Insights
Notes on compliance systems, utility operations, and building software that fits.
FedRAMP 20x: Why Evidence-as-Data Changes the Math for Small Vendors
The old FedRAMP priced small government-software vendors out. FedRAMP 20x rewards systems that produce their own evidence as they run — which is a different kind of system to build.
The Data Center Moratorium Is Not the Strategy — It's the Clock
A data center moratorium buys time, not answers. The real work is building a repeatable, defensible review process before the next application arrives.
What Counties Should Track Before Approving a Data Center
A practical record set for counties reviewing data center applications: power, water, land use, fiscal terms, and a conditions register — before the vote.
Why Generic SaaS Is Failing Utilities — and What's Replacing It
Most utilities didn't choose spreadsheets because they wanted to. They ended up there because the alternatives didn't fit.
GIS Is Not a Map Feature — It's the Operating Picture
Why location-based government systems need map-first views of assets, permits, and inspections — not a GIS tab bolted onto a database.
Why Large Infrastructure Projects Need a Conditions Register
Conditions of approval are promises. A conditions register tracks each one — owner, deadline, evidence, status — so commitments survive the hearing.
The Permit Is Not the Workflow
The permit is the output. The workflow is intake, completeness review, corrections, inspections, fees, appeals, and closeout. Software has to model the work.
Permitting Software Should Be Built Around Reviewers, Not Forms
Most permitting software is built around the intake form. The real work is routing, review comments, conditions, revisions, and approvals.
Why Agencies Should Not Put AI on Top of Broken Workflows
AI amplifies whatever process it sits on. If the records, statuses, and accountability are broken, automation makes the problem faster, not better.
The Human-in-the-Loop Is Not a Checkbox
Human review of AI output only counts if it leaves a record: visible approvals, reasons, timestamps, and override paths.
Where AI Actually Helps in Compliance Software
Practical AI use cases in compliance software: summarizing comments, drafting letters, classifying documents, flagging missing fields. Never deciding compliance.
AI Governance for Public Agencies Should Start With Records, Not Robots
Before a public agency adopts AI, it needs clean records, permissions, retention, audit trails, and human review. AI governance starts with the records.
The Difference Between Configuration and Custom Software in GovTech
When is configurable government software enough, and when does an agency's workflow justify custom development? A buyer's guide to the real difference.
Why Fixed-Price Software Projects Fail When the Scope Is Really Two Products
Fixed-price government software projects fail when the scope is really two products — permitting plus licensing, compliance plus billing — estimated as one.
The RFP Question That Prevents Bad Software Projects
One RFP question predicts project success better than any feature checklist: ask vendors what happens when things go wrong.
How Small Agencies Should Scope a Software RFP Without Overbuying
How small agencies can scope a software RFP without overbuying: phased implementation, must-haves, integration assumptions, migration, and acceptance criteria.
A Better Way to Evaluate Software Demos
How to evaluate a software demo: skip the happy path and ask vendors to show duplicates, rejections, bad addresses, permissions, and audit history.
Utility Portals Should Start Read-Only
Most utility customer portals overreach. Start read-only — accounts, assets, compliance status, letters, history — and add transactions once trust exists.
The Hidden Cost of Forcing Utility Work Into Generic CRM
Generic CRM platforms model contacts and tasks. Utility work is assets, locations, inspections, deadlines, and compliance rules. The mismatch has a cost.
Why Public Agencies Need Audit Trails That Humans Can Actually Read
Audit trails in government software are read by appeals boards, records officers, and new staff — humans. Most systems write them for machines.
Compliance Systems Need Exceptions, Not Just Statuses
Compliance software with only clean statuses can't run a real program. Pending, inactive, historical, replaced, and manual override are where the work lives.
The Spreadsheet Is Not the Problem. The Missing Workflow Is.
The spreadsheet running your program is often the only accurate record of how the work actually happens. Replace the workflow blindly and the project fails.
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