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1 <br />1 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONER'S <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 17, 2000 <br />Action Age da <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: _ Geo-Base/Land Management & Permit Information Tracking S~rstem <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />IT Committee Recommendation <br />Summary of Selection Process and Attachments <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Craig Benedict, ext. 2592 <br />David Cannell, ext 2650 <br />Dick Taylor, ext 2276 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill .968-4501 <br />Durham fi88-7331 <br />Mebane (336)227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider approving the acquisition of permitting and inspections computer software <br />to replace the County's outdated legacy system computer programs. <br />BACKGROUND: Several years ago, County staff identified the need to acquire computer software <br />that would provide significantly enhanced mechanisms for approval, tracking, and monitoring in the <br />plan review, permit issuance, inspection, and follow-up processes. Replacement of existing software <br />dating to the 1980s would provide greater intra- and inter- departmental connectivity, would improve <br />customer service by providing quicker response times far submittal questions, and eventually, allow <br />Internet access for customers and staff to check on permit/plan review status. New software would <br />also provide performance measurement indicators of staff and project activities, including interface <br />with the County's Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and would further the Information <br />Technology (IT) Plan by replacing a portion of the Legacy System. <br />Staff have worked extensively during the past two years in collaboration with the Information <br />Technology Committee (ITC) to assess needs, solicit and review proposals, and develop <br />recommendations to the Board of Commissioners regarding the purchase of appropriate software. <br />Staff and the ITC recommend that the Board approve the acquisition of multi-use permit/activity <br />software provided by ACCELA (Sierra) as vendor, in an amount not to exceed $177,222. The ITC's <br />recommendation and a staff summary of activities involved in the selection of the proposed software <br />package are provided as reference materials. <br />As noted in the ITC's recommendation, the recommended package does not currently demonstrate <br />all the web enablement capabilities that the County would eventually like to provide. However, staff <br />and the ITC believe that the substantial improvements and increased efficiency in workflow <br />processing and customer service that will be realized through implementation of this software <br />package significantly outweigh the current web access limitations. Furthermore, the recommended <br />package is expected to provide greater web enablement capabilities in future releases of the product. <br />