The national ePlanning platform is a Tech Excellence Awards finalist

We are delighted to announce that Annertech, in partnership with Provident CRM, has been named a finalist in the prestigious Tech Excellence Awards! Our collaborative work on Local Government Ireland’s national planning system has been shortlisted for Project of the Year – Public Sector.

From paper mountains to digital efficiency

Until recently, Ireland’s planning process was entirely paper-based. Submitting an application meant physically visiting a local authority office with at least six printed copies of every plan and document. 

The National ePlanning Platform changed everything. It created a single, unified portal where citizens and planning agents can submit applications to any local authority in the country, at any time, on any device.

“This project was about more than just moving forms online; it was about fundamentally changing how citizens interact with their local government,” says Stella Power, Managing Director of Annertech. 

“By deconstructing complex, daunting paper forms into an intuitive, logical digital flow, we’ve removed the barriers that made the planning process so cumbersome for so many years. To see it recognised by the Tech Excellence Awards judges is a very proud moment for the entire team.”

A massive logic engine behind a simple interface

While the frontend of the site is designed to be clean and user-friendly, it is powered by a sophisticated digital ecosystem. Built on Drupal, the portal integrates seamlessly with a SugarAI backend and a bespoke Java-based integration layer that connects to the varied software systems used individually by each of the 31 local authorities.

"From a business perspective, the scale and complexity of delivering Ireland's national ePlanning platform is something we're all incredibly proud of. Working alongside Annertech and the LGMA, with a genuine commitment from every party to get this right, is what kept us focused through the hard parts,“ said John Malone, CEO, Provident CRM.

“To see that translate into a fundamental shift in how planning applications are handled at a national level has been extremely rewarding, and seeing it acknowledged in this way is something the whole team deserves."

Annertech’s role focused on the user experience, ensuring that place, proposal, people and payments were handled through complex conditional flows. This means users only ever see the questions relevant to them, making a historically difficult process feel intuitive.

The impact has been immediate and measurable. Currently, 80% of all planning applications in Ireland are now submitted electronically.

A total transformation

The success of the project is perhaps best summed up by those who use and manage the system every day. 

“Prior to the introduction of Online Planning, an applicant for planning permission needed to submit six copies of each planning document. These needed to be physically transported to the local authority offices during working hours,“ says Eileen Dennan, Project Manager at the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA).

“Now, documents are generated directly from the relevant software and can be uploaded to the portal at any time during the day or night. Payments are by card, and local authorities can quickly refund back to the card in the event of an invalid application, so the process of re-submitting a planning application is much easier.“ 

For the local authority, previously each document received with a planning application had to be date-stamped with date received; then each one had to be physically scanned, categorised and uploaded to the document management system so that the documents could be viewable online. 

Now, documents are categorised by the applicant on input, watermarked with date of receipt, and are then automatically written to the document management system, making the whole process more efficient. 

Communication with the applicant during the assessment of planning applications was previously by letter, now it all happens by email and through the portal. 

“The move from paper to electronic applications has facilitated staff working remotely and has been a huge win for all concerned,“ says Eileen. 

Stella adds that the partnership between Annertech, Provident CRM and the LGMA was key to the project’s success. 

“When you are dealing with 31 different local authorities and thousands of users, you need a partnership built on absolute trust and technical excellence. We didn’t just build a website; we built a secure, national-scale digital ecosystem that is now a benchmark for public sector transformation in Ireland.”

Looking ahead to the awards

The Tech Excellence Awards ceremony takes place in Dublin on 14 May. We are honoured to stand alongside Provident CRM as finalists and look forward to celebrating the incredible work being done across the sector.

Regardless of the final result, the real win is seeing the ePlanning platform continue to scale and simplify life for thousands of people across Ireland.

“Public sector digital transformation only works when you design around the people using it, not just the technology behind it. That was central to how we approached the ePlanning platform from day one. To see a project of this complexity land well and genuinely change how citizens across Ireland engage with the planning process is something we're all proud to have been part of,“ said Patrick Purcell, Program Manager, Provident CRM.