Scope of Work — CrossBeam Pilot
Program
SCOPE OF WORK
CrossBeam Pilot Program — Artificial Intelligence Review and Customer Service Platform
City of Laguna Beach — Community Development Department Purpose
The purpose of this Scope of Work is to define the services to be provided by CrossBeam to the City of Laguna Beach (“City”) for the development, implementation, training, and support of artificial intelligence-assisted application screening, plan review, and customer service tools intended to improve the efficiency and consistency of Community Development Department operations. The term of the pilot program shall be twelve (12) months from the date of contract execution.
About the goals below. Where a task lists a goal, that is a number the parties will measure together over the term — a shared scoreboard for both teams, drawn where possible from the City’s own permit records so the City can verify it independently.
TASK 1 — APPLICATION SUBMITTAL SCREENING TOOL
Objective
Develop, test, troubleshoot, and deploy an AI-assisted application screening tool capable of evaluating planning and building permit applications for submittal completeness prior to routing for formal review.
Schedule
CrossBeam shall complete development and deployment of the Application Submittal Screening Tool within thirty (30) calendar days of contract execution.
Services
CrossBeam shall:
1. Develop an application screening module that allows City staff to upload application materials received through the City’s permitting platform (currently the EnerGov Permit Portal or successor system).
2. Configure the tool to evaluate application packages against City-defined submittal requirements and completeness criteria.
3. Identify missing documents, incomplete information, inconsistencies, and other deficiencies that prevent an application from being deemed complete for processing.
4. Collaborate with City staff to establish, refine, and expand screening criteria applicable to various permit and entitlement types.
5. Generate a deficiency report identifying all items requiring correction or supplementation.
6. Automatically prepare a draft applicant notification email summarizing identified deficiencies and requested corrective actions. The draft email shall be reviewable and editable by City staff prior to issuance.
7. Develop a resubmittal review function (“Recheck Module”) that evaluates corrected application materials; focuses on previously identified deficiency items; confirms whether corrections have been adequately addressed; identifies any remaining deficiencies; and generates an updated deficiency report and draft applicant correspondence.
City Responsibilities
The City shall provide access to representative application materials and submittal requirements; designate staff representatives to assist with workflow development and criteria refinement; and participate in testing and validation activities as reasonably requested.
Performance Objective
The Application Screening Tool shall provide consistent completeness screening and deficiency identification sufficient to assist staff in determining whether applications are ready for formal review.
Volume
Unlimited. There is no cap on the number of submittals screened, and no cap on rechecks.
Goal the parties will track together
A completeness check and a draft applicant email within six (6) business hours of each submittal, so an incomplete package no longer consumes a review cycle.
TASK 2 — BUILDING PLAN CHECK AND ZONING PLAN CHECK
MODULE
Objective
Develop and deploy an AI-assisted plan review platform capable of conducting preliminary building and zoning plan reviews, identifying code and ordinance deficiencies, and preparing draft correction notices.
Schedule
CrossBeam shall complete development and deployment of the Building and Zoning Plan Check Module within ninety (90) calendar days of contract execution, or sooner if feasible.
Services — Building Plan Review
CrossBeam shall:
1. Provide the City access to a secure CrossBeam portal for submission and review of building plan check documents.
2. Configure the system to evaluate plans for compliance with applicable building code requirements and City-adopted standards.
3. Identify deficiencies, omissions, inconsistencies, and apparent code-related issues within submitted plans.
4. Mark up and annotate submitted plans directly within the CrossBeam platform.
5. Generate draft correction notices and plan review comment letters suitable for staff review, modification, and issuance.
6. Develop a Building Plan Recheck Module that reviews revised plans following applicant resubmittal; verifies correction of previously identified issues; reviews remaining portions of the plans for newly introduced changes or deficiencies; and generates updated correction comments and draft correspondence.
Services — Zoning Plan Review
CrossBeam shall:
1. Configure the platform to evaluate plans for compliance with applicable zoning regulations, municipal code provisions, development standards, and entitlement conditions.
2. Identify zoning-related deficiencies and prepare corresponding review comments.
3. Mark up submitted plans and generate draft zoning correction letters.
4. Develop a Zoning Recheck Module that evaluates revised plans submitted in response to review comments; focuses on previously identified deficiencies; confirms whether corrections have been completed; and identifies any newly introduced inconsistencies or compliance issues.
Services — Residential Project Checklist Integration
CrossBeam shall configure the system to automatically complete and populate applicable City residential project review checklists based upon submitted plans and supporting materials, and update checklist findings during recheck reviews to reflect revisions and resubmittals.
City Responsibilities
The City shall provide applicable codes, standards, checklists, templates, and plan review criteria; participate in workflow design and testing; and designate staff representatives to assist with calibration and ongoing refinement of review functionality.
Performance Objective
The goal of the Building and Zoning Plan Check Module shall be to achieve an accuracy rate of at least eighty-five percent (85%) in identifying plan deficiencies when evaluated against staff review outcomes and established review criteria. Accuracy shall be measured jointly by the parties against a mutually selected sample of completed permits, at the sixmonth midpoint and at the end of the term. The parties acknowledge that AI-assisted review is intended to supplement, not replace, professional staff review and judgment.
Covered permit classes
Single-family residential, accessory dwelling units, residential additions and remodels, commercial tenant improvements, and planning/zoning entitlement review. Multi-unit residential, grading, and subdivision plan sets may be run by mutual agreement of the parties.
Volume
Up to one thousand four hundred forty (1,440) plan reviews per contract year, pooled annually rather than capped monthly — the City may run any number in a given month, including peak months, provided the annual total is not exceeded. Rechecks and resubmittal reviews are unlimited and do not count against this total. For reference, the City’s EnerGov records show approximately 137 building permit applications per month across all permit types, including over-the-counter permits that would not be routed through plan check.
TASK 3 — PERMIT STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION
CHATBOT
Objective
Develop and deploy a chatbot solution capable of responding to routine inquiries regarding permit applications, development projects, review status, and related Community Development information.
Schedule
CrossBeam shall complete development and deployment of the chatbot within ninety (90) calendar days of contract execution, or sooner if feasible.
Services
CrossBeam shall:
1. Design and implement an AI-powered chatbot capable of responding to routine inquiries regarding permit status; development project status; plan review progress; application processing milestones; general Community Development Department information; and other City-approved inquiry categories.
2. Integrate the chatbot with available City data sources necessary to provide status updates and project information.
3. Configure the chatbot for public-facing deployment where feasible and approved by the City.
4. At a minimum, provide an internal-facing version accessible to City staff for efficient retrieval of project and permit information.
5. Allow users to submit natural language queries and receive summarized responses based upon available records.
6. Refine chatbot functionality based upon City testing, feedback, and operational needs.
City Responsibilities
The City shall provide access to relevant project and permit status information; participate in testing and workflow development; and assist in identifying common customer service inquiries and desired response formats.
Volume
Unlimited for the internal, staff-facing version. The public-facing version is provided on a fair-use basis of up to five thousand (5,000) conversations per month; if the City exceeds that in two consecutive months, the parties will meet and confer in good faith, and service will not be interrupted while they do.
Disclosure
Chatbot responses are informational and are not an official determination of the City. Each response carries that notice and a source reference.
TASK 4 — TRAINING, IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT, AND
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Objective
Provide training, technical assistance, troubleshooting, and implementation support necessary to ensure successful deployment and operation of all CrossBeam tools.
Services
CrossBeam shall:
1. Conduct implementation planning and deployment support for all modules described herein.
2. Provide initial and ongoing training for Community Development Department staff regarding system operation; review workflows; administrative functions; best practices; and future enhancements.
3. Provide technical support and troubleshooting assistance during implementation and operation.
4. Address software issues, performance concerns, and operational deficiencies identified by City staff.
5. Collaborate with the City to refine functionality, improve accuracy, and optimize workflows.
6. Maintain reasonable availability of CrossBeam personnel to assist with questions, updates, and operational support during implementation and rollout.
7. Conduct periodic review meetings with City staff to identify opportunities for system improvement and expanded functionality.
Deliverables
CrossBeam shall provide user training materials; administrative guidance documentation; technical support contacts and procedures; recommended workflow practices; and ongoing system enhancement recommendations.
Fee
Included. Deployment, staff training, and on-site implementation support are provided at no additional charge — there is no separate setup or implementation fee.
Goal the parties will track together
Every plan-check staff member using CrossBeam each week by month three — evidence the tools became part of the daily workflow rather than a one-time rollout.
COMPENSATION
One flat monthly fee covering all four tasks:
Item Monthly 12-month total
Tasks 1–4, all modules, inclusive $8,300 $99,600
Not to exceed $99,600 over the twelve-month term. Invoiced monthly in arrears at $8,300 per month.
No other charges. There are no setup fees, implementation fees, per-permit charges, perseat charges, recheck charges, training charges, travel or expense reimbursements, or overage charges of any kind. The amount above is the entire compensation payable under this Scope of Work. Any additional module the City may elect in the future would be the subject of a separate written agreement.
Founding-city rate. This pricing reflects Laguna Beach’s status as CrossBeam’s founding city partner and its first comprehensive AI plan-check deployment. It is not CrossBeam’s standard pricing and is not a benchmark available to other jurisdictions.
Founding-city recognition. The City grants CrossBeam permission to identify Laguna Beach as a founding city partner, and to display the City’s name and seal for that purpose, on CrossBeam’s website and marketing materials. The City may withdraw this permission at any time on written notice.
What the term unlocks. At the twelve-month checkpoint the goals above serve as the renewal criteria. The parties anticipate discussing conversion of the AI review cost to a perpermit line on the City’s master fee schedule, so the program becomes cost-recovered from applicants rather than funded from the General Fund.
PROJECT SCHEDULE SUMMARY
Task Completion Deadline
Application Submittal Screening Tool Within 30 days of contract execution Building & Zoning Plan Check Module Within 90 days of contract execution Permit Status & Development Chatbot Within 90 days of contract execution Task Completion Deadline
Training & Implementation Support Ongoing throughout deployment and initial operation
Schedules assume timely delivery of City-provided inputs — codes, checklists, sample materials, representative plan sets, letterhead templates, and data access. Deadlines extend day for day for delays in delivery of those inputs.