officers begin requiring CMMC Level 1 or Level 2 self-assessment status in applicable solicitations.
Phase 2 (Nov 10, 2026): mandatory C3PAO-assessed Level 2 certification requirements appear in applicable contracts.
Phase 3 (Nov 10, 2027): DIBCAC-assessed Level 3 status required for high-priority programs.
Phase 4 (Nov 10, 2028): full implementation across all applicable DoD contracts.
The DoD estimates 80,000 contractors in the Defense Industrial Base will need Level 2 certification — and with fewer than 80 authorized C3PAOs in operation, wait times for new clients are projected to exceed 18 months by Q3 2026. The Phase 2 deadline is, practically, now.
CMMC Level 1 applies to contractors handling Federal Contract Information (FCI). Compliance requires implementing FAR 52.204-21 (Basic Safeguarding) with 15 security controls, verified through annual self-assessment.
CMMC Level 2 applies to contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). It requires implementing all 110 controls from NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, plus practices unique to CMMC. Verification is via either a self-assessment or a C3PAO third-party assessment — moving to mandatory C3PAO under Phase 2.
CMMC Level 3 applies to the most sensitive CUI in critical programs and adds controls from NIST SP 800-172. Verification is by the Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center (DIBCAC), not a C3PAO.
Recertification is required every three years for Levels 2 and 3, with annual affirmations of continuous compliance signed by a named senior official.
Traditional FedRAMP Rev. 5 agency authorization typically takes 12 to 18 months from kickoff to ATO, with realistic all-in costs of $800K to $2M for a first-time Moderate authorization — including readiness, remediation, 3PAO assessment, and documentation. FedRAMP Moderate requires implementing 325+ NIST 800-53 controls; FedRAMP High requires 421.
The FedRAMP 20x pilot, launched in 2025, targets faster cycles (the first pilot completed in 119 days) and is on track to become the default for new authorizations by Q3 2026. For DoD contractors specifically, FedRAMP Moderate Equivalency under DFARS 252.204-7012 offers an alternate path that skips the civilian agency marketplace but retains the documentation and assessment rigor.
The path that's right for your organization depends on your federal customer base, your existing security posture, and your timeline. We work through that decision with you as part of the strategy call.
Compliance automation platforms are systems of record. They map controls, store evidence, and dashboard your readiness state. They do not draft your System Security Plan, build your Plan of Action & Milestones, negotiate findings with your C3PAO assessor, design the technical architecture that satisfies the 110 NIST 800-171 controls, or sit across the table from a federal program manager when something goes wrong.
WatchUr6 is the operator team. vCISO leadership, security architecture, audit preparation, C3PAO/3PAO liaison, and continuous monitoring program operation. The human-led work auditors actually grade.
Many of our clients run both — automation tooling as a system of record, and WatchUr6 as the team that builds, operates, and defends the underlying program the tooling tracks. Tools store evidence. We deliver authorization.
Significant. The Department of Justice's Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, launched in October 2021, has actively pursued contractors who misrepresent their cybersecurity posture in federal contracts.
Under CMMC 2.0, contractors must annually affirm continuous compliance — and that affirmation is made by a named senior official. False or unsupportable affirmations expose that official to personal liability under the False Claims Act, with treble damages plus per-claim penalties (up to ~$28K per claim in 2025).
Multiple settlements between 2023 and 2025 have already targeted defense contractors for inflated NIST 800-171 SPRS scores or misrepresented control implementation — including Aerojet Rocketdyne, Verizon, and others. Documenting actual control implementation — and refusing to overstate it — is the single most important defense.
WatchUr6 holds California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) contract #3-25-06-1018, which provides a direct procurement vehicle for California state and local government agencies — bypassing the full competitive RFP cycle.
We're also a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Small Business Enterprise (SBE), making us eligible for federal and California set-aside programs.
Our federal registrations: SAM.gov UEI UN1KZXJAMUH3, CAGE 9CQZ9, DUNS 118777292. Past performance includes the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, State of California, California DMV, and Port of San Diego.
Engage us directly through CMAS, through SDVOSB/DVBE set-asides, through GSA channels, or as a subcontractor to an existing prime contract. The strategy call walks through which path is fastest for your specific procurement situation.
// NEXT MOVE
30 minutes with a veteran-led federal cyber team. We'll walk your current CMMC level, your nearest C3PAO availability, your FedRAMP path options, and the procurement vehicles available for your engagement. No sales theater — whether you hire us or not.