Who Has the Final Authority Over Assessment Results?During aCMMC Level 2 assessment, theCertified Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO)is responsible for conducting and finalizing the assessment results.
Key Responsibilities of a C3PAO✅Leads the assessmentand ensures it follows the CMMC Assessment Process (CAP).
✅Validates compliancewith CMMC Level 2 requirements based onNIST SP 800-171controls.
✅Finalizes the assessment resultsand submits them to theCMMC-ABand theDoD.
✅Handles disagreementsfrom the OSC but hasfinal decision-making authorityon results.
The C3PAO has final authority over the assessment resultsafter considering all evidence and findings.
TheCMMC-AB (Option B) does not finalize assessments—it accredits C3PAOs and manages the certification ecosystem.
TheAssessment Team (Option C) supports the C3PAO but does not have final decision authority.
TheAssessment Sponsor (Option D) is a representative from the OSC and does not control the results.
Why "C3PAO" is Correct?Breakdown of Answer ChoicesOption
Description
Correct?
A. C3PAO
✅Correct – C3PAOs finalize and submit assessment results.
B. CMMC-AB
❌Incorrect–The CMMC-AB accredits C3PAOs but doesnot finalize results.
C. Assessment Team
❌Incorrect–They conduct the assessment, but the C3PAO makes final decisions.
D. Assessment Sponsor
❌Incorrect–This is arepresentative of the OSC, not the assessment authority.
Official References from CMMC 2.0 DocumentationFinal Verification and ConclusionThe correct answer isA. C3PAO, as theC3PAO has final decision-making authority over CMMC assessment results.
