The Race for AI-Ready Government

Overcoming Fragmented Knowledge Management in Government Agencies

Every day, government agencies face a paradox: they generate mountains of institutional knowledge—policies, procedures, compliance decisions, regulatory interpretations—yet this knowledge remains largely inaccessible when it matters most.

Your Policy Process Is a Public Health Issue

State health leaders are doing everything right — and still watching good work get undermined by the infrastructure holding it together. Here's what changes when that infrastructure finally matches the mission.

What NASCIO’s Top 10 Priorities Reveal About the Future of State Government IT

2026 marks the 20th release of NASCIO’s “State CIO Top Ten Policy and Technology Priorities” list, a report drawn from surveying all 51 state and territory Chief Information Officers in the USA.

What Is Regulatory Reform?

Regulatory reform has evolved through three waves: the first focused on cutting red tape, the second introduced review cycles, and the third prioritized transparency and public accessibility.

Beyond Records Management: Modernizing the Policy Lifecycle

Records management policy was once treated as an administrative function. Now, it sits at the center of governance, compliance, and public trust.

Third Wave Regulatory Reform is Here

Nearly a decade ago a new wave of regulatory reform began to percolate across the United States. There had been previous attempts to cut red tape, my favorite example being the Clinton-era Paperwork Reduction Act, which, somewhat ironically, required more paperwork to reduce regulations.

ADA Compliance in Regulatory Software: Legal Obligations for Government Rulemaking

When government agencies use software to create, manage, or publish regulations, those systems are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

Is Enterprise SaaS Dead?

Is enterprise SaaS dead? No. Not exactly. In fact, I think the enterprise application layer is best positioned to capture the gains AI has to offer. It’s just a matter of how thoughtfully and how quickly enterprise SaaS companies adapt.

ADA Compliance in Regulatory Software

When government agencies use software to create, manage, or publish regulations, those systems are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

April 2026 ADA Deadline: Making Policy Accessibility a Statewide Priority

By April 2026, every government agency will be required to meet modern ADA and Section 508 standards across all digital content — not just websites. The deadline is fast approaching, and the expectations are clear.

Alaska’s Administrative Reform Mandate: What Agencies Should Do Now

Alaska’s push for efficiency is real and the pressure on agencies is too. Alaska’s administrative orders on government efficiency and regulatory reform have been in place for months now, and the impact is hitting every agency. The mandate is straightforward: coordinate better, move faster, document cleanly, and modernize how work gets done.

How Departments Score Readiness for Modern Rulemaking

Across government agencies in the United States, many rulemaking teams still rely on email chains, spreadsheets, and untracked review cycles.

State ADA Compliance Guide: Essential Strategies for Agency Leaders

Ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a critical legal and ethical obligation for state agencies. For agency leaders, policymakers, and public administrators, understanding these requirements is essential to avoid significant legal, financial, and reputational damage.

Esper Launches New Services to Accelerate Government Modernization

State and local governments employ more than 20 million Americans—roughly one in eight members of the U.S. workforce. These employees deliver essential services every day: protecting communities, maintaining infrastructure, driving economic growth, and supporting public health and education.

What is Policy Attestation? A Complete Guide for Government Agencies

Every agency needs to prove that their staff know and understand critical policies. Those that don’t face millions in fines and legal penalties. Just having the policies in place isn’t good enough. You have to demonstrate that your employees know those policies.

County Policy Management: Reduce Compliance Risk and Modernize Before Your Next Audit

From Manual to Digital: Transforming Government Policy Research

Policy research is the practice of finding and analyzing existing public policies, programs and initiatives. The goal is to provide evidence-based information to shape policy decisions and improve the effectiveness of government services.

Fire Department Policies and Procedures: A Comprehensive Guide

Fire departments are facing increasing legal, operational, and public safety challenges without policy frameworks to lean on. What cities and their fire departments need is a comprehensive guide to developing, implementing, and managing fire department policies and procedures in plain language — that’s exactly what you’ll get below.

Smart Search for All

How to Modernize Policy Workflow for Government Agencies

Many government agencies today still manage policies using outdated, manual workflows, such as passing documents around for review, tracking changes in spreadsheets, or searching through email chains for approvals.

Four Hidden Costs of Outdated HR Policies—And the Playbook to Fix Them

When Salt Lake County auditors discovered that **12 % of all county policies were outdated—some naming departments that no longer exist—**it wasn’t just an administrative footnote. Out‑of‑date rules translate into compliance gaps, employee frustration, and public‑trust headaches.

Improving City Government Policy Management

City leaders know that policies are the invisible framework holding local government together. From HR rules to public safety procedures, policies guide staff in delivering services and complying with laws.

Change Management in Local Government: Proven Strategies for Driving Real, Lasting Impact

Local government change management fails 80% of the time, largely because it’s treated like an afterthought. This guide offers a framework to help agencies overcome cultural inertia, bureaucratic slowdowns, and outdated systems with examples from states already seeing results.

Internal Policy & Compliance in State + Local Government

Every state agency, county, and city runs on internal policies: the rules that tell employees how to hire, spend, secure data, and protect the public. Yet most governments still manage those rules with a patchwork of Word docs, email chains, SharePoint folders, and three-ring binders.

State & Local DOGE Survival Guide: Navigating the Federal Funding Squeeze

At Esper, we partner with state and local governments every day to modernize how policies are drafted, approved, and maintained. In a moment when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is rapidly shifting responsibilities from Washington to the states, uncertainty can slow action and increase risk.

5 Brutal Challenges Facing Public Health Leaders (and How to Fix Them)

Running a Department of Health isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re balancing fast-moving regulations, emergency response, strategic initiatives, and community outreach — and somehow, you’re expected to do it all with tighter budgets and higher expectations.

The Word Lover’s Guide to Policy Management

Microsoft Word remains a foundational tool for drafting and editing policy documents across government agencies. It is widely used, intuitive, and flexible for early-stage writing. However, policy management is far more than document creation.

Top Trends in Public Safety: A Preview from Esper’s Policy Lab

Top Trends in Public Safety: A Preview from Esper’s Policy Lab Over the past few years, public safety and corrections have undergone a remarkable transformation, with lawmakers nationwide balancing the need for secure facilities against rising calls for inmate rights and comprehensive rehabilitation.

Why Citizens Should Care About Policy Management—and How Esper is Making an Impact

Government policies impact nearly every aspect of daily life—whether it’s healthcare regulations, public safety guidelines, or education policies. Yet, many citizens remain disconnected from how policies are created, updated, and enforced. A well-managed policy system ensures transparency, efficiency, and accountability, directly influencing the quality of governance and public services.

2025 Esper CEO Letter

Dear Valued Customers and Partners, When Esper was founded in 2018, our mission was clear: to simplify the complexities of regulation and policy, empowering governments to deliver better outcomes for the residents they serve. Fast forward to today, and we are proud to share that Esper has been named to the GovTech 100 list for the fourth consecutive year in 2025.

Introducing Esper’s Smart Search – Transforming Policy Navigation with AI

Esper has announced the release of Smart Search, a revolutionary tool purpose-built for government organizations to simplify how users interact with complex policy and regulation content. Unlike broad-market AI chatbots and generic search tools, Smart Search is designed specifically for the nuanced needs of the public sector.

5 Ways to Make Better Policy in Your Agency

Crafting effective policies is a top priority for proactive governments. By adopting strategic approaches, agencies can create regulations that truly serve their communities. These are our top pieces of advice for proactive governments looking to make the best possible policy for residents:

Answering the top questions we hear from government leaders

We’re lucky to partner with dozens of government agencies across the United States, and while adopting policy management software is often a huge upgrade for our customers, the modernization process understandably brings up questions.

Q&A with the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission

Esper is proud to announce our latest partnership with the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, our first customer in the state of North Carolina.

Mitigating Risk in Government Policymaking

We meet with dozens of government agencies every single month to learn about how they develop and publish policy. Some have more sophisticated processes than others, some have technology in place, and others are starting from scratch. But the one thing they all have in common? They’ve experienced unwanted or unnecessarily complex litigation due to policy.

Build vs. Buy: Should your agency invest in software?

Is your agency considering building an internal solution to manage policymaking? Here a few reasons why now more than ever, governments are choosing software over time intensive, home-brewed solutions.

Why states are adopting enterprise-wide policy management in 2024

Esper is quickly gaining rapport as the system of record for statewide regulation and policy management. In Fall 2023, we announced our third statewide implementation over the course of just two years. We’re proud to support all executive branch agencies in Iowa, Montana, and Tennessee in their regulatory processes.

Government technology trends to watch for

Technology can play a vital role in enabling government agencies to meet operational standards. But it’s not just about modernizing processes or upgrading systems; it’s about revolutionizing how agencies function and making them more efficient overall.

How to leverage government workflow automation for policy project management

Government agencies often face the same obstacles in policymaking: approval delays, departmental silos, and paper-heavy processes. These bottlenecks don’t just slow work, they increase compliance risk and make it harder to deliver transparent, timely policy.

Ensuring Compliance with Government Security Standards: A Guide to Evaluating a Policy Management Platform

Policymaking is mission critical for governments. Government agencies need to ensure that whatever tools and software they use for their policymaking- whether regulatory or non-regulatory- meets strict government security standards, especially when it comes to any public-facing components.

How do I procure cloud-based software in government?

Ready to take the next step and purchase policy management software for your agency, but not quite sure where to start? This post explains how government software procurement works and offers a checklist of items to consider before initiating a new procurement.

How to better track document version history in the policymaking process

“I’m often sharing a Microsoft Word document with over a dozen people for feedback and edits. By the time everyone shares their input, I’ve lost track of the right policy version and we’re way behind schedule.” This is a real quote from a Policymaking Coordinator we recently met with, and we have hundreds of other painful document version history control examples just like this.

Policy management tool: A checklist for government leaders

As a government leader, one of your top priorities is to balance a large volume of policymaking with limited staff and resources. It can be challenging to keep track of policy projects, identify potential risks and ensure your team stays on course. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions such as Esper can give you the visibility you need to enhance your agency’s policy management.

What is policy management?

Is your agency drowning in manual policy processes that take months to complete? Are you seeing weeks pass by wasted while your team chases policy approval? You’re not alone. Government agencies lose an average of 25% more time on policy reviews due to fragmented systems and outdated workflows.

How to Inspire your Team as a Government Leader

Culture starts at the top of any organization. The tone set by leadership trickles down through government agencies and makes an enormous difference in the motivation and productivity of agency staff. Did you know that managing and motivating staff was cited as the biggest challenge by government leaders in a recent survey from the Center for Creative Leadership?

How Policy Management Tools Help Ease Legislative Friction

Bills, bills, bills. No, not those kinds of bills. ???? We’re talking about the hundreds, even thousands, of bills in state legislatures right now. Most state governments are in the thick of the legislative session, a particularly chaotic time for all stakeholders, especially executive agencies.

Should you modernize your policymaking system?

Tired of hunting down old files or chasing down the next step in your policymaking process? Or perhaps you are looking for faster ways to research and compare policies? Wish you had an easy way to track policy attestation? Esper works with dozens of government agencies, and we can assure you—you’re not alone.

How Esper Implementation Works: Q&A with Esper's Director of Professional Services

Esper turns five years old ????

It's our five year anniversary! That's five years of empowering governments to create more data-driven and equitable policies.

Building a paperless government with digital policy management

Pave the way to a paperless government with a centralized platform to write, review and store policies.

Esper recognized in 2023 GovTech 100 list of innovative government technology solutions

Esper, a leader in policy management software, was named to the 2023 GovTech 100 list of innovative government technology solutions.

How policymaking software can ease an administration change

Our latest guide walks you through how to develop a policy game plan to set up incoming administrations for success.

An Insider's Guide: Going Digital with Government Software

Esper chatted with former NYC CTO John Paul Farmer to learn how agencies can digitize critical services with government software.

Retrospective review functionality added to Esper

The latest feature of Esper’s policy management solution allows governments to conduct retrospective reviews of their regulations.

GovTech Trends: Esper to host fire-side chat at State of GovTech 2022

Esper is excited to announce we will be hosting a fire-side chat at State of GovTech 2022.

Government Software Implementation: A How-To for Policymakers

In this article, we look at how agencies can leverage Esper’s policymaking platform for a successful government software implementation.

Esper achieves FedRAMP authorization

Esper, a leading provider of cloud-based policy software, today announced it has received FedRAMP authorization.

Esper's public policy software adds critical system of record feature

The latest feature to Esper's public policy software allows governments to streamline collaboration on internal policy documents.

An Insider’s Guide to a Cloud-Based Policy Management Process

Former Kentucky CIO Chuck Grindle shares key insights on how governments can move their policy management process into the cloud.

An Insider's Guide to Regulatory Reform

Montana Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras shares how she and Governor Greg Gianforte kick-started their state-wide Red Tape Relief initiative.

How to build a modern and intuitive Policy Library

In this blog, we outline critical features of a modern Policy Library that’s user-friendly for the public and government.

A practical guide to healthcare policy

In this blog post, we’ll outline a practical guide to mapping your health policy landscape and understanding how you can better coordinate policy agendas to meet goals and stay in compliance with federal statutes and regulations.

CMS leverages GSA issued contract for regulatory workflow modernization

In 2020, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a multi-year, $9.9 million contract to Esper Regulatory Technologies, Inc., which was used by the Center For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to deploy the Esper platform in August of 2021.

Policymakers win big with final ARPA ruling

On January 6, 2022, The Department of Treasury issued their final rule on the SLFRF program. This ruling is set to help policymakers tremendously.

Meet the newest addition to the GovTech 100: Esper

Each year, Government Technology compiles and publishes their GovTech 100 list. These 100 companies are focused on partnering with state and local governments across the U.S. to help improve service delivery and operations. The GovTech 100 included 18 new companies for 2022—including Esper.

Closing the feedback loop in the policy lifecycle

We identified eight key milestones that encompass the policymaking lifecycle, and discuss the challenges and opportunities for improvement in each step. By mapping the policy lifecycle, we diagnose areas where feedback can be strengthened, and recommend tools that can help policymakers accomplish their best work.

From Legacy to SaaS: Why Governments Are Making the Shift

Government is shifting from on-prem into the cloud. Check out the benefits of a SaaS policy management solution.

Your pocket guide for approaching regulatory changes with a modern lens

As you settle into your post-session routine, we wrote five helpful tips for how to approach upcoming regulatory changes.

Top 4 ways to act on the Modernizing Regulatory Review

Regulatory review doesn’t have to be an impossible undertaking, and getting it right has enormous benefits both to our citizens and civil servants.

Teleworking and remote policymaking with Esper

Government agencies are all feeling the strain of a rapid, unplanned shift to remote working. Esper helps tackle these challenges with our easy to use software.

Before and after: How Esper helps government

Esper is purpose-built to simplify the policymaking process. Before Esper, the majority of our government clients relied on legacy IT systems and paper-based processes for policy activity. We gathered the most common success stories from our customers describing how Esper’s technology improves and automates processes to help regulators focus on content and outcomes.

The value of government networks

Modern technology can amplify the application of network theory in government to create more feedback loops between the public and private sector.

Improving federal rulemaking with technology

New developments in natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies have allowed the creation of new platforms to uniquely serve the needs of regulatory agencies.

Project management in government

The process for creating and enacting public policy in government is part art, part science.

Esper’s policy management software available for purchase on AWS Marketplace

Esper, a leading provider of cloud-based policy management software, is now available for purchase on AWS Marketplace.

Five must haves in policy software for police departments

We’re here to offer some suggestions for how best-in-class technology can assist police departments when it comes to policy.

Cloud Technology: Driving better regulation with data analysis and artificial intelligence

Applying leading cloud technology to regulation and policymaking.

Understanding occupational licensing reciprocity and how you can get started

A brief guide for how your government can approach licensing reciprocity.

Navigating government regulation

While legislation has high public visibility, its twin sister, regulation, receives far less attention.

Design at Esper

I lead product design and brand at Esper, a small but mighty team based in Austin, Texas.

A smarter way to scale an efficient government

Did you know that the government is the largest employer in the United States?

Government technology needs to be better now more than ever

2018 is perhaps one of the most exciting times for civic engagement this country has witnessed in the past several decades.

Aligning government stakeholders in the rulemaking process

While government executives and legislators often receive the most press and attention, it is administrative agencies and their respective policies that regularly touch the daily lives of citizens.