Many modern day proposals and contracts are structured around a specific Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) level which serves to guide design, implementation, and process improvement. As the CMMI level increases, so too does the quality of the product and subsequently the performance of the organization. However, many teams largely dismiss submitting proposals meeting or exceeding these CMMI levels due to the supposed minimal return on investment. To counter this presumption, I have collected quantitative results via analysis of SEER-SEM models from a variety of program sizes and areas which show a decrease in software effort of up to 25% by operating at CMMI level 3 or higher.