What the NASA lane involves
- We read contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and Space Act agreements for the CUI and security terms they incorporate.
- We identify which NASA information on your systems is CUI and where it flows, then draw the smallest defensible boundary around it. This step matters most in research and shared-infrastructure environments.
- NIST SP 800-171 is implemented in your environment (commercial cloud, Microsoft government cloud, or an enclave) at the revision your agreement incorporates.
- The SSP and objective-level evidence are structured for whatever demonstration your agreement anticipates: self-attestation, government review, or independent assessment.
- Under managed compliance, we keep the program current through agreement modifications, renewals, and new awards.
Questions contractors ask us
Does every NASA contract require NIST SP 800-171?
No. NPR 2810.7 directs NASA to apply NIST SP 800-171 in agreements that protect NASA CUI on nonfederal systems, but the obligation that binds you is the one written into your specific contract, grant, or agreement. Step one is always reading the instrument.
We're a research institution, not a defense contractor. Does this still apply?
If your agreement involves NASA CUI on your systems, yes. The framework applies the same way to a manufacturer, a university, or a software shop. Research environments often have the hardest boundary problems (shared infrastructure, collaboration tools, student access), so discovery and scoping are the most useful first step.
Can our existing DoD-oriented 800-171 program cover NASA work?
Largely, yes. The controls come from the same standard. The deltas are the instrument's specific terms, any NASA-specific reporting or marking expectations, and how the agreement expects you to demonstrate implementation. The same control system then serves NASA as another assurance lane.
Turn the clause into a program.
Tell us what your NASA agreement says, or send the clause list, and a practitioner will map the obligation and the shortest path to meeting it. Or email rj@indirectit.com directly.