This guide contains everything you need to know about conducting an information security risk assessment questionnaire at your organization.
Define system boundaries for FCI and CUI, conduct NIST 800-171 self-assessments across every requirement, link evidence to each response, route findings into POA&Ms, and produce an SPRS score plus assessment documentation from that record, with Isora GRC, the GRC Assessment Platform™ for federal contractors.




























NIST SP 800-171 defines 110 security requirements across 14 control families for protecting CUI in nonfederal systems. Yet, many defense contractors, federal subcontractors, and universities with DoD research programs still divide that work among the DoD Assessment Methodology workbook, a separate POA&M, and shared evidence files — an approach that leaves them without the ability to connect an SPRS score to the responses and evidence supporting it.
Failure to affirm annually can lapse CMMC status, inaccurate attestations can create False Claims Act exposure, SPRS scores can filter contractors out of award consideration, and DIBCAC may even conduct government-led assessments as a result.
Launch a self-assessment across NIST 800-171 Rev 2 or Rev 3 security controls and assign each requirement to the person responsible for it. Attach documentation to each response to capture evidence and prove implementation status for every security control across revisions.
Define the CUI boundary with an inventory of every system and application that stores, processes, or transmits federally classified information (FCI). View data classification, assessment results, and risks for each record to see exactly where CUI resides and which systems the self-assessment should cover.
Publish assessment findings to the risk register as POA&M items that retain their NIST 800-171 requirement, affected CUI system, evidence, and milestone dates. Track remediation against the 180-day closeout window for CMMC Level 2 with SPRS scoring impact that updates as items are closed.
Export documentation behind self-assessments, annual affirmations, and SPRS scores from the assessment record. Trace every result to its responses, evidence, and remediation history in an append-only audit log. Use the same package to answer DIBCAC assessments and prime contractor flow-down requests.
NIST 800-171 Assessment: How to Score and Submit to SPRS NIST 800-171 assessments measure how completely an organization has implemented the security...
NIST 800-171: What It Is and How to Comply NIST SP 800-171 is the U.S. government standard for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)...
TPRM Maturity Model: How to Score Third-Party Risk A TPRM maturity model is a self-assessment framework to score how developed a third-party risk...
NIST CSF vs Other Frameworks: Comparison Guide and Mapping Resources The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a voluntary, risk-based cybersecurity...
CMMC vs NIST 800-53: Key Differences for Defense Contractors The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and NIST Special Publication...
NIST 800-53 vs 800-171: Full Catalog vs CUI Subset NIST 800-53 and NIST 800-171 are both NIST publications that provide security requirements for...
CMMC Level 2 uses the same 110 security requirements as NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2. Where CMMC Level 2 self-assessment applies, organizations assess those requirements every three years and affirm the result annually in SPRS. Isora keeps requirement responses, evidence, CUI inventories, POA&Ms, and scoring in one record that supports NIST 800-171 and CMMC workflows.
No, Isora does not certify organizations. It structures NIST 800-171 and CMMC Level 2 self-assessments, maintains CUI inventories, manages POA&Ms, and produces assessment documentation. When a third-party or government-led assessment applies to a contract, the same evidence package supports review by a C3PAO or DIBCAC. Isora is the self-assessment engine, not the assessing or certifying body.
NIST SP 800-171’s 110 requirements are derived from NIST SP 800-53 controls and tailored for nonfederal systems handling CUI. Isora GRC supports both frameworks in the same workspace. Organizations managing NIST 800-53 for federal systems and NIST 800-171 for CUI environments can share inventories, risk registers, and reporting without maintaining separate compliance programs for related requirements.
DFARS 252.204-7012 requires defense contractors to implement NIST SP 800-171 for systems that store, process, or transmit CUI and to meet applicable incident-reporting obligations. Related DFARS requirements govern assessments and SPRS reporting. Isora provides the self-assessment, CUI inventory, POA&M, scoring, and documentation workflows needed to maintain that record.