2011 NASCIO Recognition Award Application. Digital Government: Government to Business (G to B)

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1 2011 NASCIO Recognition Award Application Digital Government: Government to Business (G to B) West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Vehicle Registration System West Virginia Dept. of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles Joe Miller, Commissioner 5707 MacCorkle Avenue, SE Charleston, West Virginia

2 Executive Summary In 2009, the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner introduced the idea of a one-stop-shop method of vehicle registration system using existing or innovative technologies. The state s e-government solutions provider, WV.gov, initiated a new private-public partnership between the DMV and dealerships throughout West Virginia with three primary objectives: study a fragmented process that had been in place for decades with little to no oversight or enforcement ability; identify the problems of the existing system: a complicated, paper based, manual vehicle registration that cost millions over the decades to operate, was time consuming, and was susceptible to mistakes, inventory loss, waste and fraudulent activities; provide an innovative solution the new online Vehicle Registration System (VRS). A modern, web-based application, VRS would allow dealers to electronically transmit title, registration, and temporary tag information, and for the DMV to immediately collect all applicable fees from the dealer s bank account at the time of sale. A new VRS was launched a progressive online system that would reduce processing time and cost; improve inventory management; provide better customer service for the dealers; and improve public safety by giving law enforcement immediate access to accurate license information. WV.gov and the DMV designed and implemented an innovative solution that yielded an immediate cost savings to the DMV of more than $500,000. The system went live in the fall of The problem and solution addresses NASCIO s state CIO objectives for 2011 in the areas of Budget and Cost Control and Cloud Computing. Additionally, many dealers in rural areas across the state are now subscribing to broadband services as a result of this system. As the state builds more value add solutions via cloud based technologies, we expect to see broadband adoption continue to grow throughout the state. 2

3 Description The business problem Prior to VRS, the DMV vehicle registration system was a paper-based manual process that contained a number of serious problems. The old process was slow, complicated, expensive, and hard to manage. Upon the sale of a vehicle, the dealer would either mail the registration to the DMV or hand-deliver it to a regional DMV office. That all took days, weeks in some cases. DMV employees then processed the information, a step that took an average of 15 minutes for each registration. Permanent plates were eventually mailed to the new owner. The entire registration process, from start to finish, often took several months. As a result of the time delay, law enforcement did not have immediate access to owner registration information. Obtaining verification took time and significant resources. When a vehicle with a temporary tag was pulled over, the officer had to document the stop and contact dispatch with the registration information. Police dispatch would then contact DMV personnel who would have to search their records and return the details to the law enforcement agency. The police would then have to go back to the dealership to determine who purchased the vehicle. This information was often inaccurate or unavailable because the dealership s audit log books had been improperly maintained. The audit logs were subject to mistakes and forgotten entries. Although rare, there was suspected corruption by some dealers, i.e. the intentional withholding of information, allowed certain individuals to avoid car registration for a variety of reasons. These suspect dealers would obtain hard licenses for the temporary tags so they could avoid registering a vehicle. Additionally, many vehicle registration tax payments were received late or not at all. The process of collecting the taxes after the sale was difficult, time-consuming, and expensive (in some instances the cost of collection exceeded the amount collected). The solution The Vehicle Registration System (VRS) is a private cloud-hosted, web-based application that makes it easy for auto dealers to electronically submit title, registration, and temporary tag information to the DMV at the time a vehicle is sold. The application guides users, i.e. dealership staff, through an intuitive interview-style, step-by-step process to register a variety of vehicles including cars, heavy trucks, motorcycles, trailers and ATVs. Dealerships print DMV forms and collect applicable DMV fees and taxes onsite. 3

4 To more effectively manage the temporary tag inventory, VRS utilizes temporary plates, pre-printed with inventory control numbers assigned to individual dealers. Dealers can order and manage their temporary tag inventory throughout its 60 day lifecycle. A web service interface allows third-party dealership-management vendors to sell temporary tags in the State of West Virginia. Transaction fees are received for the service. VRS adheres to strict usability, security and accessibility best practices including the requirement that the system should be usable for dealers with limited Internet access or none at all. The system is easy to access and easy to use: limited page size ensures that dial-up users can download pages quickly; using AJAX technology offloads network traffic to the server and reduces the number of page loads required by the application. AJAX also provides a richer, more user-friendly interface; VRS has few system requirements. Any individual with an Internet-enabled computer, a recent web browser, and Adobe Acrobat Reader is able to use the system. Users who cannot meet these modest requirements can utilize the complete-by-fax service using any standard fax machine; the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol is used to safeguard sensitive information. Transactions are secured from the personal computer making the request to the WV.gov computer processing the request; All WV.gov networks, servers, and client computers, and the various online services, are scanned regularly by internal security groups as well as a third party security assessor; CyberTrust and PCI compliance is maintained in order to ensure industry-leading security and business practices. DMV is dedicated to protecting the privacy of users and endeavors by collecting only the minimum amount of information needed to meet the purposes for which the application was created. All information collected in VRS is subject to the confidentiality and public disclosure provisions of West Virginia Code Chapter 29B. Further, the system provides easy access to the statewide privacy policy from the footer of every page within the VRS application. Finally, every effort has been made to ensure the pages of the VRS are accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. In instances where innovation outpaces accessibility, the application is designed to degrade gracefully and provide a standard user interface control accessible to all users. 4

5 DMV s accessibility policy is available in the footer of every page within the VRS Application. To communicate the benefits of the new system, the DMV implemented a strategic, targeted plan through training, education, and communication. During May and June of 2010, DMV provided 19 half-day training sessions in seven locations throughout West Virginia. Along with an overview of changes in the process, the training gave dealers a deep dive demonstration of the system with instruction on how to enroll in it how to use it. My entire staff was using the system immediately after we were trained. I love being able to order temp tag supplies online. Christi Smith, Business Manager, Royal - Chrysler Jeep Subaru The DMV developed a website to promote and educate dealers, provide information to licensing services, and scheduled training sessions and locations. The DMV regularly corresponds with Dealers and License Services through electronic and traditional mailings. The intent is to ensure users are informed of the latest changes and updates to the system and to highlight new and improved features. Significance The VRS results in significant cost savings and improved service and public safety. The adoption of VRS eliminated four cumbersome and labor intensive processes at the DMV: temporary tag log books, notice of lien form, temporary tag registration, and transfer plate registration. VRS provides signification improvements in processing vehicle registrations for the DMV: reduced call volume and customer support: a real-time connection to the DMV database enables dealerships to inquire on a vehicle title or VIN; lower return rates. Prior to VRS, incorrect data or mistakes on registration information prompted the DMV to return the registration to the dealership for correction. VRS eliminates the guesswork. The number of returns is expected to decrease by 30 percent; through ACH withdrawal from the dealerships banking institutions, VRS eliminates the cost of processing paper checks, limits the possibility of insufficient funds after the sale, and ensures timely receipt of DMV fees; immediate, real-time vehicle registration that ensures compliance with State registration laws and access to law enforcement personnel. Inventory management 5

6 and control reduces the opportunity for individuals to avoid vehicle registration. For vehicle dealerships, VRS provides a system that is easy for staff to manage and eliminates a number of steps required for vehicle registration. It is great to have all of my forms and temp tag printed clearly and legibly when I am finished AND it s so easy to use! Misti D'Angelo, Office Manager, Harley-Davidson of WV, Inc. VRS makes it easy for dealerships to track and manage temporary tag inventories, provides a barrier to prevent theft, eliminates the need for a paper-based log book, and improves accountability. I like being able to print the temp tag and registration without filling out a log book. Donetta Parrish, Pauley Motor Cars Benefits VRS was developed a private cloud solution utilizing a self funded recovery model. The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles paid no upfront development cost for this solution. By utilizing a cloud based, self funded model, DMV avoided nearly $300,000 in software development costs. The DMV also avoided the costs associated with hardware, software licensing, systems administration, and application marketing. Those costs would have exceeded $500,000. All costs associated with development, cloud-hosting, maintenance, and marketing are covered by the private partner and are recovered through a nominal fee assessed to users of the system. The DMV anticipates saving nearly 36,000 employee-hours, or nearly $300,000, in labor costs every year due to efficiencies gained through the implementation of VRS. Today, with VRS, vehicle registration information is submitted instantly to the State mainframe, giving law enforcement instant access to information on the status and authenticity of a temporary tag. Additionally, this application introduces our state agencies to private cloud based solutions, helps promote the adoption of broadband throughout our state and utilizes technology to optimize old, outdated manual business processes that are prone to error and fraud. The simplified temporary tag inventory requisition allows dealers and the DMV to more effectively manage their inventory with significantly less effort. Customers can 6

7 conveniently order new license plates or transfer their existing plates to their new vehicle. Now more than ever, we need to find efficiencies while continuing to make West Virginia government convenient. The new VRS does just that from reducing incorrect data on applications to making it easier for dealers to manage temp tag inventory. DMV Commissioner Joe Miller 7