Phoenix, Arizona

Street Transportation Department

I’ve worked with the City of Phoenix across various departments for over 20 years. It’s been especially rewarding to help the Street Transportation Department transition to Citizenserve—adding seamless GIS and SAP integrations that have greatly improved how they track utility construction permits. The efficiency and coordination gains have made a real impact.

Julie Garvey, Citizenserve

Phoenix Arizona Street Transportation Department

Background

Phoenix, Arizona, one of the fastest-growing major cities in the U.S. with a population exceeding 1.6 million residents, relies on its Street Transportation Department to manage extensive infrastructure projects, including the permitting and oversight of street utility construction. This high-volume work involves coordinating thousands of permits annually for water, sewer, gas, electric, telecom, and other underground utilities that impact public rights-of-way. To support the city's ongoing growth and infrastructure demands, the department transitioned from a legacy system with outdated technology to Citizenserve cloud-based government software, seeking a modern platform with better integration and real-time capabilities.

Challenge

The legacy system in use by Phoenix's Street Transportation Department relied on outdated technology that made it difficult to efficiently track utility construction permits from application through completion. Data entry was largely manual, location information was disconnected from core records, and financial tracking for invoices, employee time, and materials occurred in separate systems. Without seamless ties to GIS for accurate street and right-of-way data or to SAP for financial reconciliation, the process created extra steps, limited visibility, and coordination challenges with utility companies, contractors, and internal teams.

Solution

Citizenserve provided a modern, cloud-based permitting system customized for Phoenix's Street Transportation needs. The platform integrates directly with the city's GIS system to automatically pull precise street location data, parcel boundaries, and right-of-way details into each permit. It also connects to SAP, enabling automated tracking of invoices, labor hours, and material costs linked to specific permits. Configurable workflows, online applicant portals, automated notifications, and centralized document management replaced fragmented processes, delivering real-time visibility and streamlined control throughout the utility construction permitting lifecycle.

Outcome

Since implementing Citizenserve, Phoenix's Street Transportation Department has gained significantly improved efficiency and accuracy in managing street utility construction permits. GIS integration ensures reliable location data from the start, while SAP connectivity simplifies financial tracking and reduces manual reconciliation. Permit processing is now faster and more transparent, with stronger compliance monitoring, fewer errors, and enhanced collaboration among utilities, contractors, and city staff. This successful transition to a unified, cloud-based system has strengthened the department's ability to support Phoenix's rapid infrastructure growth while providing reliable, data-driven service to the community.

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Phoenix, Arizona

Join the hundreds of communities using citizenserve®

Join the hundreds of communities
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