How the Port of Seattle, WA, Modernized its Records Request Process with CivicPlus®

Background

The Port of Seattle oversees one of the largest seaports on the West Coast, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and a number of real estate holdings in and around Seattle. As a public authority and a vital part of the region’s economy, the Port must operate in a transparent and efficient manner.

However, staff found it increasingly difficult to manage their public records requests, which ranged from the small and mundane to the large and complex. Providing multiple installments of documents via email and CD was particularly cumbersome with their old system and it was clear a new approach was needed.

In 2014 Jerome Wilen was brought on as the new public records manager. He wanted to bring an effective approach to manage requests that utilized good processes as well as technology. He sought out FOIA software to utilize and found NextRequest.‍

Launching NextRequest

On January 12, 2015, the Port of Seattle (including the Port Police Department) began using NextRequest to process all of its public records requests.

“Uploading documents [to NextRequest] has greatly reduced use of email and reduced sending documents on CD’s and Flash Drives,” said Wilen.

He has liked that application so much he wrote a review in the Washington Association of Public Records Officer’s (WAPRO) quarterly newsletter discussing how they’ve used NextRequest to modernize their processes.