How Executive Orders and FITARA Compliance Are Shaping Legacy IT Overhauls

What Is FITARA Compliance?

Overview of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act

Passed in 2014, the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) was designed to tackle a longstanding challenge: federal IT spending that was fragmented, opaque, and often misaligned with mission needs.

Key provisions of FITARA include:

• Giving agency CIOs greater authority over IT budgets and decision-making.
• Increasing transparency into IT investments through reporting requirements.
• Establishing the FITARA Scorecard, a publicly available grading system that tracks agency performance across categories like portfolio review, cybersecurity, and modernization progress.

In short, FITARA was Congress’s way of putting pressure on agencies to move away from wasteful IT practices and toward modernization with accountability built in.

The Role of CIOs in Modernization Strategy

Before FITARA, many federal CIOs had more responsibility than authority. They were expected to manage IT strategy but lacked control over budgets and procurement decisions. FITARA changed that dynamic.

Today, CIOs are central players in federal IT strategy. They’re expected to:

• Shape modernization roadmaps.
• Enforce cost transparency.
• Report on progress using measurable metrics.

For modernization leaders, FITARA compliance is both a burden and a gift. It raises expectations, but it also equips CIOs with the authority to make change happen.

Executive Orders: Catalysts for Modernization

Key Executive Orders Impacting Federal IT

Over the last several years, multiple executive orders (EOs) have added urgency and direction to federal modernization efforts. Some of the most significant include:

• EO 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (2021): Mandating zero-trust architectures, software supply chain security, and stronger incident reporting.
• Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience (2021): Requiring agencies to prioritize seamless, accessible, digital-first services for citizens.
• Executive actions on climate and data transparency: Pushing agencies to modernize systems to support open data initiatives and inter-agency collaboration.

These executive orders are not isolated. They tie directly into modernization strategies already mandated by FITARA, creating both pressure and alignment.

Alignment Between Executive Orders and FITARA

On their own, executive orders demand action. Paired with FITARA compliance, they provide structure and accountability. For example:

• FITARA requires CIO oversight of IT spending. EOs dictate where that spending must go (e.g., cybersecurity, customer experience).
• FITARA uses scorecards to track performance. EOs establish the modernization priorities those scorecards reflect.

Together, they create a powerful feedback loop: policy mandates + compliance frameworks + public accountability = accelerated modernization.

How FITARA and Executive Action Drive Legacy Overhauls

From Legacy to Agile: Federal CIO Priorities

The days of “keeping the lights on” with legacy IT are over. Federal CIO priorities are shifting toward:

• Reducing technical debt by replacing or refactoring brittle legacy applications.
• Cloud-first strategies that enable scalability, agility, and cost optimization.
• Zero-trust security models to comply with cybersecurity mandates.

Agencies that once hesitated to modernize now face clear directives—and leadership is expected to deliver.

Funding Modernization Through Policy Support

One of the most persistent barriers to modernization has always been funding. FITARA compliance and executive mandates have started to shift that dynamic.

• The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) provides agencies with dedicated modernization dollars.
• Government tech funding is increasingly tied to performance metrics, incentivizing agencies to improve their FITARA scores.
• Grant and budget models now prioritize modernization initiatives that align with federal mandates.

This creates a more supportive environment where agencies don’t just face mandates but also have access to resources to execute them.

Measuring and Reporting Success

FITARA’s most visible mechanism is its Scorecard, which grades agencies twice a year. For CIOs, this public report card is a motivator. A poor grade signals risk to both reputation and funding, while improvements demonstrate progress and accountability.

Agencies that embrace modernization often see dramatic improvements—moving from failing grades to recognized leaders within just a few cycles. These shifts don’t just improve compliance; they showcase how policy-driven modernization can create real-world impact.

Overcoming Barriers to FITARA Compliance

Cultural and Structural Challenges

Despite progress, barriers remain. Many agencies still struggle with siloed departments, entrenched bureaucratic processes, and cultural resistance to change. FITARA compliance may provide structure, but without cultural buy-in, modernization can stall.

CIOs must act not only as technologists but as change leaders—building coalitions across departments and framing modernization as a mission enabler, not a compliance burden.

Resource and Talent Constraints

Another challenge is the talent gap. Modernization requires expertise in cloud migration, zero-trust architecture, and DevSecOps—skills that are in short supply in the federal workforce.

To address this, agencies are:

• Upskilling existing staff.
• Recruiting new talent with modern IT expertise.
• Partnering with SDVOSBs and IT service providers to bridge capability gaps.

Without addressing talent, modernization efforts risk stalling regardless of policy support.

Conclusion: Compliance as a Strategic Advantage

In the past, compliance often felt like a burden—a checklist of requirements that slowed progress. Today, however, FITARA compliance and executive orders have become catalysts for transformation.

Rather than obstacles, they represent an opportunity for federal agencies:

• To align modernization with measurable outcomes.
• To secure government tech funding that accelerates progress.
• To elevate federal CIO priorities into visible, strategic leadership roles.

The agencies that treat compliance as an enabler, not a constraint, will be the ones that turn legacy IT overhauls into lasting digital leadership.

Now is the time for federal leaders to audit their legacy systems, assess FITARA readiness, and align modernization roadmaps with executive mandates. With the right strategy, compliance can be more than a requirement—it can be the foundation for building the digital government of the future.