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Official source: FedRAMP Recognition of Independent Assessment Services (REC), FedRAMP Consolidated Rules release 2026.10.14.01. This page is a plain-English summary. The official rule text governs.

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In short

This ruleset binds FedRAMP and independent assessors, not cloud service providers. It sets out how an assessor obtains and keeps FedRAMP Recognition: A2LA accreditation, a minimum number of assessments, performance standards, foreign-interest reporting and separation from advisory work. For you, the key points are that FedRAMP MUST NOT accept attestations from assessors who aren’t FedRAMP Recognized, and an assessor MUST NOT assess your offering within 2 years of advising or consulting on it.

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Who it applies to

The upstream page lists only the audience for these subsets. It doesn’t list certification types, paths or classes. The ruleset is tagged for both 20x and Rev5.

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Key dates

The same dates apply to 20x and Rev5.

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Why this matters to you as a CSP

You don’t have obligations under this ruleset, but it affects who can assess you:
  • Only recognized assessors count. FedRAMP MUST NOT accept verification, validation or other attestations from assessors who aren’t FedRAMP Recognized (REC-FRP-RAO). The IVV ruleset requires your annual assessment to be done with a FedRAMP Recognized independent assessment service (IVV-CSO-FIA).
  • Your advisor can’t be your assessor for 2 years. An assessor MUST NOT perform a FedRAMP independent assessment of your offering within 2 years after providing advisory or consulting services for it, unless FedRAMP publishes a specific exception (REC-IAS-SEP).
  • Recognition can lapse. FedRAMP removes recognition immediately when A2LA reports that an assessor’s accreditation has lapsed (REC-IAS-ACC). An assessor that misses A2LA’s 75-day corrective action window is designated In Remediation on the FedRAMP Marketplace (REC-IAS-ANR, REC-IAS-RAS).
  • Unqualified staff produce invalid work. Deliverables prepared by personnel who don’t meet the required role qualifications are invalid for FedRAMP purposes (REC-IAS-INV).
  • You can expect certain standards. Assessors must meet performance standards that include complete first submissions, on-time delivery, accurate testing, independence from provider demands, and chain of custody for the evidence you supply (REC-IAS-PST).

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What you need to do

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FedRAMP responsibilities

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General independent assessor responsibilities

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What FedRAMP staff have said

These comments were made on 2026-02-12 during public comment on RFC-0021, before the Consolidated Rules launched on 2026-06-24.
“FedRAMP Recognized independent assessor” replaces “3PAO.” pete-gov said a FedRAMP Recognized independent assessor and a 3PAO are “the same thing,” with terminology updated to align with the law and OMB M-24-15. He said FedRAMP had not announced plans to change the recognition process. Discussion #115 comment
A2LA accreditation is the first step, not the whole process. pete-gov said FedRAMP recognition and A2LA accreditation are separate processes, quoting A2LA R311 that accreditation is the first step in gaining FedRAMP recognition. Discussion #115 comment