Streamlined HUD Property Inspections With Real-Time PASS Modernization  

Software Engineering Services to Modernize Property Inspections & Portfolio Management

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Cogent People’s software engineering services modernized the Physical Assessment Subsystem (PASS), the application suite for periodic inspections and portfolio management of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insured/assisted properties. 

Key Objectives  

This project aimed to transform PASS from a slow, batch-based system to a real-time, data-driven platform. Goals included: 

  • Implementing systems that use automation and workflows to streamline business processes and eliminate manual tasks. 
  • Recouping business value lost due to previous contract vendor’s project delivery failures. 
  • Allowing for flexible and faster deployment of software updates to inspectors 

Key Accomplishments 

As part of the development and maintenance of the PASS system, Cogent People: 

  • Helped HUD recover from past contractors’ missteps and failures 
  • Delivered new RAPID/DCD 4.0 system comprising of over 50 modules ahead of schedule 
  • Consistently outperformed expectations while simultaneously managing the maintenance of the legacy DCD 2.3 system 
  • Designed and implemented a flexible, data-driven architecture to limit the number of software releases 
  • Built real-time data exchange interfaces with source systems and used messaging to reduce the reliance on error-prone and long-running batch processes 

Notable Outcomes 

Cogent People’s process-oriented approach to maintenance efforts was recognized by senior management and enabled:  

  • Value Realization: Ensured recovery of lost investment on severely flawed partial system implementation by delivering exceptional results on a shoestring budget 
  • Objective Reporting: Ensured consistent inspection results and eliminated inspector bias and subjectivity by using decision trees 
  • Rapid Response: Empowered HUD to respond rapidly to key regulatory, legislative and business changes and deploy updates to field inspectors without reinstalling software 
  • Process Efficiencies: Filtered out low-risk inspections to ensure proper focus on high risk 

Additional Resources