Industry · Defense Industrial Base
0.5% certified.
18 months to Phase 2.
Only ~431 of 80,000 DIB contractors (0.5%) have completed CMMC Level 2 certification. Phase 2 hits 10 November 2026 — ~18 months out. ~100 C3PAOs exist and they are all booked. The ecosystem cannot service the backlog in time. Start now or you don’t bid.
$138K-$500K Year 1 + $50K-$100K/year sustainment for properly-scoped CMMC L2 readiness. Most contractors over-scope the CUI enclave and pay 3-5× that.
What we run for DIB partners
Eight components. All NIST 800-171 mapped.
CMMC 2.0 Level 2 Readiness
110-control NIST 800-171 implementation, scoping the CUI enclave (most contractors over-scope and pay 3-5× the necessary cert cost), C3PAO coordination, mock assessment, deficiency remediation, certification submission.
CMMC Level 3 + NIST 800-172 Enhanced
For prime contractors and high-impact subs handling export-controlled or critical-program CUI. Government-led assessment coordination with DCMA DIBCAC.
NIST 800-171 SSP + POA&M + SPRS
System Security Plan written to actual environment, Plan of Action and Milestones tracked monthly, Supplier Performance Risk System score management. Annual reaffirmation.
DFARS 7012 / 7019 / 7020 / 7021
Safeguarding Covered Defense Information (CDI) compliance. Cyber-incident reporting program. Subcontractor flow-down language. CMMC L2 contractual readiness.
ITAR + Export Controls
22 CFR 120-130 compliance program. Technical data segregation. GCC High or GovCloud architecture. Empowered Official designation. License + agreement management.
GCC High + GovCloud Architecture
Microsoft 365 GCC High tenant build, Azure Government, AWS GovCloud architecture. CUI segregation by design. Cross-tenant collaboration patterns. Conditional access tuned for ITAR.
FedRAMP Moderate Authorization
For DIB SaaS providers. 3PAO coordinated. SSP, SAR, POA&M lifecycle. Continuous monitoring. Faster path via the Joint Authorization Board or single agency sponsor.
Federal AI + OMB M-25-21/M-25-22
AI use case inventory under OMB AI Use Case requirements. NIST AI 600-1 GenAI profile. ATO support for AI systems. EO replacements (post-EO 14110 rescission Jan 2025).
Buying triggers
When DIB suppliers evaluate a partner.
Phase 2 Nov 2026 deadline. C3PAO Level 2 assessments mandatory in DoD contracts starting 10 Nov 2026. ~80,000 contractors need certification, only ~431 (0.5%) are certified today, ~100 C3PAOs exist and all are booked. Start now or you don't bid.
Prime flow-down clause. Lockheed, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop are starting to require CMMC L2 certification (or documented in-progress) in subcontract awards. Lose the cert path, lose the work.
DCMA DIBCAC assessment notice. DCMA's Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center is conducting NIST 800-171 medium and high assessments unannounced. Documented SSP + POA&M + SPRS score required at the door.
ITAR violation discovery. Self-disclosure to DDTC after discovering technical data exposure to non-US persons or unauthorized cloud. We coordinate the disclosure + corrective action plan + remediation under counsel privilege.
GCC High / GovCloud migration. Triggered by an ITAR / CUI scope finding. Mid-cap defense suppliers underestimate the GCC High licensing + integration cost by 3-5×. We scope honestly and avoid the over-spend.
Specifics
Read the detail.
CMMC 2.0 Compliance
L1, L2, L3 readiness. C3PAO coordination. Tightly-scoped CUI enclaves.
Read moreNIST 800-171 + DFARS
SSP, POA&M, SPRS submission. Foundation for CMMC L2.
Read moreITAR Compliance
Technical data controls. GCC High / GovCloud architecture. 22 CFR §120-130 aligned.
Read moreFederal Modernization Hub
Full MSP+MSSP+AI+Compliance+Offensive stack delivered to DIB customers under federal contracting posture.
Read morePricing for DIB partners
Stated openly. No procurement mystery.
CMMC L2 Year 1 readiness: $138K-$500Kfixed-fee depending on environment size + over-scope risk. Most contractors over-scope CUI by 3-5× — a tightly-scoped enclave is the single biggest cost saver.
CMMC L2 sustainment: $50K-$100K/yr ongoing — POA&M tracking, SSP updates, control evidence collection, annual reaffirmation, surveillance assessment.
CMMC L3 + NIST 800-172 Enhanced: custom scoped, typically $300K-$1M for a prime-scope environment.
Modernization Partnership for DIB: $500K-$1M-$3M/yr full stack including CMMC sustainment, ITAR compliance, ongoing MSSP + IR retainer + AI governance under DoD-friendly contracting.
Six months minimum. Schedule directly or call.
Who you’ll work with
Quinnlan Varcoe
CEO and Founder · OSCP · GIAC × 10 · 17 credentials across the practice
WOSB-positioned. CMMC + NIST 800-171 + ITAR + FedRAMP coverage across the credential stack. DCMA DIBCAC + C3PAO coordinated. Senior-led, no offshore.
Every partnership begins with me. Not a sales rep, not an account executive, not a junior. The first call, the diagnostic, the strategy work — that’s mine.
Phase 2 deadline closing in?
Schedule a callTrusted by partners across the practice
Reviews
From the senior people
who’ve worked alongside Quinn.
The named companies beside each reviewer are their employers — not Varcoe partnerships. Each quote is a professional reference from someone who’s shipped work alongside Quinn directly.
“The partnership model isn't marketing language with Quinn — it's how she actually works. Senior judgment, single accountable contact, and the rigor to integrate across IT, security, and AI under one roof.”
Aaron Birnbaum
Managing Partner
“Quinnlan brings more than expertise — she brings strategic alignment. The ability to scale operations without sacrificing depth is exactly what serious organizations need from a modernization partner.”
Caroline Lombard
Threat Specialist
“I've worked with Quinnlan on incidents most teams couldn't navigate — Log4j among them. The technical depth and the calm under fire are real, and they're rare.”
Justin Cox
Senior AWS Security Analyst
“One of the most seamless collaborations I've had in this industry. Composure under pressure, technical precision, and the kind of credibility that compounds — exactly the senior bench a modernization partnership needs.”
Soufiane Jihadi
Senior Incident Response Consultant
Original references collected on the legacy Varcoe site · LinkedIn endorsements available on request