CMMC Readiness Advisory
CMMC readiness for small defense contractors
Echelon Advisory Group helps small and mid-size DoD contractors on the Gulf Coast understand where they stand against CMMC requirements and build the documentation and evidence an assessment will ask for.
Locally based on the Gulf Coast, on-site within the corridor when it helps, with fixed-scope engagements and no products to upsell.
What we do
Practical, plain-language support for the CMMC requirements in your defense contracts. We work with owners and operations leads, not just IT teams.
Readiness Snapshot
A short review of where your organization stands today against CMMC Level 1 and Level 2 requirements, with the top gaps to address first.
Gap Assessment
A structured review of your systems and practices against NIST SP 800-171, marking each requirement as met, partially met, or not met.
SSP and POA&M Development
Development of your System Security Plan and a Plan of Action and Milestones that documents each gap and a realistic path to close it.
Assessment Preparation
Help organizing evidence and preparing for a self-assessment or a C3PAO assessment, so you walk in knowing what will be reviewed.
Who we serve
The requirements land differently depending on the kind of business you run. Here is how they tend to show up for the companies we work with.
Engineering and RDT&E firms
You handle controlled technical data, test results, and drawings marked as CUI, so your contracts point to NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC Level 2. That information usually lives on engineering workstations and shared drives that were set up for speed, not for these rules. The work is drawing the boundary, documenting the controls, and having a defensible plan before a prime asks to see it.
Manufacturers and machine shops
Primes send you controlled drawings and specifications, and those files move through email, a shop computer, and sometimes a machine on the floor. You run production, not a security program, and the CMMC language in your purchase orders reads like a foreign document. The job is protecting those drawings and writing down how you do it, in terms that fit how a shop actually runs.
Construction and facilities contractors
Base and facilities work brings Federal Contract Information into project management systems, email, and field devices, which puts you under FAR 52.204-21 and CMMC Level 1. Level 1 is a self-assessment you post in SPRS, so the real risk is signing an attestation you cannot back up. The work is meeting the Level 1 requirements honestly and keeping the evidence to show it.
Professional services firms
Consulting, staffing, logistics, and IT services firms often handle FCI or CUI with no single controlled system in sight, just laptops, cloud email, and staff working from several locations. Because the data is spread across people and devices, the scope is easy to underestimate. The work is finding where covered information actually flows and building controls that match a distributed, people-centered business.
Who this is for
If your contracts reference DFARS 252.204-7012, FAR 52.204-21, or a CMMC level, these requirements apply to you.
- Small and mid-size contractors and subcontractors, roughly 15 to 150 employees.
- Companies handling Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information.
- Teams with limited internal IT and non-technical leadership.
- Suppliers whose primes are now asking about CMMC status and SPRS scores.
Why now
CMMC requirements are phasing into DoD solicitations. Beginning November 10, 2026, Level 2 contracts require a third-party assessment through an accredited C3PAO. Documentation and evidence take time to build, and starting early keeps a contract deadline from becoming a scramble.
Not sure where to start?
Try the free CMMC Level 1 self-check to see where you stand in a few minutes. It runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. Or send a short note about your contracts and we will suggest a first step.