CMMC assessments began on 16 December. If you handle CUI, here’s 3 things you need to know for CMMC The CMMC final rule change is now live. On 16 December, certified third-party assessment organizations (C3PAOs) officially began assessing DoD contractors. Given the wide disparity between the number of assessment teams (~100) and members of the Defense Industrial Base looking for certification (~100,000), DoD contractors need to ensure they are assessment-ready asap.