Moderate ยท NIST SP 800-53
FedRAMP
FedRAMP is a program, not a project. The technical work is a fraction of it; the schedule is set by sponsorship, the 3PAO queue and the PMO. We tell clients honestly when the answer is to wait.
What the engagement covers
Cloud services selling to federal agencies. Typical timeline: 12 to 18 months, sponsor dependent.
- Authorization path assessment, comparing agency sponsorship against the alternatives
- Boundary definition and control implementation against the 800-53 baseline
- SSP and the full body of evidence, authored to PMO expectations
- 3PAO coordination and continuous monitoring once authorized
Phases
Where an engagement sits at any point, in the language your assessor uses.
- Readiness and boundary definition
- Control implementation and documentation
- 3PAO assessment
- Authorization and ConMon
Related reading
- Placeholder: FedRAMP article
Pulled from the legacy archive until this section is migrated.
- Placeholder: FedRAMP article
Legacy URL preserved.
Common questions
Do we need an agency sponsor for FedRAMP?
For the traditional agency authorization path, yes. Sponsorship is generally the schedule driver, not the engineering work. Organizations that begin technical implementation before securing a sponsor commonly spend a year of effort against an unknown date.
Is a DISA Provisional Authorization the same as an ATO?
No. A Provisional Authorization is a reusable assessment artifact that an authorizing official can rely on. It is not itself an authorization to operate, and PAs are granted per service rather than across an entire cloud.
How long does FedRAMP Moderate take?
Twelve to eighteen months is realistic once a sponsor is in place, driven by control implementation, documentation, the 3PAO queue and PMO review. Anyone quoting six months is describing the technical work only.
START HERE
Do not guess how far away you are.
A scored assessment against the FedRAMP control set gives you your gap, your timeline and your cost. Fixed price from $15,000, two to four weeks, quoted before any work starts. Most clients then continue into a Virtual CISO engagement or managed compliance, but nothing obliges you to.
Start with a scope
Bring the deadline and who is asking for it. Thirty minutes.