CMMC audit readiness is not a paperwork exercise; it is an evidence integrity exercise.
Lazarus Alliance repeatedly finds that defense contractors can describe their security program, but struggle to prove that the right controls operate on every system that processes, stores, or transmits Federal Contract Information (FCI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Under DFARS 252.204-7021, contractors must have and maintain the required CMMC status for applicable information systems, complete an annual affirmation of continuous compliance in SPRS for each applicable CMMC UID, and flow down applicable CMMC requirements to subcontractors eCFR, 48 CFR 252.204-7021.
The contrarian reality: most CMMC failures begin long before an assessor reviews a control. They begin when scope is vague, the System Security Plan is not evidence-backed, cloud inheritance is overstated, subcontractor obligations are not verified, or leadership signs an SPRS affirmation without a repeatable evidence basis. This article summarizes nine DFARS compliance and NIST 800-171 evidence risks Lazarus Alliance commonly helps defense contractors resolve before formal assessment activity.








