CMMC Registry / Free planning tool
Decision guide & local worksheet
Plan the handoff from readiness support to an assessment
Separate provider roles, controlled evidence access and the organization’s decisions.
A directory entry or consultant engagement does not establish an assessment outcome. Use this handoff plan to decide what preparation work will be delivered, which role reviews it and how authorized assessment participants receive approved material.
Verify the role before assigning the work
Ask whether the provider is offering readiness advice, implementation, an assessment service or coordination. Verify any claimed authorization through the relevant official process. Do not infer a role from a brand name, directory listing or a claim of “CMMC help.”
The route required for a particular engagement depends on the applicable requirement and current official process. Readiness assistance should not be described as an independent certification or assessment result.
Define a handoff package with boundaries
Use categories such as scope record, implementation action log, evidence index and unresolved questions. State what the recipient needs to review and who approves release. Keep document contents and sensitive system details in an approved environment.
The assessment scope must be specified before assessment under 32 CFR 170.19. A handoff should make the approved scope and unresolved dependencies visible; it should not quietly expand an assertion to other systems.
Agree controlled access rather than attaching everything
The worksheet stores reference categories only. It does not collect files, access credentials or system evidence. Identify the approved recipient role and transfer route separately. A public browser planner is not an evidence room.
- Confirm preparation and formal assessment responsibilities.
- Resolve any provider independence or conflict questions through the applicable process.
- Approve the release set and any redactions.
- Record who answers scope and evidence questions.
Read the fictional release states
A scope summary can be ready for an approved route while an internal action log still needs redaction. A third artifact may have no agreed recipient. Those differences matter more than a single “ready” badge.
The sample does not claim any provider is an assessor or that a particular organization passed. It demonstrates how to keep responsibility and release decisions explicit.
Close the readiness engagement honestly
Ask for the final deliverable inventory, unresolved actions and ownership of the working record. If an action remains open, identify who will perform and verify it. Purchased preparation and formal outcomes should be reported separately.
Use the relevant FBP service form to discuss readiness preparation. Confirm any required assessor relationship and assessment route separately; the service link is not an assessor designation.
Build your local planning brief
Make a bounded planning brief, then download it for your own review. Use role labels and nonsensitive references rather than names, credentials or source documents.
Your entries stay in this page’s memory. This worksheet does not upload, email or save responses to a server or browser storage. Existing site scripts continue to operate under the site’s privacy policy. Download before refreshing or leaving. Do not enter sensitive, personal or customer information.
Your local planning draft. Use the fictional example to see how the tool works.
| Handoff artifact category | Preparation role | Client approval role | Intended recipient role | Release state | Row |
|---|
Review the brief before requesting support
- Provider roles and any claimed authorization are verified.
- The scope and unresolved actions have owners.
- Release permission and secure handling are agreed.
- Preparation completion is distinguished from assessment outcome.
This tool organizes preparation. It does not update an official record, submit an offer, certify compliance or guarantee an award, assessment or processing result.
Official sources and scope of this guide
Sources checked 30 October 2026. Requirements can change. Use the actual solicitation, contract and current official instructions for your circumstances. The worked examples are fictional and do not describe client results.
- 32 CFR 170.19 — CMMC scoping
- 32 CFR 170.15 — Level 1 self-assessment requirements
- 32 CFR 170.16 — Level 2 self-assessment requirements
This resource is published by Federal Bid Partners. It is independent educational material and is not a government website.