Abu Dhabi is growing fast. In fact, there is so much construction going on, the job of issuing building permits was starting to be problematic for the Municipality. Now, thanks to an online solution from Bureau Veritas in San Diego, USA, the building permit system is quicker and easier for everyone concerned.

Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, is an intense focal point for economic growth. Real estate developers are keen to invest here, so speed is vitally important. When the Municipality was looking for a fast efficient way to deal with continuing demand for building permits, Bureau Veritas had the solution.

Building permits online
Kevin Vincent, based with Bureau Veritas in San Diego, USA, managed the project. As global business development manager for Bureau Veritas e-government services, he explains: "Our solution is an easy-to-use portal. It gives municipal customers 24-hour access to the Municipality's building permit service via the Web. It's all online, and all without having to queue." The solution was delivered in conjunction with GovPartner, a strategic partner company of Bureau Veritas and developer of the system.

No matter where the customers are, at any time day or night, they can submit an application, check their application's status, and even receive the building permit document. It lightens the administrative burden for the Municipality, offers a great improvement in customer service, and demonstrates their lead as a government that embraces new technology.

A model we can replicate anywhere
Adds Kevin Vincent: "The very exciting aspect of this project is its adaptability. For Abu Dhabi, we delivered a software solution that was based on something originally developed for a city in California. The system has been successfully delivered to agencies across North America and it can be configured to any local requirement. Because it is web based, we were even able to do much of the work from the other side of the world, right here on the West coast of the United States." The system in Abu Dhabi has been made available in both English and Arabic and can easily be available in any local language.