Licensing agreements and permits are crucial to secure the necessary approvals to plan and execute various airport infrastructure projects. The specific requirements and agencies involved can vary significantly depending on the location and scope, but regardless of the nature of the project, failure to obtain the necessary permits and approvals can lead to costly delays and quality issues.
However, the vendors and contractors involved in airport projects face several challenges when submitting license and permit applications. These challenges stem from the complexity of the aviation industry, outdated and inefficient processes and the regulatory requirements surrounding airport infrastructure projects.
Some of the challenges airport authorities and their contractors are trying to address are:
- Tight timelines
- Regulatory changes
- Government bureaucracy
- Navigating multiple agencies or authorities
- Coordination with airport authorities
- Technology integration
Failure to obtain the necessary permits and approvals can lead to serious consequences, including costly delays, damage to the airport’s reputation, and legal liabilities. Thus, it is critical for airport authorities to have an effective licensing and permitting process.
How to drive process efficiency in the license agreement and permit process
Many permit application processes remain manual and paper-intensive making them frustrating, repetitive, time-consuming, and error-prone. Some airport authorities have automated or digitized portions of the process with a few isolated solutions, such as e-signature software or automated yearly payments for license holders, but this approach can leave the workflow broken, disjointed, and incomplete.
Elantis, in partnership with Nintex, delivers an automated and streamlined licensing and permitting solution that allows airports and their contractors to minimize administrative costs, increase transparency, make quicker decisions, and improve project management as a whole.
Using Nintex as a comprehensive, modern, and user-friendly platform can not only replace paper-intensive processes but also the rigid, expensive to maintain and customize off-shelf automation solutions in use.
We recommend a single platform to remove data silos and:
- Streamline workflows
- Digitize paperwork
- Unleash self-service
- Enhance connectivity
Break through the status quo!
Let’s look at the solution capabilities that can help you successfully transform and modernize your licensing and permitting process to reduce processing times and increase accountability.
The airport licensing and permitting solution provides a portal where vendors can set up an account. Through this user account, partners can securely apply for, renew, and maintain the needed licensing agreements and permits.
The portal is form-based and does not require user information from the airport directory/database. When someone new registers, the airport authority will receive a notification to verify and approve the account request before the vendor account is set up.
The data collection for both the login account system and application process are handled through Nintex Forms. This gives airport authorities a user-friendly, dynamic, interactive, and easy-to-understand online application process. The portal and guest data are secure, protected, and compliant with data privacy regulations.
Another advantage of this low-code/no-code permitting solution is that the forms can be quickly modified if regulations change, permitting requirements are updated or business processes evolve.
Once the vendor or contractor has logged into their account, they can view their current agreements or create new applications. For new applications, they can view the instructions for the new application including the fees and the documents required to complete the application.
The portal provides the ability to upload the documents required for the application according to pre-approved formats and templates. Users will also be able to complete payment for their application online.
The portal also helps vendors track the status of their application, whether it has been approved or rejected, and if any new/pending tasks are required to be completed by the airport authorities.
Once submitted, a permit application goes for review and approval. If approved, vendors receive the approved licensing agreement via email, ready for e-signature. The signed agreement is saved in the portal, and accessible by both the vendor and the airport authority.
Upon completion, the permit or license is automatically generated and sent to the applicant — quickly, easily, and smoothly.
This is a two-way process – we also set up a dashboard for airport project managers to view, inspect, approve, e-sign and report on the progress of applications related to their specific projects, as shown below.
The details of the solution are customized depending on your unique permitting process. By mapping out what is currently working and what the bottlenecks are, Elantis can help you decide how to proceed, which processes to automate first, which automation solution to use, and the personnel that need to be involved in the process.
Elantis can support you in mapping, automating, and optimizing your license agreement and permit processes to reduce errors, free staff up to work on more valuable work, and radically speed up processing times, leading to a vastly improved modern vendor experience.
Embark on your digital licensing and permitting journey today, or check out the following resources to learn more:
