MA-6: Timely Maintenance

MA-6: Timely Maintenance requires you to pre-arrange maintenance support and/or spare parts for defined system components, and to obtain that support within a defined time window after a failure. To operationalize it fast, set failure-to-support time objectives by asset tier, contract for support and spares, route failures through a tracked ticket workflow, and retain proof that response times were met. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Key takeaways:

• Define “what parts” and “how fast” using scoped components and a measurable time-to-support objective. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Put real capacity behind the objective: support contracts, on-hand spares, RMA pathways, and escalation contacts. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
• Evidence wins audits: tickets, timestamps, SLAs, inventories, and post-incident maintenance records tied to failures. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

The ma-6: timely maintenance requirement is easy to misunderstand because it is not a generic “patch fast” control. It is a maintenance continuity control: when something fails, you must be able to obtain maintenance support and/or spare parts for specific components within a defined timeframe. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

For a Compliance Officer, CCO, or GRC lead, the fastest path to implementation is to treat MA-6 like an operational service-level commitment with procurement and logistics behind it. You need two decisions in writing: which components are in scope (for example, specific device classes, platforms, or critical subsystems), and the maximum acceptable time between failure detection and obtaining support or a spare. Then you need a repeatable workflow that proves you can meet that commitment under normal conditions and during stress (after-hours, supply chain delays, staff absence). (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

This page gives requirement-level guidance you can hand to IT operations, infrastructure, and procurement with minimal translation: how to define the objective, implement the process, and collect evidence that stands up in a NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 assessment. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Regulatory text

Control requirement (excerpt): “Obtain maintenance support and/or spare parts for {{ insert: param, ma-06_odp.01 }} within {{ insert: param, ma-06_odp.02 }} of failure.” (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Operator translation (what you must do):

1. Name the in-scope components (“{{…ma-06_odp.01}}” is an organization-defined parameter). Your implementation must clearly identify which systems/components require timely maintenance support or spares. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
2. Set a measurable time window (“{{…ma-06_odp.02}}” is also organization-defined). This must be a concrete time-to-support/spare objective tied to “of failure,” meaning the clock starts when the failure occurs or is detected, per your defined process. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
3. Demonstrate capability to obtain support/spares within that window, not just “intend to.” Your contracts, stocking strategy, escalation path, and ticket records should show the control operates. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

What MA-6 is (and is not)

• Is: Logistics + service management for failed components, focused on restoring operability by getting support or spares in time. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Is not: A vulnerability patching SLA (that is typically handled elsewhere in patch management controls). MA-6 triggers on “failure,” not “new patch available.” (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Plain-English interpretation of the requirement

You must be able to respond to component failures fast enough that you can keep the system operating within your risk tolerance. That means you pre-plan where maintenance comes from (internal teams or third parties), how you obtain replacement parts (spares on-hand, depot stock, or RMA shipment), and how you prove the time window was met after each failure. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

A practical way to frame MA-6: “For these critical components, we can get a qualified human and/or a replacement part fast enough to meet our availability and mission needs, and we can prove it with records.” (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Who it applies to

Entity types

• Federal information systems implementing NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 controls. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
• Contractor systems handling federal data where NIST SP 800-53 is flowed down contractually or used as the control baseline. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Operational contexts where MA-6 becomes “high scrutiny”

• Systems with tight availability objectives (identity, network edge, remote access, EDR management, logging pipelines).
• Hardware-dependent environments (network appliances, HSMs, storage arrays, OT/IoT gateways).
• Cloud and SaaS dependencies where “spares” translates to support escalation, capacity reallocation, region failover steps, or provider incident response pathways. The control still maps: you are obtaining support (and sometimes replacement capacity) within the defined time. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

What you actually need to do (step-by-step)

Step 1: Define MA-6 scope and time objectives (make the parameters real)

Create a short MA-6 control appendix with:

• In-scope components list by tier (Tier 1/2/3) or by service. Include examples: firewalls, core switches, identity providers, key management systems, hypervisors, storage controllers, critical application nodes. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Time-to-support/spare objective per tier. Define what “within X of failure” means in your environment: detection timestamp, monitoring alert timestamp, or ticket open time. Pick one and standardize it. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• What qualifies as “obtained”: confirmed dispatch, support engineer engaged, part shipped with tracking, part delivered onsite, or part installed. Choose the auditable milestone that matches your risk. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Deliverable: “MA-6 Timely Maintenance Parameters” (1–2 pages) approved by the control owner.

Step 2: Put procurement and third-party management behind the objective

For each in-scope component family, confirm one of these is true:

• Support contract in place (OEM, authorized reseller, managed service provider), with a stated response/dispatch commitment.
• Internal maintenance capability documented: on-call staffing, skills, access, diagnostic tools.
• Spares strategy documented: on-hand spares, hot standby units, or rapid shipment/RMA process. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Third-party due diligence angle: your ability to meet MA-6 often depends on third parties (OEM support, colocation hands, courier, MSP). Your contracts and onboarding should capture escalation paths, after-hours contacts, service windows, and geographical constraints. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Deliverable: support/SLA schedule, spares list, and escalation contacts per component class.

Step 3: Implement a failure-to-maintenance workflow in your ticketing system

Build a standard ticket type: “Component Failure – MA-6 In Scope.” Minimum fields:

• Component ID / asset tag / service name
• Failure time ¹
• Classification (in-scope tier)
• Support path selected (OEM ticket, internal, MSP)
• “Obtained support/spare” timestamp + evidence attachment (email, case number, shipping label)
• Restoration notes + closure code (repaired, replaced, workaround) (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Operational guardrail: require the “in-scope” flag for any outage-impacting incident on Tier 1 components so MA-6 doesn’t get bypassed in the heat of an event.

Step 4: Run tabletop checks for the slow failure modes

MA-6 breaks most often in edge cases:

• Failure after-hours with no valid escalation contacts
• Spare part exists but is in the wrong location
• OEM support requires entitlement validation and you can’t find it
• Colocation “remote hands” is not authorized for your equipment (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Test those scenarios in a controlled way. Capture the results as “maintenance readiness” evidence.

Step 5: Monitor and report (keep it auditable)

Track:

• Count of MA-6 in-scope failures
• Time from failure to “support/spare obtained”
• Exceptions with documented rationale and corrective action

You do not need fancy metrics to satisfy MA-6, but you do need a consistent record that your defined time objective is real and monitored. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Where Daydream fits (without adding process overhead)

Daydream helps you operationalize MA-6 the way assessors expect: one mapped control owner, a documented procedure, and a recurring evidence set that stays current. Use it to assign ownership, schedule evidence pulls (tickets, SLAs, inventories), and keep an audit-ready packet tied directly to MA-6. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Required evidence and artifacts to retain

Keep evidence tied to each of the two MA-6 parameters (scope and time window). (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Design evidence (proves the control is defined)

• MA-6 scope list (components/services) and time objective definition
• RACI or control ownership assignment
• Maintenance procedure/runbook (failure intake, escalation, procurement path)
• Support contracts and support terms excerpts relevant to response/dispatch
• Spare parts inventory policy and current inventory report (for in-scope items) (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Operating evidence (proves it works)

• Tickets/incidents for failures with timestamps and attachments proving support/spares were obtained within the defined window
• OEM case IDs, emails, chat transcripts, dispatch confirmations
• Shipping labels/tracking, receiving logs, RMA records
• Post-incident reviews showing maintenance actions taken and any corrective actions (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Common exam/audit questions and hangups

1. “What exactly is the MA-6 clock start?” If your tickets only show “opened time,” but monitoring alerted earlier, define and document the chosen start point and apply it consistently. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
2. “Show me three examples where you met the objective.” Have a curated sample set ready: include a failure that required a third party and one that required a shipped part. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
3. “Which components are in scope and why?” Auditors expect explicit scoping, not “all infrastructure.” Tie scope to system categorization, availability needs, or mission impact. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
4. “How do you know spares are actually available?” An old spreadsheet is a red flag. Provide current inventory extracts, reorder points, or attestations plus recent receiving/issuance records. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Frequent implementation mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Mistake	Why it fails	Fix
Scope is vague (“critical systems”)	Assessor can’t test it	Publish a component/service list with owners. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
Time window exists, but nobody can prove it	Control becomes non-auditable	Add timestamps + evidence attachments to tickets. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
Contracts say “best effort”	No enforceable path to timely support	Negotiate explicit response/dispatch language for in-scope components. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
Spares exist but aren’t governed	Spares expire, are missing, or inaccessible	Implement inventory control, access rules, and periodic checks. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
Cloud teams assume MA-6 doesn’t apply	Failures still require timely support	Treat provider escalation and capacity replacement as “support/spares.” Document it. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Enforcement context and risk implications

No public enforcement cases were provided in the source catalog for this requirement, so this page does not list enforcement examples.

Operationally, MA-6 reduces the chance that a hardware or platform failure becomes a prolonged outage, a missed mission objective, or a cascading incident. From a compliance posture perspective, MA-6 findings usually come from missing evidence (no timestamps, no scoped list, no proof of support/spares) rather than a single slow response event. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

A practical 30/60/90-day execution plan

First 30 days (define and stand up)

• Assign MA-6 control owner and approvers; confirm IT Ops + Procurement points of contact. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Draft MA-6 parameters: in-scope components and time-to-support/spare objective. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Inventory existing support contracts and spare stock; identify gaps for in-scope items. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
• Update ticket workflow to capture required timestamps and attachments. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Days 31–60 (close gaps and test reality)

• Execute contract updates or purchase orders for missing support/spares for in-scope components. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
• Publish escalation runbooks with after-hours contacts and entitlement info. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)
• Run a maintenance readiness tabletop for at least one Tier 1 component scenario; document outcomes and changes. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Days 61–90 (prove operation and package evidence)

• Pull a first operating evidence set: recent failures, tickets, support cases, shipping logs, inventory extracts. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Create an assessor-ready MA-6 packet: parameters, procedures, contracts, and sample tickets mapped to the defined time objective. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)
• Configure Daydream (or your GRC system) to schedule recurring evidence pulls and owner attestations so the packet stays current. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Frequently Asked Questions

Does MA-6 apply to cloud services where we don’t control hardware spares?

Yes, if the cloud service is part of your in-scope system boundary. Treat “maintenance support” as provider support escalation and “spares” as replacement capacity or failover steps you can trigger and document. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

What’s the best way to define “within X of failure” for auditability?

Pick a clock start you can prove from system records, then apply it consistently. Many teams use monitoring alert time or ticket open time, but you need it written in the MA-6 parameters and reflected in tickets. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

Can we satisfy MA-6 with internal staff only (no third-party support contract)?

Yes, if you can show the internal capability and that it meets your defined time objective. Keep on-call schedules, training/qualification, and ticket evidence showing response and part acquisition actions. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Do we need to stock spares for everything in scope?

No. MA-6 allows “maintenance support and/or spare parts.” For some components, a strong OEM dispatch commitment is enough; for others, you may need on-hand spares due to shipping lead times. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

What evidence is strongest in an assessment?

Time-stamped tickets showing failure time and “support/spare obtained” time, plus attached proof like OEM case confirmations or shipping tracking. Pair those with the written MA-6 scope and time objective. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON)

How do we handle exceptions when the time objective can’t be met?

Treat it like a documented exception with root cause and corrective action (contract change, increased spares, improved escalation). Auditors look for governance and learning, not perfection. (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5)

Footnotes

1. NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 OSCAL JSON