GETTING AHEAD OF THE CURVE: SUCCESSFUL ACTIONS FOR BUILDING DEPARTMENTS TO ADDRESS PRESSURES - ELECTED OFFICIALS &

1. GETTING AHEAD OF THE CURVE: SUCCESSFUL ACTIONS FOR BUILDING DEPARTMENTS TO ADDRESS PRESSURES - ELECTED OFFICIALS & BUSINESS Robert Wible Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age at FIATECH & Principal, R. Wible & Associates Oregon Building Officials Association Quarterly Business Meeting January 23, 2009 Eugene, OR

2. Getting & Staying Ahead of the Curve: Successful Actions by Building Departments • Share observations about forces impacting state and local government • “The Streamlining Imperative” • Actions you can take & tools from the Alliance you can use to enhance public safety & economic development /recovery - “Down Time is the Best Time” • Examples of new tools – ePlan Review & “L.A. Basin Project” – Demonstrate interoperability in mobile field inspections – safety/damage assessments

3. The Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age at FIATECH • A Public/Private Partnership of Associations & Government Agencies – Summer of 2001 • NACo, Mayors, NGA, NASCIO, Federal Agencies HUD, DOE, NIST… • FIATECH, AIA, NAHB,AGC,BOMA, …. • Wisconsin; Los Angeles; Fairfax County, VA ; Salem, OR, etc.. • Share best practices to improve gov’t effectiveness & efficiency • Provide streamlining resources that, when adopted, have reduced regulatory costs by 40-60 %

4. The Alliance Mission • Enhance our nation’s public safety, disaster resilience and economic competitiveness… • By streamlining and applying information technology to the nation’s regulatory process… • Making it more effective and efficient. • This is not about regulatory abandonment!!!

5. Forces Impacting Construction And Regulation • Our world is in rapid transformation/turmoil • We live and work in unique and challenging times: • At no other time in past 30 years have economic & safety pressures been greater on our communities & construction industry (9-11 & Katrina) • At no other time has public impression of the competency of government been lower • At no other time has technological change been more rapid • Challenges of an economy in severe recession

6. Forces Impacting Construction, Elected Officials and Regulation 6 CHALLENGING FORCES – 1990s to Present – Now coming together in a perfect storm…. • Economic • changing role of nation in global economy & now in severe recession • Reduced Resources • demands for downsizing and increased efficiency in govt. • Public Safety • greater demand from natural disasters and terrorism • Demographic • aging population & immigration • Environmental • energy costs, resource depletion & global warming • Technological • rapid changes & new technologies

7. Sample Forces REDUCED RESOURCES TO GOVERNMENT - Know too well: • Tax payer & legislature limitations on revenues/expenditures • Downsize government & R.I.F.s • While at same time demands for greater governmental efficiency with less resources • “Do more with nothing” • Imperative to attract & keep businesses open • Yet be prepared for stimulus and next economic boom!

8. Construction Industry Response to these Forces?

9. Construction Industry Response • Initial Response to Overwhelming Economic Forces Caused by Recession: - Retrench - Postpone projects or build elsewhere - Home Builders - Dump land & look at higher densities for future building - Look for and promote “shovel ready” projects for economic stimulus packages - State/Fed

10. Construction Industry Response –Growing Demands to • Build Safer, Faster, Better & Less Cost by: - Building Green & Sustainable - Applying Information & Other Technologies to Construction to reduce waste: • BIMs (Building Information Modeling) for whole building life cycle - construction thru O & M, renovation & demolition. • Supply chains are integrated into Virtual Building design and construction systems • Support IT for less time in regulatory system

11. Government’s Response to Forces? • ELECTED OFFICIALS: - Retrench - Go Green - Find ways to be more efficient - Promote Fed funding for “Shovel Ready”

12. Pressures from Construction Industry & Elected Officials on Your Departments • Make your programs support their “Green Initiatives” - Fast track to green projects • Demand greater energy conservation enforcement out of codes depts. • Reduce Staff funding / travel/ resources • Demand greater efficiency (speed) in admin & enforcement activities & be prepared for next boom • Be ready to facilitate “shovel ready” projects

13. The Efficiency Imperative = A “Streamlining Imperative” • With reduced investments, credit, for construction & revenues for government • With increasing unemployment • With greater emphasis on energy conservation, sustainability & reduced waste • Can no longer afford an inefficient regulatory system that: - Takes 60% more time than efficient systems - Slows use of innovative technologies

14. Building Department Response ? • How prepared are building departments to respond to these demands? - How Green? - How “regulatory ready?” - How staffed & funded ? - How efficient ? - What technologies in use ? Available? - What allies to support adequate response? A look at I.T. usage nationwide ……..

15. The Regulatory System Response Thru the 2008 ? • Nationwide, only 10% of 40,000 jurisdictions, adopting and enforcing building codes, use IT • Only 2% allow electronic submission of plans • less than 1% do reviews • Less than 4% use mobile inspection technology • Near total lack of inter-operability of building data within same jurisdiction • Virtually none between jurisdictions • Yet………

16. Promising Jurisdiction Responses • Statewide Responses: Oregon ePermitting project; Wisconsin looking into ePlan Review & BIM, Louisiana IT Roadmap • Regional Responses – Joint Venture in S. Bay Area of California looking at regional ePlan review • Multi-County approaches in several states • Growing number of local jurisdictions applying IT across all programs – reduce amount of time by 60 %

17. Example of Savings – Applying IT to All Processes - 18 mos. down to 9 mos.

18. So What Can Be Done to Respond & Get and Stay Ahead of the Curve? • What Can Be Done Now to Support Economy & be “Regulatory Ready” for “Shovel Ready” Stimulus Projects? • Internal Actions • Actions to be Taken Collectively • Two Sample Streamlining & IT Projects

19. Moving from Behind the Curve to Ahead of It - Internal Actions • Addressing Perceptions vs. Realities • Turning Adversaries into Allies • Sharing Best Practices in Streamlining & Being both More Efficient & Green • Tools at your disposal now • An Agenda for Change – requiring interoperability in hardware / software

20. Moving from Behind to Ahead of the Curve – Internal Actions • Addressing Perception vs. Reality – A Proactive approach - more outreach now to your external stakeholders & elected officials to: - Share examples of efficiencies you already have achieved - Ways in which you enhance economic development & speed to recovery from disasters - Identify areas in need of improvement & start to work on them ahead of being directed “Down Time” is the “Best Time” to assess & start action

21. Moving from Behind to Ahead of the Curve • Turning Adversaries into Allies: - Most successful programs reach out to external stakeholders and involve them in recommending & making improvements to their programs. (Milpitas, CA’s – “Partnership to Achieve Goals”) - Work now on staff culture – from regulator to partner in construction of safe, efficient buildings (Salem, OR – Advisory Committee)

22. Moving from Behind to Ahead of the Curve • Sharing Best Practices - Green & Streamlining - Identify & publicize existing green benefits from I.T. & streamlining already done – ePermitting, remote field inspection technology, IVR systems, etc. - Identify & publicize streamlining efficiencies – reduced time in regulatory system, more efficient uses of staff – 40% - 60% reductions.

23. Alliance Streamlining Materials Help You Get & Stay Ahead of the Curve: • Work with Private Sector to act on the complex interacting forces impacting them & government • Identify & reduce barriers to streamlining • Work with stakeholders & elected officials to embrace & fund technologies & change • Successfully implement information technology to enhance effectiveness & efficiency

24. Available Alliance Resources • Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in The Digital Age - now at FIATECH identifies barriers, shares & promotes best practices to eliminate by producing: • Surveys, Guides & Information on Streamlining & I.T. for Elected Officials • Model Procurement Requirements • Demonstration of Interoperability • E-Plan, Remote Field Inspection, etc. • ROI Data for Jurisdictions • Streamlining Toolkit • Guides on IT Tools & How to Fund & Apply • Top 10 Reasons Why IT Not Used

25. Tools You Can Use with Elected Officials & Stakeholders / Customers • Streamlining Toolkit

26. Tools You Can Use – Two Examples: ePlan Review & Interoperability • White PapersePlan Submission/Review/Tracking & Storage • New White Paper:From Paper to Digits – Steps to Move Your Community into the Digital Age

27. Specific Benefits of Electronic Plan Submittal, Review, Tracking & Storage • Speed building construction at reduced cost • Significantly reduce number of errors in design & construction • Significantly reduce energy used in repeated trips to building department / paper consumed, storage space • Speed reconstruction after a disaster • Prepare community for future – BIM, first responder database of “as-builts”

28. Immediate Green Benefits • Using e-Plan Submission/Review, a jurisdiction issuing 3,000 permits/year saves : • 312,00 miles of driving & 20,800 gallons of gas & $57,200 in fuel costs • 457,600 lbs of carbon dioxide emitted • 192,000 lbs of paper (239 trees) • Paper storage for 12,000 lbs of drawings

29. How to Move from Paper to Digits& or Apply Other IT • Perform Self-Assessment using Work Group comprised of internal & external stakeholders (White Paper Checklist) • Work flow & work load • Personnel & Organizational issues • Operating Budgets • Technical expertise & existing technology • Communications & Coordination

30. How to Move from Paper to Digits • Step by Step Process for Acquisition & Implementation including: • Access lessons learned • Build & maintain stakeholder support • How to work with Staff • Funding & RFP issues • Hardware (monitors) & software

31. Successful Efforts to Move from Paper to Digits • Phasing in: Submission, Tracking, Storage, & then Electronic Plan Review

32. Successful Efforts to Move From Paper to Digits • Lesson’s Learned by Communities that have added electronic plan submission, review, tracking & storage. • Case studies & information on other contacts: • Maricopa County, AZ • Osceola County, FL • Bend, OR

33. Collective Actions We Can Take to Move Ahead of the Curve (OBOA) • Share your successes & lessons with others – including media, industry & elected officials • Look Ahead, Learn About and Support: - integration of BIM into ePlan systems - ICC’s SMARTcode initiative & use • Require interoperability in future procurements

34. An Agenda for Change: Requiring Interoperability in Hardware / Software • Alliance Model Procurement Requirements Available on website: www.natlpartnerstreamline.org • Second Streamlining Example: The L.A. Basin Project – demonstration interoperability in hardware / software used in safety/disaster damage assessment reports – remote field inspections – Funded by U.S. DHS

35. The Problem In the aftermath of a disaster what can be done to speed: - Conducting of safety/damage Inspections? - Getting inspection results Into central database to understand magnitude? - Completion & submission of ATC forms to get victims & Federal disaster assistance funds?

36. Lesson From Katrina • Mobile inspection technology can significantly speed conducting & compiling safety/damage assessments & immediately enter results onto forms to speed claims / recovery - 120,000 homes in 6 weeks! • L.A. Basin Project – Can we apply this in California with diverse hardware/software on a regional and then statewide basis?

37. L.A. Basin Project • In 2007 - CA OHS support, CA OES $125,000 grant from U.S. DHS to: • Work in L.A. Basin to “Demonstrate Regional Interoperability of Mobile Safety/Damage Assessment & Inspection Technologies” to prove concept CA & local govts can build: - a regional - a statewide network of safety/damage assessment inspectors to speed disaster reporting & recovery

38. Demonstrating Interoperability in Remote Field Inspections- L.A. Basin • 10 month project with CA OES to: - Study feasibility of getting diverse hardware/software used in remote field inspection (damage assessment reports) to exchange data. - Survey of Region - Pilot demonstration project with 4 jurisdictions – Gardena, Glendale, San Dimas & Santa Clarita - Implement in regional disaster drill

39. Demonstrating Interoperability in Remote Field Inspections- L.A. Basin • Diverse hardware: Lap tops , PDA’s, with diverse software (Accela, Infor/Hansen, Selectron, etc.) • Damage assessment data migrate immediately into FEMA forms • When successful expand to full L.A. Basin departments & then statewide • Start: May – June –Survey • Demos: August & November

40. IVR and MOBILE INTERNET or VPN JURI DATA STAGED and INSPECTION DATA DEVICES with PROPAGATED DATA PAPER-BASED FORMS FEMA FORMS Phase II - Pilot Demonstration • Pilot Demonstration: - Design methodology to use / link diverse hardware & software & get it to compile data & send to central point

41. Outcome of Pilot Demonstration • August 27, 2008: • 4Jurisdictions 8 different devices 3 different software systems & all: pulled down addresses, conducted inspections, uploaded to central data point & downloaded inspection results onto ATC – 20 forms

42. Expanded Demonstration During Golden Guardian – 7.8 Quake • Revised Methodology - Expand number of jurisdictions but also: - Test under realistic disaster conditions - “Grab and go” - Use more IVR - Use paper inspection forms – scan to upload - Central data point in GG SOC Sacramento - Mockup actual building – LAUSD Middle School #3 S. Shatto Place, L.A.

43. Lessons Learned • Simulated & actual damage conditions were successful test of technologies • Paper-based & IVR inspections strengthen future system • Inspection of mocked up school beneficial • Need to simplify all aspects of technology

44. Recommendations to California • Regional Network can be readily built using mobile technology, IVR & paper • Keep system simple • Work on issue of address uniformity • Work on interoperability standard to go into future procurements of IT • Build Regional & then Statewide Network • Share outcome from Phase II with other states to consider similar compatible networks (SAP)

45. Next Steps – Phase III & IV with California - Under Development • Phase III – Build first network in S. California – 2009 • Phase IV – Expand Network Statewide – 2010 -2011 & expand to other states - Oregon ? April ’09 –”Cascadia Peril” ?

46. Additional Resources to Help You Get & Stay Ahead of the Curve • ALLIANCE at FIATECH - Membership - Monthly conference calls / webinars on streamlining & IT issues with construction industry & IT Community - Share best practices & develop new streamlining & I.T. materials Also see article in December issue of ICC’s “Building Safety Journal”

47. For More Information • Contact me: • 703-568-2323 • wible@fiatech.org / rcwible@comast.net • Visit our websites • www.natlpartnerstreamline.org • www.fiatech.org • I am located here in Oregon in Hillsboro 30% of time if you want to meet!

48. Questions?