Updated May 2026
ControlCase CMMC Assessment Cost: $30K to $180K
ControlCase brings two decades of PCI QSA heritage to its CMMC C3PAO practice, with a multi-framework methodology that streamlines evidence collection across PCI, SOC 2, ISO, HITRUST, and CMMC. For contractors with mixed compliance obligations (especially payment-card + CUI), ControlCase is often the most cost-efficient choice.
Vendor profile
ControlCase has been a PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) since the early days of the PCI Data Security Standard. Over the past decade the firm has expanded its accreditation portfolio across SOC 2 (CPA firm-adjacent), ISO 27001 (registered certification body partnership), HITRUST (CSF Assessor), and FedRAMP (3PAO). The Cyber AB CMMC C3PAO authorisation is the most recent addition. The combination of accreditations is unusual: most assessment firms specialise in one or two frameworks. Verify current C3PAO authorisation at cyberab.org/Marketplace.
The firm's commercial differentiator is what it calls One Audit, a methodology that maps controls across multiple frameworks and reuses evidence collected for one assessment to satisfy the equivalent control in another framework. For contractors holding multiple compliance obligations, this is meaningful: a single set of MFA evidence can satisfy PCI 8.4, NIST SP 800-171 IA-2(1), ISO 27001 A.9.4.2, and SOC 2 CC6.1 simultaneously. The methodology does not eliminate the need for separate assessments (each framework has its own report and accreditation pathway), but it does reduce duplicate evidence-collection labour.
On the CMMC side specifically, ControlCase deploys named Certified CMMC Assessors per Cyber AB requirements. The firm has built a CMMC practice that leverages its existing PCI QSA infrastructure (assessor training, evidence platforms, project management). This means engagements tend to be well-structured and document-led, which fits contractors with mature documentation hygiene but can feel formal to smaller contractors used to lighter engagements.
Fee bands by company size
ControlCase does not publish per-engagement pricing. The bands below align with the broader C3PAO market profile and reflect practitioner reports of typical engagement fees. Treat as planning estimates, not ControlCase-quoted figures.
| Profile | CMMC-only fee | With PCI + CMMC bundle |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 employees, single site | $30K - $55K | $45K - $80K |
| 50 - 200 employees, 1-2 sites | $50K - $80K | $75K - $130K |
| 200 - 500 employees, multi-site | $75K - $130K | $110K - $200K |
| 500+ employees, complex enclaves | $120K - $180K+ | $170K - $280K+ |
The bundled column assumes both PCI DSS and CMMC scopes share infrastructure and can leverage One Audit evidence reuse. The bundling efficiency is typically 15-25 percent savings versus running the engagements separately, which is captured in the bundled-column ratio.
Where ControlCase fits well
The clearest fit is for contractors with payment-card processing in addition to CUI handling. Hardware vendors that sell directly to consumers (collecting PCI-scoped payment data) plus to DoD (handling CUI) fit this pattern. So do larger defense contractors that operate commercial e-commerce alongside their government business. For these organisations, ControlCase's bundled-assessment approach typically saves $15K-$40K versus separate engagements with separate firms.
ControlCase also fits well for contractors pursuing multiple commercial compliance frameworks alongside CMMC. A SaaS vendor selling to commercial enterprises (SOC 2 + ISO 27001 needed) and to DoD (CMMC needed) gets meaningful efficiency by running all three through one assessor. The cross-framework methodology shines in this scenario.
For pure-DoD contractors with no other commercial-framework obligations, the bundling advantage disappears and ControlCase becomes a like-for-like alternative to other mid-tier C3PAOs. The choice then comes down to assessor availability, geographic proximity, and Statement of Work fit. The Coalfire Federal profile and Schellman profile cover those alternatives.
Statement of Work levers
For ControlCase engagements specifically, the largest fee-mover beyond scope itself is the use of the One Audit methodology. If your scope spans CMMC plus PCI plus SOC 2, write the Statement of Work to explicitly request evidence reuse across frameworks. The firm will quote a higher headline fee than a single-framework engagement but a meaningfully lower combined total than three separate engagements. Pin this down in writing.
The second lever is the evidence-platform used during the engagement. ControlCase operates a proprietary evidence-collection portal that streamlines uploads and assessor review. For contractors that already maintain an SSP authoring platform (Atlassian, Hyperproof, Drata, Vanta), check whether ControlCase will accept evidence pushed from those platforms versus requiring re-upload to the ControlCase portal. Reducing duplicate evidence handling can save 20-40 hours of client-side labour over the engagement.
The third lever is the post-assessment surveillance approach. ControlCase, like other C3PAOs, will produce a CMMC certification report at engagement end. For multi-framework engagements, the firm can package surveillance reviews (annual SOC 2 Type 2, quarterly PCI ASV scans, CMMC annual affirmation prep) into a single ongoing engagement rather than multiple separate ones. This usually saves 10-15 percent on the recurring assessment-adjacent spend.
Engagement timeline
A standalone CMMC Level 2 engagement with ControlCase typically runs 4-7 months from Statement of Work execution to certification posting. Bundled multi-framework engagements run longer (6-10 months) because the evidence-collection cycle has to satisfy multiple framework reporting requirements, but the per-framework calendar elapsed time is shorter than running each separately. C3PAO scheduling backlogs add another 4-9 months from engagement signature to assessment kickoff, in line with the broader market.