Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers for the operators evaluating an AI engagement: what an agent is, how we work, and what we'd do with your data. No sales-speak.
The basics
What is an AI agent?
Software that does a task end-to-end and makes decisions within rules you set, not a chatbot that drafts a reply for you to send. Our invoice agent, for example, reads a vendor invoice, matches it to the purchase order, checks the contract terms, drafts the coding, and holds the whole thing for your approval. You set the rules; the agent does the work, and every step is auditable.
What does MuniNow actually do?
We find the workflows where AI pays off, then build and operate the custom agents that run them — for local governments and general contractors. It works in two phases. First, a Workflow Audit: we study how your work flows and hand you a ranked map of where AI pays off fastest or de-risks you most. Then, if it makes sense, we build the agents that run those workflows — and operate them on our platform, under your controls.
Why is it called MuniNow if you work with more than municipalities?
We started with the hardest environment we could find: local government, the most rule-bound, audited work there is. Build agents that survive a records request, and an owner's audit is easy. "Muni" is where we started; "Now" is everyone who builds and runs communities alongside it: contractors, engineers, architects, and districts who share the same permits, plans, and inspections.
How an engagement works
How does it start?
With a conversation. You tell us about your workflows; we give you a straight read on where an agent makes sense and where it doesn't yet. If there's a fit, the first piece of work is the Workflow Audit.
What's the Workflow Audit?
A diagnostic. We study your people, systems, and documents, then rank where AI augmentation delivers the strongest return, or the most urgent risk reduction before your veterans retire. The deliverable is a prioritized roadmap, not software. You could act on it with us, with someone else, or on your own.
Do I have to build agents with you after the audit?
No. The roadmap is yours. Plenty of organizations run the audit to get clarity and sequence their own AI investments. We'd like to build Phase 2 with you, but the audit stands on its own.
Ask us the one we missed
The best way to get a real answer is to tell us about your workflows. We'll walk through any of this in detail.