WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- Nov 03, 2008 -- The Washington, D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) announced its launch of Accela Automation® from Accela, Inc. to enhance and improve its IT infrastructure and the information and services available to the public via the ABRA Web site.
The agency is utilizing Accel a Licensing & Case Management™ to automate and fully integrate a wide range of processes associated with issuing alcoholic beverage licenses and conducting inspections and investigations involved with determining violations and enforcing regulation compliance. The solution supports document management, automated license renewal, and flexibility in creating unlimited types of licenses based on the agency's unique regulations, requirements, and internal procedures.
ABRA joins the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) as the third agency in the District to utilize Accela solutions to provide staff, businesses, residents, and visitors a more user-friendly, easily accessible system to conduct business via the Internet.
"By utilizing Accela's products, we'll more easily and efficiently share data between different departments in real time and in the field," said DCRA CIO Gus Viteri. "We were able to save significant time and money and better leverage limited resources among various agencies. Also, by having one common system, shared by multiple departments, we're able to free up much needed resources and retire systems that are redundant or no longer state-of-the-art."
"The District of Columbia is to be congratulated for its vision in implementing Accela Automation across agencies and users as it was designed to do," said Maury Blackman, Accela president and CEO. "With the addition of ABRA, the District cements its leadership role in providing a strong blueprint for other jurisdictions looking to utilize the best technology available to coordinate information and services in order to better serve the public."
Additional Accela solutions are slated for launch at ABRA in the coming months:
Accela GIS™ seamlessly integrates with Accela Automation to aid enforcement activities by providing powerful real-time visual analysis of all land-use, zoning, and enforcement information associated with a property or license. It allows creation of multiple map layers, automated map analysis, and selection of radius buffers for license area limits to e-mail or print notifications. It is built on the ArcIMS™ platform by ESRI®.
Accela Wireless™ is a mobile government software application that integrates field investigation capabilities. It ensures field staff has access to license and enforcement information and is able to collect and upload critical data, photos, and documents and pass them on to other agents. Optimized for Intel Centrino® Mobile Technology, Accela Wireless is compatible with PDAs, laptops, and Tablet PCs running on the Microsoft Pocket PC 2003, Windows Mobile 5, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating systems.
Accela Citizen Access™ provides real-time, direct access via the Internet to government services and information. Citizens and licensees have access to apply, renew, and pay for licenses and permits, check their status, and look up regulatory information directly from the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
About ABRA
ABRA is an independent District of Columbia government regulatory agency that was established in 2001. ABRA has responsibility for issuing alcoholic beverage licenses and permits and conducting inspections and investigations involved with determining violations and enforcing regulation compliance. Its primary goals are to improve one-stop business service to customers seeking licenses, improve processes for issuing licenses, and provide better public access to licensing, enforcement, and adjudications records information. For more information about ABRA, please visit http://abra.dc.gov/abra/site/default.asp.
About Accela
Accela provides innovative, Web-based enterprise software solutions that automate licensing, land, permit, and asset management processes for local, state, and federal government agencies of all sizes. Backed by nearly 30 years of development and implementation in more than 500 agencies in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, Accela products and services empower agencies to increase efficiencies, reduce workload, and provide citizens and businesses with more convenient access to government services. Accela is located in San Ramon, Calif. Accela products can be purchased directly from the GSA Schedule Contract #GS-35F-0249R. For more information, please visit www.accela.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Deborah Papp Accela, Inc. 925-659-3244 Email Contact Ron Jenkins RBJ Consulting 972-473-3546 Email Contact