State of Nevada and GovRAMP

Frequently Asked Questions

• If I am awarded a contract, how long will we have to get the product assessed? What if the product doesn't currently hold a GovRAMP status?

  For data stored, transmitted, and processed in protected systems, a verified status of GovRAMP Core will be required to satisfy Nevada’s minimum requirements. If applicable, this status must be achieved no later than 12 months from contract execution. Should Nevada require a higher-level terminal status of Authorized/Provisionally Authorized, this requirement shall be included in the purchasing mechanism and resulting contract, and the product must meet this status within 24 months of contract execution.

  Any additional assessment requirements, such as regulatory compliance including, but not limited to CJIS, HIPAA, et al., shall also be determined by Nevada and incorporated into the contract terms.

  Upon award of contract, if the product does not currently hold a GovRAMP verified status, the provider will be required to enroll in the GovRAMP Progressing Snapshot program prior to any data being transferred, stored or processed with the expectation that progress will be made on a quarterly basis. The provider must complete their first Progressing Snapshot within forty-five (45) days of award, with the expectation that progress will be made on a quarterly basis. Products must maintain their participation in the Progressing Snapshot program until such time that they have achieved the minimum status outlined above.

  If the Vendor’s cloud product currently holds a FedRAMP Authorized (rev 5) designation at the time of award, the Vendor shall, within thirty (30) days of award, initiate and actively pursue the GovRAMP Fast Track Process to achieve a GovRAMP Authorized or Provisionally Authorized status to satisfy NV GTO’s continuous monitoring requirements.

• Will Nevada accept any other frameworks?

  The 2018 National Cyber Strategy of the USA identifies NIST as the only Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) for assessing SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS vendor environments. This allows for Nevada to maintain their commitment to upholding the NIST 800-53 standard and streamline the oversight process.

  In the interest of clarity, the following will not be accepted:

  • TXRAMP
  • SOC 2
  • ISO 27001
  • HITRUST

• How do I enroll in the GovRAMP Progressing Security Snapshot Program?

  To participate:

  1. Become a GovRAMP Member
  2. Submit a Progressing Security Snapshot Request
  3. Pay the applicable fee
  4. Receive onboarding instructions from the GovRAMP PMO

  You’ll receive:

  • A Snapshot score within ~3 weeks of payment
  • Quarterly updated Snapshots
  • Monthly one-hour consultative calls with GovRAMP’s security team

  If you’re responding to a solicitation, note your time constraints on the request form so we can prioritize accordingly.

• How do I get a GovRAMP status?

   To learn more about how to obtain any of our GovRAMP statuses, visit our GovRAMP for Service Providers page. This page provides an overview of the GovRAMP organization, general onboarding information, a getting started checklist, and complete details regarding the requirements for beginning the GovRAMP verification process. 

• Our product currently holds or is seeking a FedRAMP status. Does the product require a GovRAMP assessment?

  Cloud products that currently hold or are seeking a FedRAMP Rev. 5 status must enroll the product in the GovRAMP Fast Track program. No need to re-engage a 3PAO, just submit the same security package to the GovRAMP PMO following membership enrollment. This will allow Nevada to uphold their requirement for continuous monitoring as outlined in the policy. 

• How much does a GovRAMP assessment cost?

  In an effort to continue to support Nevada small and medium sized businesses including veteran and minority owned businesses, the GovRAMP assessment fees are tiered based on the annual revenue for the company.

  View the full GovRAMP Fee Schedule

• What are the continuous monitoring requirements?

  Continuous monitoring involves regular security status checks of a cloud solution, conducted monthly or quarterly. This process starts once the product reaches a GovRAMP milestone status such as Core, Ready, Provisionally Authorized, or Authorized. The purpose of continuous monitoring is to ensure that the service provider’s solution is meeting security requirements and maintaining a secure system state. It provides insights into vulnerabilities, allowing service providers to address issues and comply with GovRAMP standards. By identifying areas of risk, continuous monitoring enables service providers to take prompt action to protect the system.

  Download GovRAMP’s Continuous Monitoring Guide

  Continuous monitoring must be maintained for the lifecycle of your contract with the State of Nevada, and upon request, access to the product’s security package and continuous monitoring artifacts must be granted to the State.

• What if I don't own the solution but use cloud products to deliver services to the State of Nevada?

  Based on the data processed, transferred, or stored, the State of Nevada may require that the cloud solutions used to deliver services be assessed by GovRAMP or FedRAMP. Specific requirements can be found within the solicitation for the services.

• What are the guidelines for determining if my product is a cloud computing service?

  Nevada identifies three distinct service models for the cloud environment:

  Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud environment with computing resource such as virtual servers, storage, and network. The consumer uses their own software, including operating systems, middleware and applications. The underlying physical infrastructure is managed by the Cloud Service Provider (CSP).

  Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud environment for development and management of consumer applications. It includes the infrastructure layer – virtual servers, storage and network – while tying in middleware and development tools to allow the consumer to deploy their applications. It is designed to support the complete development lifecycle while leaving the management of the physical infrastructure to the CSP.

  Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing solution that provides the consumer with access to a complete software product. The application resides on a cloud platform and is accessed by the consumer through a web interface or application program interface (API). The physical and virtual infrastructure, operating system, middleware and application are all managed by the CSP.

• How can I get started?

  For additional information on Nevada Procurement including bulletins, open bids, contracts and registration, please refer to the NEVADAePro site.

  For additional information on how to get started with the GovRAMP process, please contact info@govramp.org.