How Tricentis helps agencies modernize smarter — and comply with new federal procurement mandates

On April 16, the White House issued a clear directive to federal agencies: Stop building what you can buy. Reinstating that proven commercial software should be agencies’ first choice, and custom software should only be an option when no other options can meet the need.

The executive order, “Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts”, aims to break the cycle of slow, expensive custom-built systems that bog down modernization efforts with long development and implementation timelines. To the “maximum extent practicable,” agencies should buy commercial products, even if product modifications are necessary.

Requiring agencies to prioritize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products isn’t new. While the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) of 1994 established the mandate, this new executive order adds additional accountability as a means “to provide better, more cost effective solutions to taxpayers.” It’s one of many recent White House initiatives aimed at improving procurement, including streamlining Federal Acquisition Regulations and expanding alternative purchasing authorities for the Department of Defense.

What the new executive order calls for

The order also calls for agencies to take a second look at in-progress projects for areas where bespoke developments can be changed to COTS solutions. In the next few months, agencies must:

• Review all pending purchases of custom-built products or services.
• Document why a commercial solution won’t meet the need, including research and price analysis.
• Obtain formal approval from the agency’s top procurement official.

Approval officials must verify FASA compliance and assess if commercial alternatives are viable. This doesn’t stop after initial reviews. Additionally, agencies are required to submit annual compliance reports to the Office of Management and Budget. Every future non-commercial purchase will require written justification and top-level approval.

In short, agencies face increased oversight on custom solutions to encourage them to opt for COTS.

Software testing: Powering the path to modernization

Modernization is about making sure those systems work.

Rigorous testing for COTS and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms — like SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Workday, and ServiceNow — ensures functionality, integration, and performance in real-world conditions.

Yet many agencies still depend on manual testing — a slow, resource-draining process that can’t keep up with today’s pace. Manual testing:

• Consumes valuable technical resources on repetitive tasks.
• Delays modernization with error-prone workflows.
• Undermines Agile, DevOps, and DevSecOps practices.
• Increases risk with inconsistent results.

Instead, agencies must adopt continuous automated testing to validate applications and deliver reliable digital services to meet modernization goals and align with new procurement mandates.

What agencies should demand from automated testing

All automation isn’t equal. Solutions purpose-built for enterprise-grade testing are fundamentally different from those that bolt on automation as an afterthought. Tools designed initially for robotic process automation or built on legacy testing frameworks often may work for a single application but fail to scale across complex environments.

When evaluating automated testing platforms, agencies should focus on capabilities that drive tangible outcomes:

• Low-code automation that empowers business users while easing the burden on IT teams.
• Comprehensive enterprise application coverage, from SAP and Salesforce to mainframes and beyond.
• Resilient, self-healing tests that automatically adapt to changes in underlying systems.
• AI-driven optimization to prioritize testing efforts where they deliver the most value.
• Smart test data management that accelerates testing while ensuring compliance.
• Real-time insights and reporting to provide leadership with actionable visibility. to provide leadership with actionable visibility.
• Scalable performance validation to simulate production-level loads with confidence.
• Proven product training to train an employee in a week.

These features are mission-critical, not optional luxuries. Testing ensures every system, whether commercial or custom, functions as intended. More than a technical safeguard, it’s the foundation that makes modernization work. A platform built for enterprise-scale complexity, like Tricentis, ensures new technologies integrate smoothly, reduce risk, and keep modernization efforts on track.

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