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Conditional Certification
Also known as: Conditional Level 2 · Conditional CMMC
A temporary CMMC Level 2 status granted when minor POA&M items remain at assessment. Converts to final certification if all items are closed within 180 days.
Conditional certification is a temporary CMMC Level 2 status that a contractor can receive when, at the conclusion of a C3PAO assessment, a limited number of NIST SP 800-171 requirements are not yet fully implemented but qualify to be tracked on a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M).
To qualify for conditional certification, the contractor's overall posture must meet a minimum threshold: the unmet requirements must be eligible for POA&M (1-point requirements only, never the 3- or 5-point requirements that the DoD has explicitly disallowed from POA&M), and the total point deductions must remain within the allowed conditional threshold.
A conditional certification gives the contractor 180 days to close all open POA&M items. If they succeed and the closures are validated, the certification converts to final Level 2. If they fail, the certification lapses and a full re-assessment is required.
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