AI consulting · Government
AI consulting for government and the public sector
Native helps public agencies put AI agents into case intake, permitting, constituent service and records work, with staff making every decision and every action on record. The first workflow is usually live within weeks, scoped to fit how the agency buys and the rules it already follows.
Featuring insights fromShaun Devan · Founder & CEOUpdated · 3 min read
Where AI has an impact in government
Permit completeness checks
Every application checked against the checklist on arrival, with the deficiency notice drafted for staff.
Constituent service
Calls, chats and emails answered from published policy, in many languages, at any hour.
Case intake
Documents read and case files assembled before a caseworker opens them.
Public records requests
Responsive records found and redactions proposed, with each exemption cited for review.
Inspection scheduling
Inspections booked and routed, with the permit history attached for the inspector.
Benefits and licensing questions
Status and eligibility questions answered from the record, with determinations left to staff.
Policy and code search
Ordinances, codes and policies searchable in plain language for staff and residents.
Meeting records
Agendas, minutes and summaries drafted from recordings for the clerk to approve.
Where AI helps a public agency
Agencies carry heavy, rules-based workloads with fixed staff: permit applications that arrive incomplete, constituent calls that ask the same questions, benefit and licensing cases that start with a stack of documents, and records requests with statutory deadlines. Backlogs grow when demand rises, and residents feel them as waiting.
Agents fit the parts of that work governed by written rules. They check applications for completeness, answer from published policy, prepare case files and draft responses, and staff make the determinations. The agency keeps its authority and its accountability.
What agents prepare, and what staff decide
| Work | Agent | Staff |
|---|---|---|
| Permit and licence applications | Checks completeness against the checklist and drafts the deficiency notice | Review and issue |
| Constituent questions | Answers from published policy, in the resident's language | Take anything that needs discretion |
| Case intake | Reads the documents and builds the case file | Determine eligibility |
| Public records requests | Finds candidate records and proposes redactions with the exemption cited | Approve the release |
| Any determination about a person | Never decides | Decide |
Working within public sector rules
Public work comes with obligations a private client does not have. Cloud services may need FedRAMP or StateRAMP authorisation, criminal justice data falls under CJIS policy, records are subject to retention schedules and public records laws, and resident-facing services must meet Section 508 and WCAG accessibility standards. We design to the agency's own requirements from the first day, inside the agency's own accounts, and every action an agent takes becomes part of the record.
Procurement shapes the engagement too. Many agencies start with a small, well-defined pilot that fits an existing purchasing route, prove the result on one workflow, and expand through a formal procurement once there is evidence. We scope the first piece of work to fit that path rather than asking the agency to bend its process.
What an engagement looks like
We start with one service and the people who deliver it. In the first two weeks we map how applications or cases move today, where they wait and why, using the agency's own data and staff knowledge. The first agent goes live within weeks on a step with clear rules and high volume, usually completeness checks or constituent questions.
Staff are trained to run and adjust the agents, the rules they follow are written in plain language the agency can publish, and the code, data and credentials belong to the agency. We work with the platforms agencies already run, such as Accela, Tyler Technologies, Salesforce and Microsoft 365.
How to measure the impact
- Share of applications complete at first submission
- Days from application to decision
- Constituent questions answered without a callback
- Records requests closed within the statutory deadline
- Staff hours returned to casework and inspections
Case study · A county permitting office
A county permitting office stopped returning incomplete applications weeks after they arrived.
Native helped a county permitting office put an agent on every building permit application as it came in. Applicants now hear within a day what is missing, and plan reviewers start with complete files.
The challenge
Roughly half of the applications reached a plan reviewer with something missing. The reviewer found the gap, sent the file back and the applicant resubmitted, and each round added weeks for residents and contractors.What we built
- An agent that checks each application against the county's published checklist the day it arrives and drafts the deficiency notice for staff to send.
- A plain-language answer service for applicants, grounded in the county's own permit guides.
- A record of every check and notice, kept in the county's permitting system for audit and public records purposes.
The result
Applicants fixed problems before review instead of after it, reviewers spent their time on plans rather than paperwork, and residents got permits sooner.Frequently asked questions
How is AI used in government?
Mostly in the rules-based work around public services: checking applications for completeness, answering constituent questions from published policy, preparing case files and processing records requests. Staff make every determination.
Can a government agency use AI agents safely?
Yes, when they run in the agency's own accounts, meet its security and accessibility requirements, see only the data each task needs and log every action, with people deciding anything that affects a resident.
How do public agencies buy AI services?
Often by starting with a small, well-defined pilot that fits an existing purchasing route, then moving to a formal procurement once the pilot has shown results. The first piece of work should be scoped to fit the agency's process.
Will AI make decisions about benefits or permits?
It should not. Agents check, prepare and draft; staff decide, and the reasoning behind each recommendation is on record for review.
Where should a public agency start with AI?
Usually with application completeness checks or constituent questions. Both are high volume, follow published rules and show their impact within weeks.