Agencies have figured out that "customized COTS” means "expensive custom software that you don't actually own,” so vendors have started calling it "configured COTS." The problem is that some commercial software is extensively configurable by customers, and it can be tough to know which is which.
Here's the test to apply: Can the software be "configured” by the customer or any vendor of their choosing? If "yes," it's legit. If "no," it's just expensive custom software that you don't own.
