Elodie Collins 
Allocore CEO Bill Webner, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, is urging the federal government to utilize commercial offerings to modernize the over 130 distinct lending and credit programs across agencies. While the programs support homeownership, small businesses, disaster recovery and higher education, the executive pointed out in a new blog post that many agencies still operate on aging, fragmented platforms with slow manual processes that increase risk and fraud.
How Can Commercial Platforms Improve Government Lending?
Webner pointed to the Small Business Administration’s COVID-19 response as an exemplar of modern lending systems.
He recalled that, during the pandemic, the SBA needed a platform to disburse emergency loans at a massive scale. By implementing a cloud-based commercial platform, the SBA was able to transition to the new infrastructure and begin processing emergency loans within weeks, demonstrating that agencies can modernize quickly without building systems from scratch. According to Webner, the commercial cloud platform also led to a better experience for borrowers and administrators alike.
Why Are Federal Lending Programs Suitable for Modernization Trials?
In the article, Webner recommended federal lending programs as modernization testbeds for the government. The programs offer structured and repeatable workflows, measurable outcomes and defined performance metrics, making them well-suited for piloting commercial technologies.
Success in these programs provides proof of concept for broader IT modernization efforts across government.
What Policy Changes Enable Faster Modernization?
Recent reforms, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, 2.0, encourage agile procurement. Webner explained that FAR 2.0 allows agencies to evaluate products through live demonstrations and assess commercial platforms under real-world conditions.
The change, the executive said, emphasizes performance rather than past experiences, making “procurement more competitive, more transparent and more focused on outcomes.”
