ClearGov Launches Cloud-Based Capital Budgeting Product

While local governments monitor the federal infrastructure bill, a Massachusetts-based government technology company aims to help local officials better track investment projects and proposals.

ClearGov has launched a cloud-based capital improvement planning product, Capital Budgeting. The software is designed so that local governments can have an efficient, web-based way to track investment project proposals instead of relying on multiple Excel spreadsheets, CEO Chris Bullock said.

Applications for capital typically involve various department heads and other government professionals who send their proposals to a central authority within city hall. These proposals, sometimes submitted on paper, are then put together through a process that Bullock has described as laborious.

In contrast, the new product ClearGov aims to centralize the process of applying for capital through a single digital platform through which participants can use web forms, budget projections, legal justifications and other tools.

“They can add images and attachments and insert other items such as capital costs for the next five to 10 years, and add other items such as operational costs, cost savings, and savings. of income, ”Bullock said. “It’s all funneled into a dashboard so they can choose what goes into the budget.”

The product launch represents one of the latest initiatives in the general tech space to replace paper-based processes with digital tools, and stems from ClearGov’s previous efforts to serve local government. As Bullock said, the company already offered capital budgeting services in its previous digital budget management product, and then decided to create this new product after hearing positive customer reviews.

“It’s now a much more robust product and can create multiple budgeting scenarios,” he said.

For example, clients can use the tool to map various capital budgeting scenarios to analyze funding and revenue over multiple years, thus facilitating the decision-making process for larger projects, which often involve projects. major and unique infrastructure. .

Longer term, ClearGov aims to increase the integration of this new product with its four other products it currently sells, which would allow tasks such as better mapping of investment projects and other transparency efforts. budget, he said.

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The timeline would appear to favor the introduction of a digital tool for planning capital projects, given the activity at the federal level.

“We’ve been planning this for about a year, and it started to become apparent that now was the perfect time for this product,” Bullock said. “There will be a huge amount of money flowing into local governments. “

ClearGov designed this tool for local governments, as these entities typically rely more on relatively low-tech and inefficient solutions than state governments.

“Local governments have been underserved for a very long time and they are stuck with Excel,” said Matt Benati, vice president of marketing for ClearGov.

Bullock said the company has already signed around 100 customers for the new product and expects that number to grow to several hundred in the coming months. To use this product, these customers pay an annual subscription fee based on the size of their budget. The company offers seven pricing levels. It also charges a one-time data integration and training fee.

ClearGov is also launching what Bullock has called a “freemium” version of the tool, called Capital Budgeting Lite.

As the company tries to adopt these tools, ClearGov is also partnering with Edmunds GovTech – whose ERP software is used by some 2,000 local governments in the United States – so that customers of both companies can synchronize data across two platforms.

“Modern government budget solutions that increase efficiency and resident engagement are integral to the lasting success of our clients,” said Bob Edmunds, executive chairman of Edmunds GovTech, in a statement. “We are delighted that Edmund GovTech customers are using ClearGov’s full suite of budgeting solutions, giving them even greater capabilities when it comes to preparing and implementing their annual budgets. ”