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Assessment

Government Assessments

Aprio’s credentials as a FedRAMP Independent Assessor, GovRAMP 3PAO, and CMMC C3PAO, combined with deep experience across public sector cybersecurity and compliance frameworks, uniquely position us to help organizations navigate complex government requirements.

Credentials & Frameworks

SOC 1 AICPA
SOC 2 AICPA
SOC 3 AICPA
ISO 27001 Accredited CB
ISO 27701 Accredited CB
ISO 9001 Accredited CB
ISO 22301 Accredited CB
ISO 42001 Accredited CB
PCI DSS QSA
CMMC C3PAO
FedRAMP Independent Assessor
GovRAMP 3PAO
Death Master File Accredited
HIPAA Accredited
C5 Accredited
CCPA Accredited
CSA STAR Cloud Security Alliance
NIST Accredited
IRAP Advisory
DORA Accredited
NIS2 Advisory
ISMAP Advisory
NYDFS Accredited

Prove compliance.

Get certified.

Win contracts.

Talk to a GovCon Assessor

If government business is part of your growth strategy, Aprio should be part of your compliance strategy.

When government compliance is tied to market access, the requirements are not optional. FedRAMP (FR) establishes the path for cloud providers seeking to sell to federal agencies, GovRAMP extends similar expectations across state and local government, and CMMC determines DoD contract eligibility for contractors handling CUI. In each case, compliance directly affects your ability to pursue and win government business. The question is not simply whether to comply, but how to navigate the process effectively with an assessment partner that understands the requirements, the overlap, and the market.

As government assurance programs increasingly embrace automation, machine-readable evidence, and AI-enabled approaches, Aprio brings the technical depth and public sector assessment experience to help organizations keep pace. Across FedRAMP, GovRAMP, CMMC, and FISMA/RMF-aligned assessments, our teams combine regulatory expertise, federal audit experience, and the independence these programs demand.

Frameworks & Programs

Most government frameworks root in NIST 800-53, but assessment expectations differ. Aprio knows how scope, evidence, and implementations can be leveraged across frameworks while meeting each program’s distinct requirements.

  • FedRAMP

    Aprio performs initial and annual FedRAMP independent assessments, supporting cloud providers pursuing or maintaining 20x Certifications and Rev5 authorizations as the program transitions to the Consolidated Rules for 2026 (CR26).

  • FISMA / NIST Risk Management Framework

    Aprio performs independent security and privacy control assessments against NIST SP 800-53/53A, producing assessment results that support agency risk decisions, authorization to operate (ATO), and continuous monitoring under FISMA and RMF.

  • GovRAMP

    Aprio performs independent 3PAO assessments across GovRAMP Low, Moderate, and High Impact levels, validating controls and producing the assessment evidence required to support Ready and Authorized status.

  • CJIS Security Policy

    Aprio independently assesses systems and organizations handling Criminal Justice Information against FBI CJIS Security Policy requirements, providing objective validation of compliance and identifying gaps that may create access, contractual, or audit risk.

  • CMS Enhanced Direct Enrollment (EDE) Audits

    Aprio performs Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) required independent third-party audits for organizations operating EDE platforms that integrate with HealthCare.gov, supporting CMS approval and ongoing participation in the federal Marketplace.

  • CMMC & NIST 800-171

    Aprio assesses contractor environments against NIST SP 800-171, including C3PAO CMMC Level 2 certification assessments for DoD contractors, as well as CUI assessments for contractors supporting federal civilian agencies such as NASA, DOE, DHS, GSA, and others.

The Two Phases of Compliance

Your Phase

Requirements Implementation

Government cybersecurity program requirements span technology, documentation, processes, people, and governance. Build them into the environment from the start, using automation and AI where permitted and improves consistency, traceability, and efficiency, so the program is designed to operate securely while supporting your business.

Aprio's Phase

Independent Assessment

Aprio’s technology-enabled assessments reduce audit burden without reducing rigor. Our tools accelerate review of documentation and work within client environments and GRC platforms, allowing assessors to focus live assessment time on interviews, system observations, and demonstrations. Clients spend less time packaging evidence and more time demonstrating how security actually operates.

The firm behind your assessment matters.

These are the reasons why organizations choose Aprio for independent assessments built for the complexity of government security requirements.

Authorized to Assess

Government programs require more than cybersecurity expertise. They require assessors recognized to perform the work. Aprio holds assessor credentials across FedRAMP, GovRAMP, and CMMC, enabling our teams to conduct the independent assessments that support certification, authorization, and risk-based compliance decisions.

Engineering-led Security Assessments

A checklist cannot tell you whether a control actually works. Aprio’s assessors examine implementation, coverage, and control behavior through interviews, system observation, and technical testing, bringing engineering depth to the parts of an assessment that require judgment, not just documentation review.

We See Across Frameworks

Aprio can assess overlapping requirements across multiple government frameworks concurrently, reducing duplicate evidence requests and interviews without diluting either standard. Clients get one streamlined assessment experience with separate, framework-specific results and reporting for each government stakeholder.

We’ve Done This Before

10,000+ compliance assessments. 96% client renewal rate. The depth of experience that comes from operating at that volume means Aprio’s assessors know exactly where programs fail, what auditors look for, and how to build something that lasts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can one assessment satisfy multiple frameworks?

Most public sector cybersecurity assessments have roots in the NIST 800-53 controls catalog. This is true of FedRAMP, GovRAMP, and most NIST RMF/FISMA assessments. CMMC requirements come from NIST SP 800-171, which is a catalog derived from 800-53. Assuming overlap in scope, organizational practices, and operating parameters, where the underlying control matches, the evidence often matches, so one assessment can feed several frameworks.

Can Aprio advise us on remediation and then assess us?

No. Federal assessments have strict independence requirements across these programs that keep an assessor from evaluating their own work. We tell you what we found and what the requirement says. Remediation belongs to your team or a separate advisory firm. That separation is the real value and trust in our report.

We have a SOC 2 Type II. Does it count?

With the release of CR26, the Federal Government is accepting a private sector report. For FedRAMP 20x, yes, at the entry point. A SOC 2 Type II completed within the past 12 months satisfies the alternative framework prerequisite for Class A certification. It won’t carry you to Class B or C which is where most agencies will need you to be, but it shortens the path to a marketplace listing.

For a FedRAMP assessment, how much does scope drive cost?

More than any other factor. FedRAMP’s Minimum Assessment Scope replaced the old authorization boundary and asks a sharper question. Does the resource handle federal data, or can it affect that data’s confidentiality, integrity, or availability? Corporate systems that fail that test should stay out.

Who is allowed to perform these assessments?
Each program credentials its own assessors. RAMP programs as well as some Agency specific frameworks, e.g., CMS’s EDE audit, require a FedRAMP accredited 3PAO (now called Independent Assessor under CR26) to perform the assessment. CMMC Level 2 certification assessments require an authorized Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). This is key. Reuse works in practice only when one firm carries credentials across programs.
How will I know if or when I need a NIST RMF or FISMA assessment?

Your contract will say so, typically using language about an Authorization to Operate (ATO) requirement or a clause citing agency security policy. The test is whether you operate a system on behalf of an agency either at your location or on a government site. The other applicability criteria is physical components. Cloud systems undergo FedRAMP; on premises systems typically follow the Agency’s RMF/FISMA process for ATO.

Is there such a thing as a CJIS certification?

No. The FBI runs no certification program and accredits no assessors. Compliance runs through state CJIS Systems Agencies, established by a signed Security Addendum and confirmed by audit. What you can get is an assessment against the CJIS Security Policy, which since version 6.0 follows NIST 800-53 control families. Doing so can open doors with the Public Safety market.

A woman with braided hair works intently on a laptop at a desk in a bright office, surrounded by computer monitors and office equipment.

Let’s talk government compliance.

You tell us where your program stands and what you’re working towards. We’ll map out what comes next. Talk to a GovCon Assessor