The European Software Testing Awards 2026 shortlist is out, and Aspire Systems has landed on it twice — a signal that quality engineering is no longer just a back-office function but a measurable business lever. The AI-led technology services firm earned finalist spots for work spanning a multi-brand retail transformation and a New Zealand council’s cloud migration.
Being named a finalist in two categories reflects our commitment to making quality engineering a strategic driver of business outcomes.”— Janaki Jayachandran, VP and Global Head
LEADENHALL ST, CITY OF LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Aspire Systems, an AI-led, platform-driven technology services firm, has been named a finalist in two categories at the European Software Testing Awards 2026. Aspire Systems has been shortlisted for Leading Vendor – Service Delivery and Consulting, recognizing its quality engineering services for a multi-brand fashion retailer. It is also a finalist for Best Overall Testing Project – Public Sector/Services (including Charities and NGOs) through Assurity Consulting, an Aspire Systems company, for supporting a New Zealand local council’s move to a modern cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) system
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This dual recognition underscores a broader shift in how enterprises view testing: not as a cost center, but as a critical path to business continuity and innovation. Aspire Systems’ approach pairs consulting-led assessments with automation and AI accelerators to deliver results that leadership can measure in release velocity and operational resilience.
“Being named a finalist in two categories reflects our commitment to making quality engineering a strategic driver of business outcomes. From helping retailers scale testing across complex technology landscapes to supporting public-sector organizations through critical modernization programmes, we focus on building sustainable testing capabilities that improve efficiency, strengthen release confidence, and deliver lasting value to our customers.”
Janaki Jayachandran, Vice President – Global Head of Software and Tech Practices at Aspire Systems
Leading Vendor – Service Delivery and Consulting: Scaling Quality Engineering Across Retail
Aspire Systems was shortlisted for its work with a multi-brand fashion retailer operating across eight brands and more than 100 applications, supporting more than 120 releases a year. The engagement focused on consolidating fragmented testing operations into a unified, scalable quality engineering service while maintaining business continuity throughout the transition from the incumbent vendor.
The project began with a consulting-led assessment of the existing testing landscape, identifying knowledge gaps, evaluating automation assets, and designing a centralized, POD-based operating model. From there, the engagement expanded into end-to-end managed testing across functional, regression, performance, and store-system testing.
Key achievements include:
- Uninterrupted release delivery: Delivered every release on schedule, with zero missed releases throughout the vendor transition
- Unified automation framework: Consolidated testing across multiple brands and applications under a shared framework, improving consistency and reuse.
- Rapid automation coverage: Achieved 85% automation coverage for one brand’s eCommerce and mobile scope within three months.
- AI-enabled productivity: Improved automation development and maintenance productivity by 45% through engineer-validated AI accelerators.
- Expanded testing capability: Developed more than 5,000 new functional test cases and established a scalable operating model across eight brands.
By combining centralized governance, reusable automation assets, and AI-assisted engineering, Aspire Systems helped the retailer improve testing efficiency and sustain frequent releases across a complex, multi-brand landscape.
Best Overall Testing Project – Public Sector/Services: Modernizing council services through Quality Engineering
Through Assurity Consulting, Aspire Systems was also named a finalist for its quality engineering partnership with a New Zealand local council replacing a 35-year-old legacy system with a modern, cloud-based CRM platform.
The programme was a critical part of the council’s digital transformation initiative, aimed at improving customer visibility and delivering a more consistent experience across its service channels. The transformation required coordination across multiple vendors, careful management of data migrations and integrations, and rigorous validation, all while keeping essential council services running without disruption.
Assurity began by assessing the council’s existing quality assurance capabilities and establishing the practices, governance, and testing strategies required to support the transformation. The engagement evolved into a delivery partnership, with specialists supporting risk management, requirements refinement, vendor coordination, test management, and automation.
The project delivered several measurable outcomes:
- Successful CRM launch: The new CRM platform went live in October 2025, with daily council operations maintained throughout the implementation.
- Reduced testing time: More than 50 automated tests reduced daily test execution time from 8 hours to 4.5 hours, a reduction of about 44%.
- Improved delivery visibility: Azure DevOps was configured to support requirements, test management, and delivery tracking, making better use of the council’s existing technology investment.
- Stronger testing capability: More than 150 test cases were developed, supported by refined requirements and structured testing practices.
- Sustainable knowledge transfer: Training for subject matter experts, documented procedures, and a defined test strategy strengthened the council’s ability to manage releases and make informed decisions.
The engagement also established a repeatable approach to validating ongoing Microsoft Dynamics 365 updates and changes to integrated systems. By combining specialist consulting with automation and internal capability development, Assurity helped the council move towards a sustainable quality engineering model that supports long-term service reliability.
Advancing Quality Engineering Through Measurable Outcomes
Both finalist recognitions reflect Aspire Systems’ approach of combining consulting expertise, structured governance, automation, and continuous improvement to solve complex software delivery challenges.
From supporting frequent releases across a large retail technology estate to helping a public-sector organization modernize a mission-critical legacy system, Aspire Systems continues to build quality engineering capabilities that improve efficiency, strengthen release confidence, and deliver lasting value to customers.
The winners of the European Software Testing Awards 2026 will be announced on November 19, 2026, at Park Plaza Victoria, London.
Learn more about Aspire Systems’ Quality Engineering and Software Testing Services.
About Aspire Systems
Aspire Systems is an AI-led, platform-driven technology services firm and a trusted partner to its customers. The company provides AI Transformation, Data Analytics & Intelligence, Software Engineering, Quality Engineering, Enterprise Solutions, and Cloud & RunOps Services for enterprises across industries. With 4,000+ employees serving 275+ customers worldwide, Aspire Systems delivers measurable business outcomes through long-term partnerships built on trust, innovation, and engineering excellence. The company has offices in the USA, Mexico, UK, Ireland, India, Singapore, and UAE. Learn more at www.aspiresys.com
About the European Software Testing Awards
The European Software Testing Awards recognize excellence and achievement in software testing and quality assurance across Europe. The awards celebrate organizations, teams, and individuals demonstrating outstanding contributions to software quality, testing innovation, service delivery, and project outcomes.
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Aspire Systems
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Why it matters: These finalist placements validate that quality engineering is becoming a board-level priority — one that directly impacts release confidence, operational continuity, and digital transformation success. For enterprises juggling legacy systems and aggressive release schedules, the lesson is clear: structured governance and AI-assisted testing are no longer optional, they are competitive necessities.
