HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-10-161 - On-line Building Permit ApplicationsJ-
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REPORT
REPORT TO: Council, Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: September 7, 2010
SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Willmer, General Manager of Development and Techncial
Services (519.741.2325)
PREPARED BY: Mike Selling, Director of Building (519.741.2669)
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 30, 2010
REPORT NO.: DTS-10-161
SUBJECT: ON-LINE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS
RECOMMENDATION:
"That the normal procedure be waived for the purchase of a public portal software to
facilitate On-Line Building Permit Applications in the Building Division and that the City
purchase the Public Portal software module and implementation services from CSDC
Systems Inc. (CSDC); and further,
That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute an agreement with CSDC Systems Inc.
to secure the Public Portal software module and implementation services to facilitate On-
Line Building Permit Applications at an estimated cost of $160,000 plus HST; said
agreement to be satisfactory to the City Solicitor; and further
That Building secure the necessary software licenses from Oracle to integrate the Public
Portal software with the Amanda system as well as a server to accommodate this
business process, all at an estimated cost of $30,000 plus HST."
BACKGROUND:
In 1998, the City of Kitchener including the Building Division embarked on a new beginning
where building permit applications were tracked and processed in an electronic format. On
January 1, 1999, hand written records and notes were replaced with AMANDA (Application
Management and Data Automation). AMANDA is the software tool for processing of applications
and inspection tracking, and is heavily relied upon by various users throughout the Corporation
including; Enforcement, Engineering, Fire Prevention, Licensing and Planning. The City of
Kitchener is one of many municipalities who utilize the CSDC AMANDA software for the
administration of building permits. Other local centres are; Cambridge, Guelph, Waterloo and
Stratford. CSDC is a Canadian company with customers all over North America.
In 2010, the Building Division made a commitment to the Kitchener Home Builders Liaison
Committee to research and investigate the use of a web-based application to further improve
customer service and find efficiencies in the building permit approval and tracking process.
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CSDC has a software module called "Public Portal" which will allow for web-based permit
applications and permit tracking. Four key features of the Public Portal module include;
1. Apply for a permit from builders office "On-Line Applications" including
drawing/document submission,
2. Check application and inspection status,
3. Book inspections,
4. It is designed to integrate with the AMANDA System.
This software will allow builders and homeowners to save time and money by eliminating the
need to travel to and from City Hall to apply for building permits. Another advantage for
registered users is the ability to check the application and inspection status (pass or fail) without
calling into staff requesting an update. Front line staff will realize time savings with a reduced
number of phone or counter queries regarding building permit applications and inspection
status. Builders and citizens will have direct access to this information in real-time, online,
anytime. Builders will also have the ability to book inspections any time via their Blackberry or
work computer.
The City of Guelph has recently implemented the CSDC Public Portal module for its building
division clients and has received favourable comments. The City of Waterloo has also
purchased the CSDC Public Portal module and it is my understanding they are in the final
testing stage with a few builders before going "live" very shortly.
The 2010 Capital Referral Report did not include a line item for On-Line Applications because
during the approval, not all of the facts and figures were confirmed. In 2010, the research is now
complete after reviewing the merits and costs of a Public Portal module for the City of Kitchener.
In preparing for the 2011 budget, the Building Division inserted a line item for On-Line
Applications in order to realize this project. The Building Division is requesting advancing the
approval and timing of this project with the intention of going "live" in March 2011. If Council
approves the advanced timing of this project to September 2010, the project will be removed
from the 2011 capital forecast.
There are two main benefits for advancing the purchase of the Public Portal module and related
services. The two benefits of advancing the Public Portal project now are significant financial
savings and the ability to go "live" prior to next years spring/summer increase in construction
activity.
Through tight negotiations with CSDC on the Public Portal costs, the financial savings to be
realized if approved before September 30, 2010 is a minimum of $40,000. A savings of this
magnitude is significant considering building permit fees support this expenditure. Advancing
this project at this time will allow installation and testing of the Public Portal module including
On-Line Building Permit Applications by March 2011 in time for the entire summer construction
season; otherwise the project would be delayed until the fall of 2011.
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Other areas within the City of Kitchener will benefit from the Public Portal module as other
AMANDA users in the Corporation could take advantage of this module at no extra costs. The
AMANDA Steering Committee, led by Chair Shayne Turner has identified other AMANDA users
(Enforcement, Fire and Licensing) that would greatly benefit with the purchase of the Public
Portal module.
In preparation of this report, consultation with staff in the Information Technology Division has
been completed to ensure the Building Division is proceeding in a manner that is fiscally
responsible and aligned with IT strategies. The Public Portal module is another "add-on" feature
to the Corporation's use of the AMANDA System, one that staff support and has proven to be a
value-added tool in processing, administrating and managing Divisional roles and duties.
REPORT:
The CSDC Public Portal module, consulting services and associated items are necessary to
allow for On-Line Building Permit Applications to enable the Building Division to more effectively
deliver service to our customers. CSDC will provide software and consulting services for the
implementation of the Public Portal module including project management, software installation,
analysis, design, configuration, testing, training and "go live" support.
Software
AMANDA PUBLIC PORTAL SOFTWARE
AMANDA Public Portal Software:
• Development release
• Production release
• Public Query -Anonymous
• Query by Permit Number
• Query by Property
Permitting -For Registered Users:
• Apply for Permit
• View My Permits
• Request /Schedule Inspections
Services
IMPLEMENTATION & TRAINING SERVICES
Project Management
Software Installation
Analysis, Design and Configuration of Public Portal module
System & Unit Testing
User Acceptance Testing
Train the Trainer
Public Portal Administration Training
Total Summary Costs $160,000
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The contract for the Public Portal software and consulting services including one (1) year of
maintenance cost is estimated to be $160,000 plus HST and is funded from the Building
Division Enterprise Reserve Fund. The contract(s) for the new server and two (2) Oracle
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licenses is estimated to be $10,000 and $20,000 plus HST respectively and is funded from the
Building Division Enterprise Reserve Fund. The total financial amount is $190,000 plus HST.
As noted earlier in this report, the Building Division planned to have this project in the 2010
capital forecast for Council approval, but unfortunately at the time all the facts including costs
were not totally confirmed. In 2010, staff has completed its research and added this project as
part of the 2011 budget approval. If approved September 7, staff will delete the 2011 budget
item On-Line Building Permit Applications due to extenuating circumstances and the opportunity
to advance timing and realize financial savings.
The financial resources for this important project are supported by the Building Division
Enterprise. A brief overview of the Building Division 5 year projections are included to
demonstrate that whether this purchase is completed in 2010 or 2011, the reserve balance
should not negatively affect the continued operation of the Enterprise.
Building Enterprise Reserve
Projections
Scenario A (purchase in
2011)
Proj Budget Budget Budget Budget
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Balance beginning of year 2,768 3,715 2,978 2,666 2,580
Transfer from (to) Capital (69) (266) (33) (18) (26)
Transfer from (to) Building
Enterprise 889 (601) (391) (171) 12
Interest Income 127 131 111 103 103
Balance end of year 3,715 2,978 2,666 2,580 2,668
Scenario B (purchase in
2010)
Proj Budget Budget Budget Budget
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Balance beginning of year 2,768 3,517 3,012 2,701 2,616
Transfer from (to) Capital (263) (31) (33) (18) (26)
Transfer from (to) Building
Enterprise 889 (601) (391) (171) 12
Interest Income 123 128 112 104 104
Balance end of year 3,517 3,012 2,701 2,616 2,706
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COMMUNICATIONS:
The Waterloo Region Home Builders Association (WRHBA) Liaison Committee (Kitchener) was
consulted and expressed no objections to this proposal. In fact, Mr. Peter Armbruster, Chair of
the WRHBA Liaison Committee recently quoted "WRHBA supports the on-line permit
application initiative and look forward to assisting in the implementation of the system in 2011."
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Wllmer, Interim General Manager
Development and Technical Services
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