Directory: FedRAMP‑Compliant AI Platforms for Government and Regulated Enterprises

FedRAMP‑Compliant AI Platforms Directory — Fast, Practical Guidance for Government & Regulated Enterprises

Hook: You need an AI platform you can trust, integrate, and procure — fast. Yet security artifacts are scattered, pricing is opaque, and authorization types (FedRAMP Ready vs Authorized) are confusing. This directory and guide give engineers, architects, and procurement leads a single, actionable reference for finding FedRAMP‑compliant AI platforms and evaluating them against technical, security, and procurement realities in 2026.

Why this directory matters in 2026

Through late 2025 and into 2026 the market consolidated around platforms that can prove end‑to‑end controls for model training, inference, and data provenance. High profile moves — for example, BigBear.ai acquiring a FedRAMP‑approved AI asset and Cloudflare expanding into data marketplaces — mean vendors are trying to combine compliance with new supply‑chain models for training data. For government and regulated enterprises, the question is no longer just "is this AI accurate?" but "can we get an Authority to Operate (ATO) quickly, and can the vendor show continuous monitoring, SBOMs, and model provenance?"

What this directory includes

This searchable, filterable directory focuses on vendor profiles that expose the facts you need to evaluate and procure FedRAMP‑compliant AI platforms:

• Authorization status (FedRAMP Ready, Agency Authorized, JAB Authorized, FedRAMP High/Moderate)
• Compliance artifacts (SSP, SAR, POA&M, 3PAO report availability)
• Hosting and data residency (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, on‑prem, hybrid) — consider cost and architecture together; see notes on cloud cost optimization when evaluating dedicated GovCloud options.
• Security controls (encryption, KMS/BYOK, SIEM/Syslog integration, STIG/SCAP support)
• AI governance (model lineage, fine‑tuning controls, training data provenance, retraining policies)
• Integration (APIs, SDKs, SAML/OIDC, SCIM, Terraform modules) — favor vendors that adhere to open integration standards like those described in the Open Middleware Exchange.
• Pricing signals (transparent tiers, per‑API‑call/token, enterprise minimums, GSA schedule)
• Procurement notes (typical contracting vehicle, ATO lead time, sample RFP language)

Understanding FedRAMP statuses and what they mean for you

Not all FedRAMP claims are equivalent. Use these quick definitions when filtering the directory:

• FedRAMP Ready: Vendor has completed an initial assessment and is listed; useful signal but not sufficient for ATO.
• Agency Authorized: An agency has granted an ATO; often the fastest path for other agencies to reuse the authorization.
• JAB Authorized: Joint Authorization Board (JAB) review; stronger evidence of rigor but the JAB process can be slower.
• FedRAMP Moderate vs High: Choose High for controlled unclassified information (CUI) and mission‑critical systems; Moderate suits less sensitive workloads.

Quick search & filter strategy

When your team starts filtering the directory, use this prioritized checklist to get relevant candidates fast:

1. Filter by Authorization level required by your data classification (High for CUI or regulated PHI/PAYMENT data).
2. Filter by Hosting model (dedicated GovCloud vs shared tenancy). For DoD workloads, include DoD IL support.
3. Filter by API and integration features: token limits, SDK languages, SCIM/SAML support, webhooks.
4. Filter by AI governance features: model lineage, audit logs, fine‑tuning restrictions, provenance.
5. Sort by a combined score that weights security (40%), integration (20%), procurement readiness (20%), and pricing transparency (20%).

Example search API (how your directory can be queried)

Directory operators: expose a REST endpoint so teams can automate RFP shortlists. Example query for FedRAMP High + GovCloud + model lineage:

curl -X GET "https://directory.example/api/v1/search?authLevel=FedRAMP-High&hosting=GovCloud&features=model_lineage" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

What to request from vendors — an engineering checklist

Before you start integration work, require the following artifacts from any candidate vendor:

• FedRAMP package or Agency ATO letter — verify the authorization scope and any exclusions.
• System Security Plan (SSP) — confirm implemented controls match your risk profile.
• Independent Assessment Report (SAR) from a 3PAO — review test coverage and residual findings.
• Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) — look for active, tracked mitigations and timelines.
• Continuous Monitoring and Logging details — retention periods, SIEM integration, log formats. Tie these to your observability playbook (see observability for workflow microservices).
• SBOM and third‑party dependency list — essential after the rise of supply‑chain attacks.
• Model provenance artifacts — training data metadata, creator/consent records, and licenses (especially after marketplaces like Human Native entered the market).

Pricing signals and procurement notes

Pricing is a key procurement lever. We capture pricing signals in the directory so teams can shortlist based on both cost model and procurement fit.

Common pricing models

• Per‑API call / per‑token: Good for small, predictable workloads. Watch for hidden costs: logging, storage, retraining.
• Dedicated instance / VM pricing: Higher baseline, predictable monthly cost — often required for FedRAMP High.
• Subscription / seat licensing: Useful for interactive tools; confirm number of API keys per seat.
• Enterprise negotiated: Volume discounts + SLAs. Expect minimum commitments and a longer procurement cycle.

Procurement practicalities

• Ask if the vendor is on a GSA Schedule or has a valid Federal Supply Schedule. That can shorten contracting time.
• Confirm any frame agreement or IDIQ vehicle they can operate under (SEWP, CIO‑SP3, etc.).
• Estimate ATO lead time: FedRAMP Authorized services can reduce your ATO time by months; FedRAMP Ready typically requires additional agency assessment.
• Check procurement minimums and whether sandbox or pilot environments are available for 90‑day evaluations. For templated RFP language and repeatable procurement playbooks, consider using templates-as-code approaches and reusable contract fragments.

Tip: vendors that offer a FedRAMP‑authorized sandbox and a transparent list of SSP and 3PAO reports reduce procurement friction significantly.

Security and architecture integration patterns (practical examples)

Here are integration patterns your engineers will compare in the directory:

1. Cloud GovCloud Native (recommended for many agencies)

Integration highlights:

• Identity: SAML/OIDC for single‑sign on, SCIM for user provisioning.
• Keys: KMS with BYOK to ensure your keys remain under agency control.
• Network: VPC peering or PrivateLink endpoints to avoid public egress. For field and commissioning scenarios where private networking matters, see portable network kit reviews like portable network & COMM kits.

2. Dedicated VPC / Single‑tenant appliances

When isolation is required:

• Use vendor bare‑metal or single‑tenant VMs with per‑tenant encryption and strict ingress/egress ACLs.
• Look for hardware attestations and HSM usage for key management.

3. On‑prem or air‑gapped deployments

For the highest assurance environments:

• Confirm vendor supports disconnected model updates and offline SBOM verification.
• Validate how model updates are signed and verified before deployment.

Vendor maturity and enterprise risk — how to score suppliers

We recommend a pragmatic scoring rubric (you can adapt weights depending on mission needs):

• Security & Compliance (40%) — authorization status, 3PAO report quality, POA&M backlog.
• Integration (20%) — APIs, SDKs, identity, logging.
• Pricing Transparency (15%) — clarity on costs, trial availability.
• AI Governance (15%) — model lineage, retrain controls, provenance.
• Vendor Maturity (10%) — financial stability, references, market traction.

Example: BigBear.ai's late‑2025 move to acquire a FedRAMP‑approved platform is a signal that firms are consolidating compliance assets. For procurement teams, acquisitions can introduce both upside (consolidated compliance artifacts) and risk (product roadmap changes, potential revenue shortfalls that affect support). Score vendor stability high only after confirming continued support SLAs and roadmap commitments.

Red flags to watch for

• Vendor claims of FedRAMP compliance without providing the SSP or 3PAO summary for verification.
• No evidence of continuous monitoring — snapshot artifacts only are insufficient in 2026.
• Opaque pricing with required minimums revealed late in negotiations.
• Lack of model provenance or training data metadata — especially risky if vendor sources training data from third‑party marketplaces.

Case study — evaluating a candidate in the directory (step‑by‑step)

Scenario: Your agency needs a FedRAMP High AI inference platform to process CUI. You shortlist three vendors from the directory.

1. Confirm each vendor's authorization scope matches the intended data flow. Does the SSP explicitly mention inference of CUI at rest and in transit?
2. Request the 3PAO SAR and scan for open/high findings. If findings exist, validate the POA&M timelines and compensating controls.
3. Run a 30‑day pilot in the vendor's FedRAMP sandbox, validating identity (SAML) integration and log pipelines into your SIEM via syslog/CEF.
4. Conduct a short supply‑chain review: request SBOM for the runtime components used for inference and confirm vendor's vulnerability disclosure program. For guidance on documenting chain-of-custody and provenance, see this field playbook on distributed investigations: Chain of Custody in Distributed Systems.
5. Negotiate SLAs: availability, incident response times, and responsibility for patching vulnerabilities. Ensure contract language accounts for continuity if the vendor gets acquired.

Advanced strategies for architects (2026 focus)

As of 2026, leading adopters use multi‑layered controls to reduce vendor lock‑in and mitigate supply‑chain risk:

• Model abstraction layer: Build an internal microservice that abstracts calls to vendor inference APIs. This lets you swap providers if the marketplace or compliance posture changes. Open standards and middleware patterns (see Open Middleware Exchange) make abstraction easier.
• Dual‑run validation: Run critical inferences on two separate authorized providers in parallel during a validation period to detect drifts or biases.
• Data provenance ledger: Use an auditable metadata store for all training and input data. Integrate provenance records into each prediction’s audit log — similar concepts appear in chain-of-custody playbooks like Chain of Custody in Distributed Systems.
• Automated evidence collection: Use scripts to pull SSP snapshots, SAR summaries, and 3PAO findings into your risk management tool for ongoing monitoring. Treat this as a documentation pipeline similar to templates-as-code workflows (modular publishing workflows).

How the directory ranks vendors (transparent ranking algorithm)

Directory rankings are generated from an objective score composed of:

• Compliance completeness: 0–40 points (FedRAMP status, artifacts provided)
• Security controls: 0–20 points (encryption, KMS, SIEM integration, SBOM)
• Integration and APIs: 0–15 points (SDK availability, identity support)
• Pricing transparency & procurement fit: 0–15 points (GSA, pilot options, clear tiers)
• AI governance features: 0–10 points (model lineage, retrain policy)

Submission and verification for vendors

Vendors listed in the directory must submit current artifacts and agree to annual verification. We require:

• Up‑to‑date FedRAMP authorization details and SSP/POA&M links (redacted appropriate details).
• Recent 3PAO summary and continuous monitoring attestations.
• Proof of pricing models and procurement vehicles (GSA, SEWP, IDIQ if available).

Practical takeaways — what your team should do this week

• Run a filtered search for FedRAMP High + GovCloud + model provenance in the directory and shortlist 3 vendors.
• Request SSP and 3PAO summary up front; do not start a pilot without them.
• Confirm the vendor supports BYOK/KMS and private networking; these are non‑negotiable for CUI workloads.
• Include a requirement for SBOM and supply‑chain attestations in your RFP.

Looking ahead — trends to watch in 2026

Expect three market shifts to affect your evaluations:

• Data marketplaces integration: Post‑Cloudflare and similar moves, provenance and licensing metadata will become standard for training data used by FedRAMP vendors.
• Consolidation: Vendors will continue to acquire compliance assets (like BigBear.ai did), making continuity clauses and reauthorization guarantees more important.
• Regulatory tightening: Agencies will increasingly require demonstrable model governance and retraining controls — not just infrastructure controls.

Final checklist before awarding a contract

• Verify FedRAMP scope and artifacts match your use case.
• Confirm SLAs for security incidents and vendor takeover scenarios.
• Obtain pilot environment access and perform integration tests that validate identity, logging, and performance.
• Ensure contractual language gives you rights to SBOM, evidence, and support continuity during vendor mergers.

Call to action

Use our directory to filter and compare FedRAMP‑compliant AI platforms by authorization, security posture, pricing, and procurement fit. Ready to build a shortlist or add a vendor profile? Search now, request vendor artifacts through the platform, or submit your vendor for verification to appear in the directory. For procurement teams, download our RFP checklist and sample contract language to accelerate your ATO.

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