Retail Building Permits, Permit Expediters and the Permit Process
Let’s say you are a large retail chain, and you are looking to build hundreds of new stores throughout the United States. Like most building projects, this one has a deadline and a budget. There are different requirements for each local and state government regulations, and the architectural plans are complicated and extensive. This means that contractors will have to spend a large portion of their time trying to maneuver the permit, license and codes of each jurisdiction, which will take away from their focus on the building project. Of course, there is a way to allow contractors to spend time on what they do best and obtain all the proper papers quickly and efficiently: permit expediters. But why should your retail chain hire a permit expediter, especially if you have one in-house?
Permit expediters are sub-contracted to obtain permits and licenses for construction projects. They perform the proper due diligence, they handle all the paperwork and different committees and they put in the time to make sure it all goes smoothly. When construction for a large project, such as expanding a retail chain, begins, the company is faced with daunting lines and different regulations in multiple jurisdictions. In-house permit people may have a general understanding of each local government, but they lack the in-depth knowledge and the relationships that permit expediters generate over time.
Besides being well connected and knowledgeable, permit expediters are generally a one-stop-shop. They have a deep background in everything permits, and this saves time and money for retail chains. Imagine this: an in-house permitting team has to deploy several people for a large project to obtain permits. These people are researching each city, which could take days, and then they have to figure out how to produce the permits. Permit expediters, on the other hand, know what they are doing in each place, and they know how to do it for each different permit or license.
Obtaining permits for multiple, separate bodies can be a lot of work for a large retail chain looking to expand. Permit expediters use expertise, contacts and knowledge to successfully obtain the proper retail building permits. Permit expediters make it so they are the sole point of contact between contractors and city planning committees. Retail chains only have to deal with one person that knows what they’re doing, which makes things much simpler, and who wouldn’t want that?
