The Secretary of State’s Office is a multi-faceted agency with program divisions that handle some of our State Government’s most vital tasks. However, what often goes unseen is the work that our internal divisions do in support of our program divisions. On September 1st, our Information Systems Division was awarded a Digital Government Achievement Award (DGAA) in the Government-to-business category for its development of the Central Business Registry, which has streamlined the filing process for those wishing to start a business in Oregon. The DGAA is given to an agency or department for an outstanding Web site or project at the application and infrastructure level. It is open to all government agencies the world over, so it’s safe to say that our competition was pretty fierce.
So what’s the big deal with the Central Business Registry (CBR) anyways? Well, for starters, before the development of CBR, in order to start a business in Oregon, a business registrant may have been required to register with as many as six different state agencies. Each of these agencies has separate requirements and forms that must be completed and processed. This process required days or even weeks to complete, and in some cases even required the business registrant to travel to the agency to complete the transaction.
What we have now is a process that’s a bit more like “one stop shopping” for starting a business. Currently, customers can log on to the CBR and complete registration with the Oregon Corporation Division, Employment Department, and the Department of Revenue. The next phase of development will bring the Department of Consumer and Business Services into the mix, further streamlining the process.
Making the process more efficient for customers is just one great benefit the CBR has produced. Another is the tremendous number of hours that are saved when customers use CBR. The Secretary of State saves approximately 400 hours a month, while the Department of Revenue boasts a savings of roughly 135 hours a month in processing time. These savings translate to improved services to the State’s business customers as well as savings to the agencies involved.
Our ISD and Corporations divisions put a great deal of work into this project and we are very happy that their hard work and ingenuity have not gone unnoticed. If you’re looking to start a business in Oregon, go ahead and pay the CBR a visit. After all, it’s award winning.
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