eServices represents all the components of New Castle County’s new online plan review system for users to submit Land Development and Building plans and documents electronically rather than on paper. This web-based software allow users to utilize the software via the internet. New Castle County’s provides for better management of the plan review and approval processes electronically for Planning, Engineering and Building Construction. This process captures all of the plan information electronically for record retention and retrieval providing a complete audit trail when research is needed. Benefits of ePlans include: Reduction in turnaround time for project review Reduction in staff resources devoted to physically manage Land Development and Building Construction plans. Reducing the storage space required to store and archive plans and documents. Enhance the customer’s experience by enabling convenient and easy online submittal of plans and documents. Promote green initiatives by saving paper and saving gas by decreasing the need for onsite visits by applicants.

To gain access to the system, first you must register for an account. The two components of the process are eApply and ePlans. eApply, currently only available for building permits, will initiate the online application for permit customers while ePlans is a secure online plan review system that allows staff to perform the plan reviews directly on the electronic submission and review them simultaneously. eServices is a web-based software that allows users to utilize the software via the internet ePlans plan review does require the user to download and install the components to enhance the mark-up capabilities of the software. It is a one-time install per computer. To participate in ePlans, first install the ProjectDox Components to your PC To gain access to the system, first you must register for an account.

Once an application has been submitted, your project will be processed using ePlans for document/plans uploads and electronic plan review. Any project the user has initiated or invited to will be available through ePlans

All active projects will be listed on the screen with the capability to search for a particular project. All active tasks assigned to the user will also appear on this main screen.

The ePlans workflow will manage projects by assigning tasks throughout the process. Every step in the workflow coincides with a task assignment. How do you know if you have a task? An email was sent from the ePlans system Email subject: ProjectDox Applicant Upload Task Assignment Login to ProjectDox (ePlans)

The ePlans workflow is designed with tasks The ePlans workflow is designed with tasks. Every step of the process coincides with a task assignment with email notifications. How do you know if you have a task? An email was sent from the ePlans system An item is listed in the Active Task List on the main page of ePlans Click on the Task link to open the eForm Click on the Project Name link to open the project page with folders

From the individual project, applicants will accept any assigned tasks and view the project folders containing documents and plans. Users can also generate reports showing the status of the plan review and send emails related to the project.

When applicants are assigned a task, all directions to complete the task and project information is available in the eForm. The eForm main page allows the user to confirm a task has been completed and is the mechanism to notify NCC Land Use that a project is ready for processing. This form also provides: Inviting additional people to the project General project information Direct links to resources For viewing any completed checklists A routing slip showing all the steps of the project 2 3 4 5 1

Initial Steps in the ePlans Process for Land Development Plans Applicant Upload Task – ePlans documents and plans uploaded Project PreScreen – NCC staff will prescreen the submission for completeness Applicant Resubmit – If submission requirements are not met Project Manager Assignment – Project Manager assignment to a Planner and/or Engineer Plan Reviews – ePlans sends out review requests to all disciplines simultaneously

Applicant Upload Task Once the task has been accepted and your files are named properly, the applicant may upload any documents to ePlans. Click on the ApplicantUpload link to accept the task 1

Applicant Upload Task Once the task has been accepted and your files are named properly, the applicant may upload any documents to ePlans. Click on the ApplicantUpload link to accept the task 2) Follow the File Naming Conventions guidelines and name the individual files prior to uploading into ePlans

1 2 3 Applicant Upload Task Step One – select the folder Step Two – click Upload Files Step Three – browse for files and then click Upload Filed 1 2 3

Applicant Upload Task The applicant would repeat this step for each folder until a complete permit submission has been uploaded. All files will be listed in the folders. Once the project submission upload is completed, the applicant will go back into the eForm and click the acknowledgement and select ‘Upload Complete – Notify Jurisdiction’

Project PreScreen After the applicant completes the task, a notification is sent to Land Use staff alerting them of a new task assignment. In this instance, it is a Prescreen Review of the project. Depending on the project type and stage of the project, the system is designed to notify the applicable staff.

Applicant Resubmit If the project submission is found to be incomplete, the applicant will receive the task Applicant Resubmit Request. To view what items were incomplete, accept the task and open the eForm for the project. Click on the Intake Checklist link to view Items Not Met and view the comment box on the eForm front page. Once all items have been addressed, check the 3 task instruction boxes and then click on the ‘Complete’ button

The ePlans workflow can also provide reports on the project and workflow. Examples include a list of files uploaded, checklist items and project routing slip.

Additional Features of for Projects in Review eForm Active Task Lists with direct link to the assigned task Plans and document review using project folders Document views from folder list Plan review is completed concurrently Changemarks and notes are displayed directly on the plan Plan versioning allowing for overlay and defined changes

Features of for Projects in Review eForm The project eForm provides project information and also any assigned tasks for the plan reviewer and applicant.

Features of for Projects in Review Direct links The project page of ePlans provides direct links to Active Tasks of the project and links to all active projects.

Features of for Projects in Review Application Folders Plans and documents associated with the project are defined when the project is selected from Active Projects. Folders available during the Project Review include: Construction Drawings Site Plans Supplemental Documents Applicant Upload Only available when not the applicant’s turn and when authorized by NCC Agency Approval Will contain plans and documents upon approval from NCC Changemark Reports Reviewer Attachments PDFDestination Folder

Features of for Projects in Review Folder View Once a folder is clicked it will open and the documents within the folder will appear individually. Click the underlined title to open the plan or document.

Features of for Projects in Review Concurrent Plan Review The ePlans system creates a digital copy of the plan for each reviewer and combines all comments and changemarks into one document.

Features of for Projects in Review Changemarks during Reviews During the electronic plan review process, reviewers will utilize checklists, changemarks, and markups. Once all reviews are completed, changemarks and notes are displayed directly on the plan allowing the applicant to review all reviewer comments at one time. Changemark The checklist will be similar to the current ICC Plan Review Record currently used by Plans Examiners but in electronic form. A plan markup is a designated a note on the plan and may contain one or more changemarks. A changemark is a plan callout created by review staff to quickly identify a markup and its associated comments.

Features of for Projects in Review Changemarks Display Once all reviews are completed, changemarks and notes are displayed directly on the plan allowing the applicant to review all reviewer comments at one time. To open or view a markup - go to the project folder and left click on any folder with a markup icon, If markups exist on the plan, a markup icon ( ) will be displayed. Selecting the markup icon will open the plan and display the markup and changemarks

Features of for Projects in Review File Versioning ePlans enables simple versioning, allowing for the upload of files with the same name. The file’s previous version is kept and logged in the project history along with its associated markups.

Webpage Resources - www. nccde. org/eplans and www. nccde Webpage Resources - www.nccde.org/eplans and www.nccde.org/eplans-resource-center