Pricing report
CISA consulting costs 2026: every figure, cited
A meta-analysis of cost data for CISA-guidance consulting work. One provenance label per row — published source or clearly-labeled directory estimate. No invented averages.
| Cost item | Range | Source | Source date | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISA Cyber Hygiene vulnerability scanning | $0 | CISA | 2026 | Free for federal agencies, SLTT governments, and critical infrastructure |
| CISA tabletop exercise packages (CTEP) | $0 | CISA | 2026 | Free facilitated exercise packages; travel not included |
| CPG gap assessment (consultant) | $15,000–$50,000 | Directory estimate | September 2026 | Independent assessment against the CISA Cybersecurity Performance Goals |
| Zero-trust roadmap engagement | $40,000–$150,000 | Directory estimate | September 2026 | Current-state assessment plus phased roadmap aligned to CISA ZTMM |
| NIST 800-171 readiness / gap assessment | $15,000–$40,000 | Directory estimate | September 2026 | Pre-CMMC dry run: SSP review, control testing, POA&M |
| Incident-response retainer | $50,000–$200,000 / year | Directory estimate | September 2026 | Prepaid IR hours plus tabletop and readiness reviews |
| vCISO (fractional CISO) | $8,000–$20,000 / month | Directory estimate | September 2026 | Part-time security leadership; federal-adjacent programs skew higher |
| Penetration test (scoped) | $15,000–$60,000 | Directory estimate | September 2026 | External + internal; OT/ICS testing costs more |
| FedRAMP authorization (adjacent, for context) | $200,000–$500,000+ | Published planning ranges | 2025–2026 | 3PAO assessment plus remediation and PMO process; not a CISA program |
How to read this table
- CISA (2026) rows are CISA's own published services and guidance — free where noted.
- Directory estimate (September 2026) rows are our labeled estimates synthesized from published consulting-rate data — useful for budgeting, not quotes.
- Published planning ranges (2025–2026) rows come from widely published third-party ranges.
Sources
- CISA — Cybersecurity Performance Goals (cisa.gov, updated 2025)
CISA's own baseline: the CPGs are voluntary goals for critical infrastructure — no fee, no certification attached. - CISA — Binding Operational Directives (cisa.gov)
BODs are mandatory for federal agencies (e.g. KEV remediation, asset management) — compliance cost sits in agency operations budgets, not a certification fee. - CISA — Free Cyber Hygiene services (cisa.gov)
CISA offers free vulnerability scanning and assessments to federal, SLTT, and critical-infrastructure organizations — $0. - Directory estimates (September 2026)
Advisory engagement bands synthesized from published consulting-rate data and firm planning ranges; labeled estimates, not quotes.
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