CMMC-AB Grants C3PAO Candidate Status to ABS Quality Evaluations

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body has designated ABS Quality Evaluations as a CMMC certified third party assessor organization candidate.

ABS QE is the business assurance and management systems certification subsidiary of ABS Group of Companies.

According to ABS QE, the designation marks the first in a series of steps that would authorize companies to perform assessments on defense contractors seeking compliance with the CMMC.

“By attaining this classification, ABS QE will further strengthen its cybersecurity portfolio by assisting to accurately assess the security of the DIB supply chain,” ABS QE President Dominic Townsend said in a statement.

Approved third-party assessors will be listed on the CMMC-AB’s marketplace webpage as “Authorized C3PAOs.” 

Final C3PAO status is given by the CMMC-AB to organizations that have secured clearance from the Defense Contract Management Agency. 

So far, only three companies have been designated as C3PAOs.

Redspin, a division of CynergisTek, was granted inaugural C3PAO status on June 9. Kratos received the same designation the following week. Cask Government Services, the third and most recent C3PAO, was welcomed into the CMMC marketplace on July 28. 

All three companies were cleared to audit companies seeking CMMC certification at Maturity Levels 1 through 3. Defense contractors’ cyber readiness is being evaluated to ensure that controlled unclassified information and federal contract information across the defense industrial base remains secure.