A new presidential memorandum is requiring federal agencies to digitize how they manage permitting and environmental reviews. For decades, outdated and paper-based processes have slowed infrastructure delivery across the country—adding time, cost and complexity to projects that are critical to communities.
This directive changes that. It’s a rare policy moment with bipartisan alignment, long-term infrastructure implications and immediate operational consequences. It’s also a moment that aligns directly with what we do at Bluebeam.
The Bottleneck Is Real—and Costly
Ask anyone in public sector infrastructure delivery: permitting delays are one of the most persistent—and expensive—pain points. Projects stall. Schedules stretch. Communities wait. And behind the scenes, teams are buried in spreadsheets, PDFs, email chains and printed documents that require endless back and forth.
The White House memo acknowledges this head-on. It calls for:
- Eliminating paper-based workflows.
- Standardizing digital permitting data and technology.
- Enhancing transparency and predictability in project approvals.
It’s the clearest federal signal to date that permitting must catch up with the rest of modern infrastructure.
How Bluebeam Aligns with the Federal Directive
Bluebeam’s digital collaboration tools are already supporting permitting and plan review processes for government agencies across the US and internationally. Our platform is trusted because it’s intuitive, scalable and secure—and because it meets agencies where they are.
Here’s how Bluebeam supports the memorandum’s goals:
- Digital-first workflows. Agencies use Bluebeam to complete plan reviews, mark up documents and manage approvals entirely online—eliminating delays tied to printing, scanning or mailing.
- Interoperability and open standards. Bluebeam enables seamless coordination across agencies, jurisdictions and consultants using different systems.
- Proven government performance. Our tools are used by federal, state and local governments across North America to accelerate permitting timelines and improve documentation control.
- Rapid deployment and training. Bluebeam can be implemented quickly and adapted to existing workflows without requiring major IT overhauls.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now—and scaling fast.
A Perspective from Both Sides of the Policy Conversation
Before joining Bluebeam, I served in the federal government for nearly 15 years across several agencies, most recently for the US chief information officer in the Executive Office of the President, where my work centered on enterprise-wide technology modernization and data, as well as science and infrastructure policy. Back then, we advocated for permitting modernization—but progress was slow. Today, with this memorandum in place, agencies finally have the mandate and momentum to act.
That’s why I see this as a pivotal moment—not just for federal permitting, but for the construction industry and for the public infrastructure as a whole.
Technology alone won’t solve the challenge. It takes leadership from both public and private sectors. It takes tools that are already battle-tested. And it takes intentional collaboration, early in the process, to help shape how this transition plays out across agencies and jurisdictions.
What Comes Next
At Bluebeam, we’re committed to being a partner in this transformation. In the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing a one-pager summarizing our approach to permitting modernization and continuing outreach to public sector leaders to share best practices, use cases and lessons learned.
Here’s how we’re contributing:
- Publishing thought leadership to clarify what digital permitting success looks like.
- Sharing real-world examples of streamlined public sector workflows.
- Engaging with agency stakeholders, including Federal Executive Councils.
- Supporting standardization efforts for permitting data and workflows.
Let’s Build What’s Next—Together
This is more than a compliance issue. It’s an opportunity to rebuild trust in how infrastructure gets delivered. Agencies that act early have the chance to shape national standards and become models for how permitting can work in a digital-first world.
If you’re part of that conversation—at the federal, state or local level—we want to collaborate.
Explore how Bluebeam can help support your permitting modernization efforts at bluebeam.com or reach out to our team directly at [email protected].
The tools are ready. The policy is here. Let’s move forward—together.
