PermitsNOW expands online permitting services throughout DC area
PermitsNOW, Inc., the leader in the $4.5 billion business-to-government permit processing market, has announced that the Company has significantly expanded its services throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC – adding 17 new jurisdictions since its launch in August.
"Milton Electric processes upwards of 3,000 permits per year and with PermitsNOW we can accomplish what used to be an extremely time consuming, manual task in a matter of hours directly from our desktops, saving us significant time and money," stated John Borz, President of Milton Electric in Baltimore. "PermitsNOW is a pioneer in the world of permit processing and any contractor not using this service is giving their competitors a huge advantage."
New jurisdictions added to the PermitsNOW service area since August include Anne Arundel County, the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Baltimore City, Carroll County, Cecil County, the District of Columbia, the City of Fairfax, Fauquier County, Harford County, the Town of Herndon, the City of Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, the City of Rockville, Stafford County, and Washington County. PermitsNOW empowers local builders and contractors within these jurisdictions with the ability to process various construction-related permits over the Internet – saving 80 percent or more in permit processing costs, while significantly reducing processing times.
"Before PermitsNOW, processing a permit meant valuable time lost waiting in line," according to Nicole Jaimeyfield, Permits and Inspections Manager of Breeden Mechanical, Inc. in Fairfax. "Breeden Mechanical applauds PermitsNOW's innovative technology – which cuts our operating costs and saves us time, giving us the ability to focus on what's truly important – servicing our customers and growing the business to ensure its continued success. With PermitsNOW, all aspects of the permitting process are easier and faster."
Numerous local-area customers have signed up with the PermitsNOW service since its launch in August, including such companies as Breeden Mechanical, Inc., F.W. Harris, Inc., KMN Sheet Metal, Milton Electric Company, Paul Friedman, Inc., Primary Multicraft, Summit Electric Company, Tower Electric, and Woodbridge Plumbing, Inc. With PermitsNOW, these companies can enjoy a fully automated permit processing experience, over the Web. PermitsNOW gives them the ability to collect and deliver permit applications and drawings online, pay and track payments over the Internet, receive fast approval and confirmation of permit applications and maintain project folders and supporting documents in a secure, private Web-based environment.
"PermitsNOW is clearly emerging as the de-facto standard for permit processing in the Washington-DC area and beyond," according to John Webster, PermitsNOW Chief Executive Officer. "By providing a fully automated, Web-based permitting service, PermitsNOW is contributing directly to the bottom lines of some of our most important business neighbors – giving them the ability to work more efficiently and quickly, which benefits us all in the long run."
Technology alliance with thinkXML announced
PermitsNOW also has announced a strategic technology alliance with thinkXML, Inc. Through a technology license agreement, PermitsNOW is utilizing thinkXML's software, thinkXML2000™, to significantly streamline the creation and management of permit processing forms available on the PermitsNOW site.
According to PermitsNOW Chief Executive Officer, John Webster, "The technology development savings to PermitsNOW are incalculable – and certainly somewhere in the hundreds of millions. It's a win-win for us and our clients because we can invest those dollars into more research and development versus technology maintenance."
PermitsNOW's customers enjoy a one-stop-shop Web-based experience. Through a unified permitting interface they are able to view and submit permits for all of their relevant jurisdictions in one, fully automated site. The key to the success of this unified interface lies in the ability of PermitsNOW to seamlessly manage the tens of thousands of various permit forms from local jurisdictions using a similar look and feel.
thinkXML2000's user-friendly management console and powerful transaction processing engine take the permit form management process to a whole new level of speed and efficiency, enabling input and output forms to be created and edited utilizing state-of-the-art XML technology. thinkXML takes what would normally be a lengthy development process and minimizes it into several hours. With thinkXML, the PermitsNOW site also "remembers" information, enabling sophisticated skeleton forms to be utilized repeatedly without the need for re-keying data. With thinkXML, non-technical personnel can easily create and manage new forms, enabling technology staff to remain focused on the further development of the PermitsNOW product and related services.
About the companies
Geared towards meeting the needs of both business and government, PermitsNOW automates the collection and delivery of permit and license application data and fees; provides real-time approval and confirmation of permits; centralizes access to public records of approved permits and licenses; provides electronic collection and payment of total permit fees directly to the issuing agency's account; and significantly reduces permitting and licensing processing errors. To learn more about PermitsNOW, contact Kim Willard at 301-963-4535.
thinkXML, Inc. is a software development company enabling businesses to rapidly create, manage and change sophisticated interactive Internet applications. thinkXML's flagship product, thinkXML2000™, allows companies to quickly build their applications and a powerful transaction engine that bridges the gap between wireless Internet devices and back-end database systems. With thinkXML, companies can dramatically reduce the time and costs of creating and managing sophisticated e-business systems by significantly reducing the need for large numbers of highly trained Web developers. For more information on thinkXML, Inc., contact Michele Probst at 301-294-3610x297.