A system that requires authorization before deployment has a fundamentally different delivery process than one that ships when the engineering team is ready. The authorization package examines documented evidence of security controls, and that evidence is only credible if it was produced during the build, not assembled afterward. As a software development company serving Washington DC's federal agencies, government contractors, and technology businesses, we build the System Security Plan and the control implementation documentation into the development process itself, so the ATO package reflects the system that was actually built.
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What you get from a software build.
Federal agencies, government contractors, and commercial technology businesses in Washington DC rarely need every pillar at once. Most builds center on two or three, and all six are part of the same software development work.
NIST 800-53 constraints settled in the schema before the first sprint.
Domain modelingAPI contract designTypeScript & GoControl-aware data model
A federal agency system or a SaaS product seeking federal authorization needs its access control model, audit logging, and data handling designed around the applicable NIST 800-53 control families before any feature is built. We settle those constraints in the schema before the first sprint — what a system can prove about its security posture is a schema decision.
Isolation, access, and unalterable audit logs that pass a federal review.
Multi-tenant architectureSubscription billingRole-based accessFedRAMP-ready logging
A public sector software product for federal agency customers needs tenant isolation and access controls that satisfy both the commercial buyer and the FedRAMP or FISMA rules on government data — enforced at the data layer, with audit logs that can't be altered after the fact.
PIV/CAC authentication and MDM enrollment decide the build, not preference.
Native iOS & AndroidFlutter & React NativePIV/CAC authenticationApp Store & Play Store release
A mobile application for a federal agency or contractor needs PIV/CAC card authentication and must operate within the agency's device management framework. React Native covers both platforms from one codebase when PIV/CAC and MDM requirements allow it; native builds win when device-level hardware access requires it.
Models with a decision trail that satisfies agency AI governance requirements.
LLM & RAG pipelinesMission-critical decision support modelsEvals & guardrailsDocumented model decisions
An AI model deployed in a federal system needs a documented decision trail that satisfies the agency's AI governance requirements and applicable OMB or NIST AI risk management guidance. An eval framework built from the actual distribution of production inputs, with a traceable link between model version and expected behavior, is what makes that documentation credible.
The component blocking authorization, replaced at the control baseline.
Strangler-pattern migrationZero-downtime cutoverFramework & database upgradesPhased rollout
A federal legacy system or contractor platform built over a decade typically has one component blocking authorization: an auth module that predates PIV/CAC, or a database logging events at the application layer instead of infrastructure. Our regulatory technology work replaces that component at the current control baseline before redeploying it.
FedRAMP-authorized services with change evidence generated alongside the code.
Infrastructure as codeCI/CD with authorization evidenceFedRAMP-authorized servicesCompliance-ready observability
A federal system or SaaS product seeking FedRAMP authorization needs cloud infrastructure built exclusively from FedRAMP-authorized services, with a pipeline that generates change management evidence alongside the code. Getting service selection and boundary documentation right during the initial build beats rebuilding the boundary once the assessment arrives.
Built for every vertical.
Why teams pick us for this.
Whether a federal system holds up is decided at the authorization review, not at ship date — so documentation is a primary deliverable, not an afterthought.
An engineer who's taken a system through ATO knows where the gaps hide: policies never linked to roles, logs missing the actor, undocumented deployments.
When infrastructure-layer controls genuinely serve a federal system better than application-layer ones, that's our call, even if it reshapes the architecture.
The engineer who designed the access control model also writes the Security Plan sections describing it — nothing is lost between design and documentation.
Our achievements display our capabilities
Selected work real outcomes.
Federal agency systems, government contractor platforms, and commercial SaaS products seeking federal authorization built for Washington DC's government technology market sit alongside enterprise software serving the broader DC metro technology ecosystem.
View All Case StudiesSenior from the first conversation, not just the proposal. Our software developers in Washington DC stay on through release, whichever pillar you start with, not a rotating cast handed off between phases.
Start a conversation{ 01 }· Week 1
We start by mapping the applicable authorization framework, the required control families, and the boundary of the system, then settle the control implementation design before any feature development begins.
{ 02 }· Week 1 to 2
Design and API architecture run in parallel, so the interface and the backend line up from day one.
{ 03 }· Ongoing sprints
Build happens in two-week sprints, each producing a working version tested against real data, not a single drop at the finish line.
{ 04 }· After launch
We manage deployment and rollout, then remain on the project for monitoring, fixes, and new features once it is live.
Trusted voices. Real outcomes.
“We truly appreciated their dedication, technical expertise, and problem-solving approach.”
Young Onion
Department Head
“I was blown away by the knowledge the team had about creatives, e-commerce, website design, and optimization.”
Decathlon Sports India
Image Leader
“They have a good team of designers and project managers who help us with the designs using HTML, Angular, and React.”
Instarama
COO
“Their creativity stands out. A collaborative team that delivered high-quality solutions working closely with us.”
CodeGama LLP
Business Developer
“The product has become more intuitive and user-friendly. Load times dropped significantly after their work.”
Qoruz
Co-Founder
“Their commitment to timely delivery was impressive.”
CurleyStreet Media
Business Development Rep
“We truly appreciated their dedication, technical expertise, and problem-solving approach.”
Young Onion
Department Head
“I was blown away by the knowledge the team had about creatives, e-commerce, website design, and optimization.”
Decathlon Sports India
Image Leader
“They have a good team of designers and project managers who help us with the designs using HTML, Angular, and React.”
Instarama
COO
“Their creativity stands out. A collaborative team that delivered high-quality solutions working closely with us.”
CodeGama LLP
Business Developer
“The product has become more intuitive and user-friendly. Load times dropped significantly after their work.”
Qoruz
Co-Founder
“Their commitment to timely delivery was impressive.”
CurleyStreet Media
Business Development Rep
“Simply put, the quality of their code is excellent. They integrated third-party software and ensured GDPR compliance.”
VIA IOM
Director
“What impressed us most was how well they understood our brand and translated it into clean, thoughtful designs.”
GD Farm Fresh
Director
“Their team was patient, courteous, responsive, and technically proficient throughout the entire project.”
Studio by Nandita Manwani
Partner
“Zethic Technologies generally delivers on time and in line with our requirements – deployed in 30+ countries.”
SABA Hospitality
Executive Director
“Zethic built the features specifically to match our internal workflow and business needs. Professional and on time.”
Coral Publishers
Executive
“Zethic Technologies is a true partner.”
Geordana
CEO
“Simply put, the quality of their code is excellent. They integrated third-party software and ensured GDPR compliance.”
VIA IOM
Director
“What impressed us most was how well they understood our brand and translated it into clean, thoughtful designs.”
GD Farm Fresh
Director
“Their team was patient, courteous, responsive, and technically proficient throughout the entire project.”
Studio by Nandita Manwani
Partner
“Zethic Technologies generally delivers on time and in line with our requirements – deployed in 30+ countries.”
SABA Hospitality
Executive Director
“Zethic built the features specifically to match our internal workflow and business needs. Professional and on time.”
Coral Publishers
Executive
“Zethic Technologies is a true partner.”
Geordana
CEO
Ways to work with us.
One team, one way of working, regardless of whether you are building something new or extending what is already live. Most clients pick a starting point and move to the other option later, once the project's shape becomes clearer.
A system scoped with a fixed feature list, timeline, and price tag. Works best when you already know what the first version has to include.
A senior pod that plugs into your existing tools and sprint cadence, shipping on an ongoing basis. Suits teams that need more capacity without running a full internal hiring process.
Questions, answered.
DC rates sit at the top of the national range, reflecting competition from federal prime contractors and the concentration of cleared engineers. A federal authorization build costs more than a commercial project because the control documentation is a delivery alongside the code; share the authorization baseline, and we'll come back with a specific number.
An ATO is the official authorization from an agency's Authorizing Official that a system is approved to operate, based on a review of the System Security Plan, Security Assessment Report, and Plan of Action and Milestones. Those artifacts should be structured outputs of the engineering process, not compiled in the weeks before an assessment.
Web application development for a federal system requires access control, audit logging, and encryption implemented at the depth required by NIST 800-53, not at the commercial default. Those decisions have to be made before the first endpoint is written, not patched in before an assessment.
FedRAMP governs cloud service providers selling to federal agencies and produces a portable authorization a CSP can carry from agency to agency; FISMA governs the agencies themselves and the systems they own and operate. Any software development company in Washington DC, building for the federal market needs to know which framework governs the system before the first architecture decision is made.
Fixed-scope suits a defined authorization package build where price and delivery date locked to a feature list are the right structure. A dedicated team suits ongoing work where the authorization boundary, the control baseline, and the system configuration keep evolving, and a monthly-billed senior pod handles that better than a locked quote.
An ATO package demands the same rigor a payments platform needs when a transfer fails on one leg, exactly what our Atlanta team builds for. One playbook, run by the software development company for the US, extends software consulting in Washington DC too.
Tell us about the system, the authorization framework it falls under, and where the package stands today. A senior engineer replies within one working day.
Tell us what you have
The system, the authorization baseline it needs to meet, and where the gaps are today. We sign an NDA first.
Speak to an engineer
Someone who has taken a system through an ATO before, not an account manager relaying the question.
Get an architecture read
Which controls map to which design decisions, and a timeline with an engagement model that fits.
Tell us about the system, the authorization framework it falls under, and where the package stands today. A senior engineer replies within one working day.
