Contract intelligence / Data-protection scoping
Turn contractual obligations into defensible data-protection decisions.
ObligationIQ connects the requirements in your contracts, the data and systems that actually exist, and NIST SP 800-60-guided classification into one traceable decision model.
NIST SP 800-60-guidedCUI Registry-referencedFull decision records
The cost of uncertainty
The questions that create both risk and cost.
A contractor can own an asset inventory, a contract repository, and a compliance program—and still lack a defensible line between the obligation and the protection boundary.
Where does the information reside, move, and change form?
UNRESOLVEDWhich users, systems, and external providers touch it?
UNRESOLVEDWhat classification rationale supports the decision?
UNRESOLVEDWhat belongs inside the assessed security boundary?
UNRESOLVEDWhat can be excluded without creating an unsupported assumption?
UNRESOLVEDUnder-scope the environment.
Leave regulated information, users, or systems outside the safeguards created by the contract.
Exposure: contractual, security, and claims riskOver-scope the environment.
Extend specialized architecture, licensing, operations, and assessment effort to data that does not require it.
Exposure: avoidable complexity and spendThree things connected
Scope becomes defensible when the source, the environment, and the method stay connected.
SOURCE AUTHORITY
Contracts and obligations
Contracts, task orders, flow-downs, DD 254s, clauses, and security addenda establish the duty.
OBSERVED REALITY
Real-world data and systems
System scans and operational inputs show the repositories, identities, workflows, and providers that exist.
DECISION METHOD
Authoritative classification
NIST SP 800-60 guidance, CUI Registry categories, and organization-approved rules support the rationale.
How ObligationIQ works
Seven controlled stages. One continuous decision trail.
The workflow follows the work practitioners already perform, while preserving the link between every input, judgment, and resulting safeguard.
- 01
Ingest
Collect contracts, task orders, flow-downs, DD 254s, security addenda, and supporting source material.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTControlled source set - 02
Analyze
Identify applicable clauses, normalize obligations, and preserve the source language behind every decision.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTObligation register - 03
Discover
Connect system scans and practitioner inputs to the repositories, users, workflows, and external parties that exist.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTObserved data estate - 04
Classify
Apply NIST SP 800-60-guided information-type analysis and CUI Registry categories with reviewable rationale.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTClassification record - 05
Map
Relate each obligation to the data, systems, identities, suppliers, and business processes it actually touches.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTTraceability map - 06
Scope
Define the regulated-data boundary and make inclusions, exclusions, dependencies, and assumptions explicit.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTDefensible boundary - 07
Evidence
Preserve sources, rationale, ownership, approvals, and review cadence in an assessor-ready decision trail.
CONTROLLED OUTPUTEvidence package
The decision model
Every safeguard has a traceable reason.
ObligationIQ preserves the full line of reasoning—from the originating clause to the boundary and protection decision—so reviewers can inspect the method, sources, and assumptions.
- 01Contract clauseSource authority
- 02ObligationApplicable duty
- 03Information typeBusiness context
- 04Classification rationaleDocumented basis
- 05Data locationObserved environment
- 06System / user boundaryDefensible scope
- 07Required safeguardsProtection action
ACTIVE RECORD04
CLASSIFICATION RATIONALE
Controlled technical information
The source material contains technical data with military or space application subject to dissemination controls. Applicability is supported by the contract, CUI category, information owner review, and observed storage location.
- Basis
- NIST SP 800-60 + CUI Registry
- Owner
- Information Governance
- Review state
- Verified
01Human-reviewable rationale
02Source-level traceability
03Explicit assumptions and exclusions
04Versioned approval history
Methodology guidance supports—and does not replace—authorized organizational classification, marking, or legal determinations.
Who it serves
Built for the people accountable for the answer.
For organizations where scope decisions cross contracts, security, compliance, and operations.
CISOs & IT leaders
Define the technical boundary before committing to architecture, licensing, segmentation, or migration decisions.
Compliance officers
Tie safeguarding decisions to authoritative sources and maintain the record needed to defend scope.
Contracts managers
See which clauses and flow-downs create information-handling duties—and where those duties land operationally.
Advisory practices
Apply a consistent scoping method across clients without turning professional judgment into a black box.
DIB PRIMES & SUBCONTRACTORSITAR / EAR ORGANIZATIONSFEDERAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICESCMMC ADVISORY PRACTICES
Evidence & protection roadmap
A scope decision is only as strong as the record behind it.
DECISION RECORDOIQ-DR-024
APPROVEDEvidence that explains the decision.
Preserve the source, judgment, ownership, and review history needed to inspect why information and systems were included or excluded.
- Source clause and contract reference
- Applicability determination
- Information type and classification basis
- Decision owner and reviewer
- Supporting system and discovery evidence
- Assumptions, exceptions, and review cadence
PROTECTION ROADMAP
A prioritized plan for what must happen next.
Translate the approved scope into concrete protection, architecture, ownership, and assessment-readiness actions.
- 01Confirmed regulated-data scope
- 02System, user, and supplier boundary
- 03Data-flow and repository map
- 04Safeguard applicability
- 05Prioritized protection actions
- 06Evidence-ready decision record
OUTCOME
Protect what the obligation requires. Avoid extending the boundary without a documented reason.
A defensible starting point
Know what you are obligated to protect—and prove the scope.
See how ObligationIQ connects a contract requirement to a reviewable data boundary and protection roadmap.
Request a scoping demoReview the decision model