The April 15 White House memo wasn’t subtle: Federal agencies must digitize their permitting workflows—and the clock is ticking.
You’ve got fewer than 45 days to draft a strategy. Fewer than 90 days to start modernizing. The era of binders, stamps and buried PDF chains is officially over.
We’ve already covered the mandate and the tools. This time, we’re showing what success looks like, and how your agency can follow suit without reinventing the wheel.
Generic Tech Isn’t Cutting It Anymore
Permitting isn’t just paperwork. It’s regulatory, political and deeply collaborative. You’re juggling compliance reviews, interagency coordination and public scrutiny, all while trying to hit infrastructure deadlines.
And yet many agencies are still stuck with general-use tech: email chains, untrackable PDFs, generic DMS platforms. These tools weren’t built for permitting. They were built for office workflows that don’t involve public comment periods or NEPA deadlines.
So, if your review process feels slow, fragmented or unpredictable, it’s not your fault. It’s the software.
What AEC-Specific Tools Actually Do Better
Here’s what happens when permitting teams use tools made for their world—not just “document management” in general:
Real-Time, Multi-Stakeholder Reviews: Everyone—from city engineers to federal reviewers—can comment, mark up and approve plans in the same session. No delays, no version confusion.
Built-In Audit Trails: Every comment. Every signature. Every revision. Automatically logged, trackable and compliant.
Paperless by Default: Stop printing 500-page plan sets just to mark up one elevation. Save money, reduce waste and move faster.
Transparent by Design: Create a digital chain of custody. Open review statuses to stakeholders. Build trust without sacrificing control.
Fewer Delays, Less Rework: With centralized access and shared standards, teams spend less time hunting files and more time pushing projects forward.
And yes—tools like Bluebeam do all of this. But don’t take our word for it.
Cities Are Already Doing It—and Winning
Agencies across the U.S. at the state and local level are showing what digital permitting done right actually looks like:
- Coral Springs, Florida, cut plan review times by 66%, dropping from 15 days to just five by combining Bluebeam with its existing permitting platform.
- Las Vegas, Nevada, processes more than 3,500 permits a month—fully digitally—without adding headcount. The city also saves around $600,000 annually by eliminating print costs.
- Merced County, California, accelerated plan reviews and reduced printing costs by adopting Bluebeam across multiple departments, streamlining workflows for everything from fire safety to code enforcement.
None of these municipalities started from scratch. They didn’t rip out core systems. They didn’t need five-year roadmaps.
They started with what they had. They added tools that worked. They got results.
You’re Not Behind. But You Can’t Wait.
The technology is here. The benefits are proven. And the deadlines are real.
The good news: You don’t need to overhaul your entire tech stack. Bluebeam plugs into your existing environment, supports secure federal workflows and has been helping public sector teams digitize permitting and plan review for years.
We’ll help you start fast, scale smart and stay compliant. You’ve got enough complexity. Your permitting software shouldn’t add to it.
Let’s Talk
Permitting is a public trust. It’s also a chance to lead.
You don’t need to figure it all out alone. Agencies across the country are already modernizing, and we’re helping them do it.
Ready to get started? Email our public sector team and let’s build what’s next—together.
