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DBI director to keep permit-tracking system and do business-process review in-house; outside RFP for BPR rejected
Summary
Director Esong Hassan told commissioners he will evaluate whether the existing PTS permit-tracking system can be salvaged and recommended conducting business-process reengineering in-house rather than issuing a costly RFP; he cited a prior $2,000,000 bid and warned modernization can become a multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort.
At his first regular meeting as director, Esong Hassan told the Building Inspection Commission that he is reviewing the department’s MIS needs and will decide within about 4–6 weeks whether to salvage and expand the current PTS permit-tracking system or replace it.
Hassan described three distinct components under review: the PTS system itself, an addressing-system project, and a business-process reengineering (BPR) effort. On BPR he said he will not pursue an outside RFP at this time because prior bids returned figures ("the last figure bid for it was $2,000,000") he did not believe were money well spent. Instead he proposed doing the BPR work internally with support from city offices such as the auditor’s office and other stakeholders.
The director warned commissioners that replacing an automation system can become a multiyear, multimillion-dollar project: “When I say multiyear, I mean more like 5 to 10 years. And multimillion, again, maybe meaning 5 to 15 millions,” he said, noting that off-the-shelf systems frequently require heavy modification. He said one of his requirements for any future system is linkage across the development-review process so planning files and other components are accessible to users.
Commissioners largely backed a cautious, staged approach. Several members emphasized the risk of costly implementation failures and asked that the director return with a detailed plan and recommendations within the proposed timeframe. Hassan said he will involve staff, stakeholders and industry users in committees and bring back a proposed course of action, including possible incremental enhancements to the existing system while the evaluation proceeds.
No formal vote was taken at the meeting. The commission agreed to agendize further discussion and a presentation at a next meeting, with commissioner input and a possible subcommittee to help assess requirements and performance standards.
