The End of the Paper Trail Is Coming Into Sight 3/6/2006
One of the long-standing goals of electronic communications is finally putting an end to the paper trail in almost all transactions. Once considered unimaginably distant, the goal now is within sight. It is achievable, practical and even supported by federal law—the Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998. It requires federal agencies to maintain records digitally and give people and companies the option of exchanging forms and submitting information electronically, when practicable, “as a substitution for paper.”
For once, Congress was ahead of the learning curve. It specifically decreed that electronic records and signatures are to be given legal effect, and it ordered federal agencies to investigate and deploy a variety of electronic signature alternatives. But only now, in 2006, is the construction industry finally signing on to the concept.