Johanson Group's positioning
Johanson Group is a CPA firm specialising in SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001, HITRUST, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP attestations. The firm operates with a smaller team than mid-tier firms but is materially larger than the smallest boutique firms in the category, sitting in what would be considered the upper boutique band. The firm is headquartered in Florida and serves customers across the US. The positioning is described on the Johanson Group site at johansongroup.com.
The defensible differentiator within the boutique tier is FedRAMP 3PAO capability. Most boutique firms do not deliver FedRAMP work because the federal credentialing requirements and the audit-team skill set are materially different from commercial SaaS attestation. Johanson Group operating as a FedRAMP 3PAO at boutique pricing is structurally unusual and is the right fit for a specific buyer profile: early-stage SaaS with a federal roadmap that wants boutique pricing on the SOC 2 side rather than mid-tier or A-LIGN/Coalfire premium.
Pricing by scope, with realistic ranges
Johanson Group SOC 2 audit fees scale on report type, criteria count, and company complexity in the same shape as Linford & Co. The pricing tends to land 5 to 10 percent above Linford on the equivalent scope, reflecting the firm's slightly larger team and broader framework catalog. The table below presents realistic engagement fees triangulated from public buyer disclosures.
| Engagement Scope | Typical Fee Range |
|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type 1, Security only | $8K-$13K |
| SOC 2 Type 2, Security only | $10K-$17K |
| SOC 2 Type 2, Security + 1 add-on criterion | $13K-$20K |
| SOC 2 Type 2, Security + 2 add-on criteria | $15K-$22K |
| SOC 2 Type 2 + ISO 27001 combined | $18K-$30K |
| SOC 2 + FedRAMP Moderate (2-firm equivalent) | $70K-$170K+ |
Three concrete engagement scenarios
Scenario A: 30-employee Series A SaaS, SOC 2 Type 2 Security only
A 30-employee Series A SaaS pursuing its first SOC 2 Type 2 on Security only typically receives a Johanson Group quote in the $11,000 to $15,000 range. The Linford & Co quote at the same scope would land $9,000 to $14,000; the small price premium versus Linford reflects the firm's slightly larger engagement-team scale. The Schellman or A-LIGN equivalent would land $20,000 to $30,000.
Scenario B: 75-employee Series A federal-track SaaS, SOC 2 with FedRAMP roadmap
A 75-employee Series A federal-track SaaS pursuing SOC 2 Type 2 today and FedRAMP Moderate within 18 months typically receives a Johanson Group quote in the $14,000 to $19,000 range for the SOC 2 engagement, with FedRAMP scoping as part of the multi-year-relationship setup. This is the unusual scenario where Johanson Group is a defensible alternative to A-LIGN or Coalfire: the boutique SOC 2 pricing combined with FedRAMP capability gives the buyer the price advantage of boutique pricing on the larger SOC 2 workload while maintaining firm-continuity for the eventual FedRAMP engagement.
Scenario C: 150-employee Series B SaaS, SOC 2 plus ISO 27001 plus HITRUST
A 150-employee Series B SaaS pursuing SOC 2 plus ISO 27001 plus HITRUST in parallel typically receives a Johanson Group quote in the $25,000 to $40,000 range across the three engagements. The multi-framework efficiency at this scope is real, though more limited than at mid-tier firms because Johanson does not operate the full ISO 27001 certification body capability internally and partners externally for the ISO certification. The total cost is competitive with a Schellman or A-LIGN combined engagement at this scope.
Where Johanson Group wins versus Linford & Co
Johanson Group wins versus Linford when the buyer has a federal roadmap and wants boutique pricing on the SOC 2 side with firm-continuity into FedRAMP, or when the buyer wants a slightly larger boutique team with broader framework catalog (HITRUST, PCI DSS) than Linford's tighter SOC focus. Linford wins when the buyer is purely commercial SaaS with no federal roadmap and the slight price advantage on the lower end of the boutique range matters, or when the buyer values Linford's specific reputation for clear communication and tight engagement timeline.
Both boutique firms lose to mid-tier alternatives when the buyer's enterprise procurement team specifically requires a mid-tier or Big 4 brand, when the buyer is multi-framework today with a tight one-engagement timeline that boutique two-firm approaches cannot match, or when the buyer is on an IPO track and Big 4 brand value matters more than boutique price advantage.
Negotiation playbook
Discount room at Johanson Group is similar to Linford: 5 to 10 percent on multi-year engagement contracts, with Q2 or Q3 scheduling helping on both pricing and lead time. Bringing a Linford & Co or Prescient Assurance competing quote is the most effective lever within the boutique tier. For SaaS with FedRAMP roadmap, a competing quote from A-LIGN or Coalfire as a multi-year mid-tier alternative creates additional negotiation room because Johanson is positioning itself as the boutique-priced alternative to those firms.