MHUG 2023 ConferenceHomeowners and contractors have been looking for efficiencies in the building permit process for what seems like forever. Why? To avoid the long lines when typically applying for a permit, including hauling around many copies of their plans and supporting documentation.
Receiving updates on the status of a permit or plans can also be cumbersome as the back office has to track it down in their pile of current work. This whole process ends up being frustrating for the average homeowner who rarely applies for a permit. Contractors have understood and have come to accept that this has always been the norm. But none of this has to be the case with a modern system built on the premise of serving you and your citizens.
FastTrackGov® (FTG) allows you to realize gains and efficiencies in the overall permitting process. You are not only giving your constituents the ability to apply, pay for, and track the status of their permits online, it also reduces the burden on your back office. It gives them the ability to provide citizens with up-to-date information and greatly reduce the need for paper in what has become a mostly digital world.
To streamline the plan review process, we worked with our Electronic Plan Review (EPR) partner, e-PlanSoft, to come up with an integration that would benefit everyone.
With our EPR integration, contractors can now submit their plans electronically with an option for uploading supporting documentation. When these plans are uploaded, they go through a process behind the scenes to scan and verify those submissions. This is to ensure that files submitted follow certain standards. As the back office reviews the permit, they can launch EPR to create assignments for their reviewers. Once those assignments are created, reviewers are notified and can review the plan, using many tools at their disposal. These tools include the ability to mark up plans, add comments, or provide an overlay for comparing older sets of plans. Not only that, it is not restricted to a single reviewer. As such, any reviewer who has access can also mark up their plans and see comments of others.
These reviewers from various departments – engineering, public works, building, and more – all work together without ever touching a paper submission. In addition, they also have the advantage of communicating necessary changes required for approval. These come in the form of correction letters that are sent directly to the homeowners and contractors, allowing them to make adjustments in FastTrackGov via permit updates or transmittals.
Having FastTrackGov as the foundation for the back office allows you to meet your goal of serving the people that you represent. Find out more on what an EPR integration can do for you…
-TJ Martin, Director of Client Services