Ohio EPA is required to solicit public comment on many of the agency's actions, plans, and rules. The Ohio EPA did not have a single method of collecting, reviewing, and responding to the valuable comments received from the public until last year, when we purchased the SmartComment subscription. This application has streamlined the process agency-wide and increased customer service to Ohioans. SmartComment is a purpose-built SaaS targeted for public entities that require public engagement regarding administrative rules/regulatory response/commenting periods, allowing Ohio EPA to keep it all in one solution; thereby increasing efficiency and accessibility, while eliminating manual processes associated with public engagement management. This is a direct purchase from this vendor. The vendor was selected through a quick quote process. This vendor is an Ohio company that also happens to be an MBE.
