Avison Young selects TAP to streamline its permit process and improve productivity

The challenge

As a leading global real estate advisor, Avison Young manages a large portfolio of properties for clients in the UK. Historically, the firm relied on paper-based permit documents and manual processes to track and manage permits for maintenance conducted in the built environment.

However, this paper-intensive approach had several key limitations:

1. Lack of visibility – With different permits templates scattered across their managed sites, it was difficult to gain a comprehensive view of work risks, permit status and non-permit engagement across the portfolio.
2. Compliance risk – Missing or expired permits could lead to unnecessary risk and damage to client relationships if not carefully managed.
3. Inefficient processes – Manual tracking, locally stored permit details, and redundant data entry across systems drained productivity for Avison Young’s facilities managers.
4. Environmental impact – Excessive printing of paper documents generated a significant environmental footprint.

The solution

To modernise its permit process and shift the administrative burden of completing the permit from the facilities manager to the contractor, Avison Young selected TAP’s digital permitting solution but wanted to further develop the offering by working alongside TAP’s software team to tailor the offer to their ‘managing risk solution’. After close collaboration between the Avison Young Health & Safety Team and TAP, the cloud-based platform was developed to cater for the Avison Young requirement.

Key benefits included:

Transparency and compliance

With permits hosted in TAP’s secure cloud servers, authorised stakeholders across Avison Young’s team and its client base can view permit status and expiration dates in real-time. Automated notifications flag upcoming renewals, reducing compliance risk.

Efficient collaboration

TAP streamlines applying for new permits and sharing updates across project teams, owners, and jurisdictions. No more hunting for the right paper file or duplicate data entry.

Sustainability

Digitising permits substantially reduces paper waste, shipping/handling costs, and Avison Young’s carbon footprint from projects.

The results

Since deploying TAP, Avison Young has achieved:

• 75% reduction in time spent managing permits
• $120,000+ annual savings from reduced printing/shipping costs
• Zero compliance penalties from expired/missed permits
• Improved transparency keeping projects on track for clients