Case Study: Pennsylvania Department of General Services achieves streamlined, transparent capital project management with Trimble

How to Modernize a Public Agency

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (PADGS) Public Works Bureau oversees design and construction of the Commonwealth’s non‑highway capital portfolio—about $1.5B in assets with a $15M operating budget and roughly 100 staff. The agency struggled with paper‑driven, siloed processes, disconnected financial and project systems, slow approvals and frequent budget/schedule overruns (e.g., change orders took an average of 79 days).

PADGS partnered with e‑Builder to redesign processes, empower frontline staff and deploy a cloud-based project management information system. The centralized, owner‑centric PMIS and organizational changes enabled electronic bidding and signatures, faster approvals and real‑time financial visibility—bidding moved from 79 steps/44 days to 21 steps/22 days, change orders from 79 days down to seven days (sometimes hours), the operation is virtually paperless, and the agency now manages hundreds of projects with greater transparency and award-winning results.

Pennsylvania Department of General Services

Curt Topper

Secretary