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HECVAT Assessment Services
The HECVAT was built to give colleges and universities a consistent view of vendor security risk, but for vendors, completing it requires aligning controls, documenting processes, and maintaining accuracy over time. Our team guides vendors through preparation, response generation, and ongoing updates, while helping institutions evaluate results.
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HECVAT Solutions from Compass IT Compliance
The Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT) framework was developed by EDUCAUSE’s Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC) to address the shared concerns of colleges and universities when engaging third-party vendors. Its standardized approach allows institutions to evaluate IT service providers consistently and ensures vendors can efficiently respond without reinventing the wheel for each new request.
Still, many organizations struggle with implementing and maintaining an effective HECVAT response or review program. Compass IT Compliance brings years of experience supporting higher education institutions and technology providers alike. Our HECVAT team helps clients:
Complete HECVAT Questionnaires
Accurately fill out the latest version of the HECVAT, ensuring responses align with your existing security and privacy postures.
Review Vendor Submissions
Evaluate third-party HECVATs on your behalf to identify security and privacy risks and clarify vendor practices before approving solutions.
Policy & Documentation Support
Strengthen the policies, procedures, and evidence needed to substantiate your HECVAT responses.
Gap Analysis & Remediation
Identify where your organization falls short of HECVAT and industry expectations and create a roadmap to address findings.
AI & Accessibility Support
Guide completion of the HECVAT AI and IT Accessibility tabs by documenting AI usage and confirming ADA/WCAG compliance.
Ongoing Vendor Risk Management
Incorporate HECVAT into your broader vendor management program for long-term efficiency.
Deep Expertise in HECVAT Development
At Compass IT Compliance, our knowledge of the HECVAT runs deeper than simply helping organizations fill it out. A member of our team was directly involved in the creation of the HECVAT framework through EDUCAUSE, contributing to its design and structure. In addition, Compass IT Compliance was among the very first firms officially licensed by EDUCAUSE to work with the HECVAT, giving us a unique position as both a contributor to its development and an early trusted provider of HECVAT services.
We’ve also been on both sides of the process—reviewing and submitting HECVATs in our capacity as Virtual CISOs serving the higher education sector—giving us unmatched insight into the expectations of institutions as well as the challenges faced by vendors.
This rare combination of experience and authorization gives our consultants firsthand insight into the intent behind each question, what institutions are truly looking for, and how vendors can best position their responses. That inside knowledge translates into faster, more accurate results for our clients—whether you’re a higher education institution reviewing submissions or a vendor striving to meet security requirements.
Advantages of Compass HECVAT Consulting Services
By partnering with Compass IT Compliance for HECVAT Consulting Services, institutions and vendors gain:
Streamlined Compliance – Ensure consistency across HECVAT responses or reviews, reducing repetitive manual effort.
Improved Vendor Confidence – Demonstrate maturity to prospective higher-ed customers and streamline the sales cycle with submission support from trained security and privacy professionals.
Actionable Risk Insights – Go beyond “check-the-box” assessments by translating HECVAT findings into clear, prioritized risk mitigation plans.
Expert Support – Our team brings decades of higher education, cybersecurity, and data privacy experience, ensuring your responses and reviews meet institutional expectations.
Efficiency & Accuracy – Reduce time spent filling out or analyzing questionnaires and avoid costly errors or omissions.
SOC 2 Alignment – Consolidate vendors by leveraging Compass for both HECVAT and SOC 2 compliance support.
HECVAT Assessment Services Frequently Asked Questions
The Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT) is a standardized questionnaire developed to help higher education institutions assess vendor risk more efficiently.
Higher education institutions, EdTech vendors, and any organization asked to complete or review a HECVAT will benefit from Compass’s services.
Historically, there were two versions of the HECVAT: Full (a comprehensive questionnaire for higher-risk engagements) and Lite (a shorter version for lower-risk use cases). However, these versions have since been consolidated, and today there is just a single standardized HECVAT. Institutions and vendors now work from this unified version to simplify the process and ensure consistency across the higher education community.
We provide HECVAT Readiness Assessment Services to assist vendors with completing the HECVAT accurately, improving documentation, and ensuring your security posture aligns with institutional requirements.
Most higher education institutions expect vendors to refresh their HECVAT responses on an annual basis, or sooner if there are significant changes to the vendor’s security and privacy posture, services, or technology stack. Keeping your HECVAT current not only demonstrates ongoing commitment to security and compliance but also helps avoid delays when institutions request updated information during procurement or renewal cycles.
Related Resources
Content and resources related to our Higher Education services:
Request a HECVAT Assessment Quote
Every organization has unique needs when it comes to vendor risk management and questionnaire support. The good news is that Compass IT Compliance’s HECVAT Assessment Services can adapt to your specific requirements. Whether you need HECVAT Support Services to assist with questionnaire completion, or comprehensive HECVAT Consulting Services to integrate HECVAT into your vendor management program, our team is here to help. Contact us to discuss your situation with one of our HECVAT experts.