"We're trying to get away from all the paperwork we've used in the past," Martinez says of the system, which is expected to go live in September. "We hope it will go faster for the customer and provide more accurate information about what's happening on the project. Anyone can access it on the Internet without having to call in and talk to someone."
Maury Blackman, vice president of marketing and business development for Accela says the system will enable the division to more quickly turn around permitting for a property, and get inspections moving faster than the existing, arduous paper-based system.
"The self service aspect cuts down on the amount of time that the government has to answer phones, and streamlines the process," he says. "It's like a government office that's open 24-7 -- if you're a contractor, that has real value."
Martinez says she doesn't know the final cost of the project, but when the division began discussing building a Web site four years ago, they estimated $300,000 for the project. Division staff last week began the process of compiling the data necessary to run the site.
Founded in 1979, Accela provides e-government services to 450 government agencies in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
Quelle: New Mexico Business Weekly
