DISA Official: “No One Knows” How Cyber Standards Will Impact Contractor Pool

In January, the Pentagon plans to publish the final Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, under which companies would have their cyber practices graded, and procurement officials would use that to determine which vendors are eligible for certain contracts, with more sensitive projects requiring more stringent security standards. However, while the program is intended to push vendors to strengthen their security standards and increase visibility into the department’s supply chain, it could also render a significant chunk of the Pentagon’s contractor pool ineligible for its most sensitive projects. Maj. Gen. Garrett Yee, assistant to the director of DISA, says they don’t know how many.