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Why Federal Agencies Need to Embrace Open Source Development | ICF

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Why Federal Agencies Need to Embrace Open Source Development | ICF Skip to main content Back Industries Powerful solutions that drive innovation and deliver results. Our Expertise Utilities Disaster management Transportation Aviation Federal health Energy Environmental services and infrastructure Climate resilience Community and economic development U.S. federal State and local government UK government European government Client stories See how we help fast-changing industries succeed. Back Capabilities Applying technology and expertise to deliver bold, lasting impact. Technology Digital modernization Artificial intelligence Data and analytics Experience and design Cloud Cybersecurity Partner ecosystem Solutions Program implementation Strategy and innovation Workforce and change management Policy and regulatory Grants management Strategic communications ICF Fathom Explore our suite of AI solutions and services Strategic agency for engagement and transformation. Back Insights Stay ahead with research, insights, and success stories developed by industry experts. Trending topics Using AI against fraud, waste, and abuse AI innovation Grid modernization Workforce development Extreme weather resilience Latest thinking Articles Client stories News Reports Webinars Smart charts Top federal AI trends New findings for 2025 The impact of rapid demand growth Key recommendations for utilities Back About A leading global company turning data into insights and innovation into impact. About ICF News Leadership History Corporate Citizenship Ethics and compliance Data privacy Contracts Locations Europe and U.K. Learn about our work with governments, businesses, and organizations in Europe and the U.K. Need help or want to learn more?  Contact us Careers Investors Popular Searches Federal IT modernization Artificial intelligence Disaster mitigation Energy efficiency Federal health Featured Learn more Federal IT modernization services Subscribe to modernization insights Subscribe

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Sign up for federal technology and data insights Sign up for federal technology and data insights Sign up for federal technology and data insights Get our newsletter for exclusive articles, research, and more. Get our newsletter for exclusive articles, research, and more. Get our newsletter for exclusive articles, research, and more. Subscribe now Insights / Technology Article New research highlights open source as critical to agency innovation New research highlights open source as critical to agency innovation By Patrick McConnell Patrick McConnell Senior Vice President, Scaled Delivery Services Patrick McConnell's Recent Articles Transforming organ procurement: How iQIES is driving smarter, faster transplant outcomes Addressing chronic disease through AI and digital innovation Apr 24, 2025 4 MIN. READ Government modernization isn’t just about new technology—it’s about rethinking how technology is built, shared, and improved. Open source plays a key role in this transformation. As federal agencies prioritize efficiency, innovation, and value in their digital initiatives, open-source software continues to be a key enabler of these goals.

A recent report from ICF highlights both the growing momentum and existing barriers to open-source adoption in federal IT. While fewer than four in ten federal IT decision-makers currently describe their agencies as “core users” of open-source development, nearly all respondents (97%) expect its use to expand significantly in the coming years.

This shift reflects a broader recognition that open-source solutions can enhance interoperability, reduce costs, and accelerate modernization efforts. By leveraging open-source software, agencies can reduce proprietary constraints, foster cross-agency collaboration, and improve responsiveness to mission needs.

As digital modernization initiatives move forward, agencies have an opportunity to rethink outdated assumptions about open-source technology. With strong security frameworks, policy support, and a growing talent pool, open-source development can be a strategic advantage.

The benefits of open-source development There are significant benefits to open-source development, as many agencies and IT leaders have already learned. In many cases, the agencies require highly customized solutions to extremely complex problems that are unique to the federal government space. In these cases, no commercial solution is available to fill the gap. Respondents to our survey indicated the myriad ways working with open-source platforms has advanced their agencies’ missions and goals. In open-ended responses, they said that open-source platforms:

“provided cost-effective, customized solutions.” “fostered a culture of knowledge-sharing within our team.” “reduced [our] dependency on specific vendors, providing greater flexibility and control over our systems.” “provided us with the freedom to innovate, experiment, and refine our strategies.” Federal agencies that have leveraged open-source development see significant improvements in efficiency and service delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is one example.

Case study: CMS’ iQIES modernization CMS’ decades-old Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) was designed to improve the quality of patient care in nursing homes, hospices, and other healthcare settings through provider assessments and surveys. We partnered with CMS to modernize QIES through the use of open-source software, delivering a powerful cloud-based application with an intuitive user experience. The new platform, called iQIES, is now used by thousands of healthcare providers and surveyors across every U.S. state and territory, and CMS has a greater ability to help patients receive the quality care they deserve.

The use of open-source software allows iQIES to evolve to meet the highly specific needs of the federal government without licensing fees, which helps keep costs down. This is particularly important for a large-scale project like iQIES that supports approximately 330,000 providers across 39 healthcare categories and manages over 278 million clinical assessments.

Choosing to build vs. buy The first question in federal acquisitions should be whether to build or buy. Buying an out-of-the-box solution has many advantages, including leveraging potentially decades of pre-existing innovation. This must be weighed against the needs of the government, licensing cost, costs to customize a COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) solution, the changing needs of the government over time, and vendor lock-in. In many cases, government needs are very specific, and there simply is no off-the-shelf solution to meet them. In other cases, the government must weigh whether their needs will be changing over time, and whether the off-the-shelf solution will be able to adapt at all as federal policy changes. Building a custom solution using open-source software can address all of these challenges.

Addressing cybersecurity concerns Despite its many benefits, some federal agencies remain cautious about open-source, cloud-based, and AI-assisted software due to security concerns. In fact, 63% of federal IT leaders cite security vulnerabilities as a key barrier to adopting or expanding open-source development.

High-profile vulnerabilities, such as the 2021 Log4j incident, highlight the need for vigilance. However, commercial products suffer from security issues as well, such as with the 2020 Solarwinds incident. With proactive security measures, regular updates, and strong community oversight, open-source software is equally as secure—if not more so—than proprietary alternatives. Agency IT leaders have an opportunity to embrace open source while implementing best practices that safeguard sensitive data.

While policies and regulations are essential for maintaining the security and reliability of government technology, they don’t have to slow innovation—especially when it comes to open-source adoption. With the right tools and strategies, agencies can balance security with agility. Automated solutions for managing software bills of materials (SBOMs), vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing help IT teams proactively address security risks while ensuring compliance without stalling progress. Equally important is the management of open-source licenses; tracking and adhering to these licenses not only safeguards legal compliance but also supports responsible use of community-driven solutions. By leveraging these technologies, agencies can confidently integrate open-source solutions while maintaining strong security postures and regulatory adherence.

Choosing the right open-source partner As they work to deliver innovation, efficiency, and value, federal agencies should seek partners who can not only advise on how best to develop open-source solutions but also execute those solutions. These partners must be able to integrate people, processes, and technologies to build and deploy a minimally viable product (MVP), as well as scale new solutions to the enterprise. Furthermore, these partners must also help the agency do so with guardrails that keep data protected per the appropriate FISMA regulatory standards. This can be challenging, but it’s a challenge that ICF engineers, developers, and policy experts are working on every day.

Meet the author Patrick McConnell, Senior Vice President, Scaled Delivery Services Patrick is an expert in leading organizations in the design, development, and delivery of custom software solutions.

File Under Cloud Cybersecurity Digital modernization Health Public health Public sector Technology U.S. federal Your mission, modernized.

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