CMMCDocs.comHome / Glossary / Subcontractor
Subcontractor
Also known as: Sub
A contractor that holds a contract with a prime contractor rather than directly with the government. Subject to flow-down clauses including CMMC.
A subcontractor is a contractor that holds a contract with a prime contractor (or with another subcontractor higher in the chain) rather than directly with the federal government.
For CMMC purposes, subcontractors are subject to the same CMMC requirements as primes when they handle the same CUI. This is enforced through flow-down clauses: when a prime contract contains DFARS 252.204-7012 and CMMC requirements, the prime must flow those requirements down to any subcontractor who will handle CUI.
Most small defense contractors are subcontractors. They never see a direct DoD contract — they perform work for primes.
Stop Googling. Start working.
CMMCDocs has all 110 NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 requirements built in — with the language, the templates, and the evidence vault you need. Spin up a free demo workspace and click around the way an assessor would.
Get my demo account