October 20, 2005

Construction Industry Spotlight: Seattle streamlines its permits

NOT LONG AGO, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development's antiquated permit tracking system was on its last legs, and that's putting it politely.

The 1980, home-grown "legacy" permit information system, as it was called, was so shaky that staff members had to shut it down once a day to avoid a crash. "It just got too many connections and it couldn't handle the capacity," says Sam Kurle, the department's technology manager.

Kurle and his colleagues turned to California-based Hansen Information Technologies. Five years and $6 million later, the department has a new system that DPD officials say makes some contractors' lives easier.

The Hansen system allows: improved access to information, automatic calculation of fees, related projects to be linked, integration of the permit system with enforcement activities, and more effective data collection and organization.

Plus, Kurle says, DPD will be able to use the system to meet other business needs, such as changing its business processes and expanding into e-commerce.

What does it mean for contractors and other DPD customers? "Hopefully, it will mean that their information is correct, (and) that they've asked for it only once," says Julie Lindemann, vice president of service delivery for Codesic Consulting, the Kirkland company that helped the city manage part of the project.

Sequential rollout

The new system was implemented a year at a time. The largest, most complicated piece — the one that regulates construction and land-use — was put in place in July. "These are your large commercial permits," Kurle says.

Now contractors can apply for some electrical and side-sewer permits online. Currently, 40 percent of these permits are done via the Internet, according to Kurle. The days of driving downtown, paying for parking and standing in line at DPD are done.

"I know it has been very helpful for contractors that do lots and lots of permits," Lindemann says.

It was a complicated transition. In 2002, DPD implemented Hansen Permitting Software for a portion of its simple, high-volume permits. The project came in late though it was on budget, according to Kurle. But estimates for completing the remaining portions "were not acceptable" he said, "so we looked to other ways to implement the system in a more cost-effective way."

In 2003, the department brought in Codesic, which set up project tracking and management mechanisms. The result, according to the company, was the project passed a rigorous city quality-assurance process. It came in on time, on budget, and delivered roughly twice the functionality at a third the cost of the previous phase.

The Mayor's Office honored the work with the 2003 Excellence in IT Project Management Award.

Tons of training

The switch to the new system changed a significant number of processes for the department, which issues more than 23,000 permits and conducts more than 80,000 inspections every year. Almost 300 employees had to learn the new system, requiring 171 sessions and just shy of 6,200 hours of training.

That wasn't the end of the ongoing process. The challenge for DPD since July, for instance, has been to make sure the technology supports the department's business practices. This required the department's various groups — enforcement, permitting and land use — to collaborate from the start. "If that had not been in place early on we couldn't have pulled it together," Kurle said.

The new system doesn't mean that all permitting will be done on the Internet. Some types of permits don't have the volume that would justify the investment, according to Kurle. Plus, the nature of some permits requires personal interaction, though he added the department is evaluating expanding some online services.

"We are exploring options for using the Internet to enable applicants (to have) the opportunity to provide information prior to their appointment," Kurle said.

Previous columns:

• Construction Industry Spotlight: Portland pair lives on through preservation, 10-13-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: Masonry firms get certified to boost business, 10-06-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: Underwater construction gets a tech boost, 09-29-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: 75 years later, Hoover Dam work is much safer, 09-22-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: AGC offering mentors to WMBEs, 09-15-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: Getting a handle on far-flung construction, 09-08-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: Industry gears up for plastic rebar supports, 09-01-2005
• Construction Industry Spotlight: Everett makes way for college's growth, 08-25-2005