FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IRVINE, CA—Oct. 7, 2021: e-PlanSoft™, developer and provider of the leading cloud-based plan review solution, today announced the successful implementation of its flagship plan review product, e-PlanREVIEW® and its goPost™ Public Portal at the City of Warner Robins, Georgia.
The cloud-based plan review solution will automate the plan review process, which the City has historically performed manually. It will also provide full transparency, which allows comprehensive tracking of projects at every stage and across departments. Another of the City’s priorities that will be accommodated with e-PlanREVIEW is concurrent collaboration from anywhere, regardless of the location of the project participants, and keeps teams operating in sync.
The goPost Public Portal creates a user-friendly submittal process that removes the burden of transporting cumbersome paper files and the need for applicants to wait in line to physically hand off plan sets. Once submitted, e-PlanSoft’s PDF Scout file inspection tool, which is built into the e-PlanREVIEW solution, vets incoming documents to ensure that they’re suitable to move through the plan review process. Scout provides immediate feedback to the applicant if the file isn’t acceptable for submittal, saving up to several days in the full review process.
Prior to the selection and implementation, the City had performed its intake and plan reviews manually, using traditional paper plan sets. However, paper plans include unique challenges, including the actual routing of heavy plans, which can be comprised of dozens, if not hundreds of pages. It also required manual tracking of projects, a process made more tedious when multiple departments are involved in the plan review. Even in light of the drawbacks of operating with paper plans, the City has maintained consistently expedient turnaround times for plan reviews.
The City employed a straightforward rollout strategy to its constituents and applicants, making the information readily available through an email campaign, notice on its website, and information included in staff’s signature blocks. In the few weeks since the implementation, the City reports that it is already working with 95% paperless, and has plans to achieve fully paperless plan reviews in a rolling sweep ranging from October 4 through November 1. Applicants and staff have adopted the new mode of intake, submittals, reviews, and communication well, and leadership is diligent to accommodate applicants’ preferences to ensure that they can submit plans in the manner most convenient to them during the transition period.
“We’ve had a great experience with our transition to automated plan review processes using e-PlanREVIEW and goPost,” stated Bill Mulkey, Building and Transportation Director for the City of Warner Robins. “The implementation and training went smoothly and prepared us well to operate with our new system. The solutions have been very well received by staff and applicants and we’re already seeing the improvements we set out to achieve in our plan review process.”
The City is experiencing a high volume of residential growth and is also home to a number of large restaurants and retailers. It performs an average of 350 – 500 plan reviews annually, received from a broad area, ranging from local to nationwide. With such a high volume of projects, the City will be well served by the transition to digital plan reviews.
“The City of Warner Robins sets an excellent example for other agencies and municipalities who are seeking ways to automate and streamline their plan reviews,” says Paula Montoya, Director of Professional Services at e-PlanSoft. “The City will realize better visibility into project statuses, easier routing, and all the benefits of process automation from submittal to approval.”
About Warner Robins, Georgia
The City of Warner Robins is the 10th largest incorporated city in the State of Georgia. Founded in 1942 from the community of Wellston, it was named for General Augustine Warner Robins of the United States Air Force. Warner Robins was incorporated as a town in 1943 and as a city in 1956.
http://www.wrga.gov/
About e-PlanSoft
e-PlanSoft™ develops industry-leading cloud-based electronic document review software that assists governmental agencies, construction and manufacturing industries, developers, and owners with their plan review, design review, product review, construction, and asset review management in real-time.
www.eplansoft.com