Category Archives: RFP Question

How do you propose to keep the Project on task?

The best approach we have found is to have one or two scheduled meetings per week during the setup. This is per permitting or licensing department. Each department can be implemented separately. We start the weekly meetings once we are 50% complete with the respective department setup. The meetings are basically a walk-through of the setup. This way the users can see and work with the system while the setup is being completed. This approach keeps the permitting and licensing software end-users involved so there is 100% buy-in with the application setup, fee calculations, workflow processes, inspection forms, letters, etc. End-users involved in the setup meetings rarely need much training because they were involved in the setup process.

What sets your firm’s product being proposed apart from your firm’s competitors?

The software is great because we only have one version and it is a 13 year accumulation of great ideas our customers have provided regarding improvements and features they wanted. But the main thing that sets Citizenserve apart is the unlimited customer support. Citizenserve is pay-as-you-go, so we essentially work for renewals. The unlimited support includes adding new processes, setting up new features, configuration changes, ongoing training and custom reports.

Can the product being proposed be deployed in a decentralized or centralized manner?

Yes, each department can have its own permits, license, case/file types, activity and inspection types, users, rights, reports, etc. All these things can also be inherited from a higher level department. So there can be decentralization and centralization at the same time. A general case type can be setup at the jurisdiction or city level and then inherited by the departments below and the departments can also have their own file types that are not shared with other departments but can be setup to be read-only or editable by other department staff based on the role configuration.
From a technology standpoint, there is only a cloud-based software service that is accessible from any contemporary device and browser. In the event the question was related to technology deployment rather than the organizational deployment.

Describe how items move or interact between modules in your product.

Citizenserve started 13 years ago as a cloud based software service for community development departments. The solution has been developed entirely from listening to customers and citizens using contemporary web based technology. All current and future modules, features and functions are included in the subscription. The system is one integrated seamless system, this includes the online citizen portal.