FOIA and Public Records
Axcess1 United States
FOIA and Public Records management, built around FOIA and Privacy Act
Built around your law — not around generic case management.
Built around your law — not around generic case management
Many case-management products ask a public body to adapt its process to the software. Axcess1 is configured around the legislation, the procedures, the vocabulary and the reporting obligations of each jurisdiction. An organization chooses its Act once; every screen, deadline, letter and report then follows it.
Generic case management
The organization adapts to the software.
Axcess1
The software follows the legislation and the way government works.
Legislation supported
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) and Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Agencies as defined in 5 U.S.C. § 552(f)(1): executive departments, military departments, Government corporations, Government-controlled corporations, other establishments in the executive branch (including the Executive Office of the President) and independent regulatory agencies. Not covered: Congress, the federal courts, and State or local governments (each State has its own public-records law). |
| Time limit to respond | 20 working days (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 10 working days. Up to 10 working days by written notice giving the unusual circumstances and the expected date: records in field facilities, a voluminous amount of records, or consultation with another agency or component (§ 552(a)(6)(B)(iii)). If more time is needed, the requester must be offered the chance to narrow the request or arrange an alternative time frame (§ 552(a)(6)(B)(ii)). Expedited processing: the decision to expedite is due within 10 calendar days of the request (§ 552(a)(6)(E)(ii)(I)). (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B)(i)) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(C)(i) (administrative remedies deemed exhausted when the time limits are not met)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third-party notice | Notice under Executive Order 12600, ss. 1, 3 (submitter of confidential commercial information) |
| Transfer to another body | 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B)(iii)(III) (consultation with another agency); referral of records to the originating agency under the agency's FOIA regulations |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), (a)(6)(C)(i), (a)(6)(F)). |
| Fees | No application fee. Amounts are in U.S. dollars (USD), from the agency's fee schedule. Commercial use: search, review and duplication; educational, non-commercial scientific and news-media requesters: duplication only; all others: search and duplication. First 2 hours of search and first 100 pages free for non-commercial requesters; public-interest waiver or reduction (§ 552(a)(4)(A)(iii)); no advance payment unless over $250 or prior non-payment; no search fees if a time limit is missed. |
| Review and complaints | the head of the agency (administrative appeal); 90 days to ask for a review (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i)(III)(aa)) |
| Annual reporting | Annual FOIA Report to the Attorney General and the Director of OGIS (5 U.S.C. § 552(e)(1)) |
| Privacy breaches | Notification is mandatory; the incident register applies this jurisdiction's threshold, notices and time limits. |
Loaded for this Act
- 33 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: FOIA request (5 U.S.C. § 552); Privacy Act access request (5 U.S.C. § 552a(d)(1)); Privacy Act amendment request (5 U.S.C. § 552a(d)(2)).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Extension for unusual circumstances, § 552(a)(6)(B)(i) (written notice; up to 10 working days); Alternative time frame arranged with the requester, § 552(a)(6)(B)(ii) (unusual circumstances beyond 10 working days) — enter the agreed period; Clock tolled: one request to the requester for information, or clarification of fee issues, § 552(a)(6)(A)(ii) — ends when the requester's response is received; Request for expedited processing, § 552(a)(6)(E) (decision and notice within 10 calendar days; compelling need); Submitter notice — confidential commercial information, Executive Order 12600, ss. 1 and 4 (reasonable period to object; requester also notified, s. 9); Notice to submitter of intent to disclose over its objections, Executive Order 12600, s. 5 (written reasons a reasonable number of days before the disclosure date); Records referred to the originating agency for direct response to the requester (agency FOIA regulations); Consultation with another agency or component having a substantial interest, § 552(a)(6)(B)(iii)(III)….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-03. Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School) — 5 U.S.C. § 552, Freedom of Information Act · Legal Information Institute — 5 U.S.C. § 552a, Privacy Act of 1974 · Legal Information Institute — 5 U.S.C. § 6103, Holidays (legal public holidays)
Legislation-to-feature matrix
| Legislative requirement | Axcess1 support |
|---|---|
| Statutory deadline | 20 working days (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i)): calculated automatically for each request; overdue and upcoming requests on the dashboard. |
| Extensions and holds | Recorded as events that move the due date, each tied to its section of the Act. |
| Exemptions and exclusions | The provisions of FOIA and Privacy Act in the redaction editor, each with its section number. |
| Third parties and consultations | Notices, consultation packages and their due dates tracked on the request. |
| Fees | Fee notices and payments recorded on the request. |
| Reviews, appeals and complaints | Recorded on the request timeline with their dates and outcome. |
| Redaction | Done by the analyst in the built-in editor; optional AI suggestions that the analyst accepts or rejects. |
| Decision letters | Generated from templates for this Act, with the provisions cited. |
| Release | A release package built from the reviewed records; redactions are permanent in the released file. |
| Annual statistics | Annual access statistics for the period, with each figure traceable to its requests. |
| Audit trail | Every action on a request is recorded with the user and the time. |
From request to release
1Receive and validate
The request is entered with its type, requester and date received; a number is issued from your own numbering pattern.
2Calculate the deadline
The due date follows the Act: 20 working days (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i)). Holds and extensions move it and are recorded.
3Assign and search
The request is assigned to an officer; the units holding records are tasked and their answers tracked.
4Collect and review
Records are uploaded (PDF, Office files, scans with text recognition) and reviewed page by page.
5Apply the provisions and redact
The analyst marks a passage and picks the provision of this Act; the released copy shows the section relied on.
6Consult
Consultation packages are produced per party, with their due dates.
7Approve
The response goes to the approver's inbox for review and signature.
8Release
The release package and the decision letter are generated from the request.
9Report
Requests, processing times, decisions and provisions invoked are counted for the period you choose.
Agentic AI across the lifecycle
AI is switched off until your administrator turns it on, one capability at a time. AI assists. Authorized officials decide.
Intake agent
Proposes a new request from a message, the portal or a drop folder; an officer confirms it.
Document intelligence
Summarizes and classifies the records and finds the people and organizations named in them.
Responsiveness agent
Suggests which records answer the request.
Exemption assist
Proposes provisions of FOIA with reasons; redaction candidates appear in the editor.
Consultation agent
Suggests who should be consulted and on which pages.
Quality assurance agent
Checks a package a second time before release.
Deadline watch
Lists the requests at risk of running late.
Copilot
Answers questions about a request, citing the records it used.
Migration
Case history, requesters and documents are brought over from the system you use today, so you do not start from an empty database.
Deployment
Hosted by SoftSim in Canada, on your own private cloud or servers, or standalone on a PC or Mac.
Security
Each organization's records are separate, access is controlled by role and every action is recorded. Run on your own servers, your records never leave your premises.
Try it free for 30 days
One licence, the full product, no obligation. Or see it first in a 30-minute demonstration.
Find Axcess1 for your jurisdiction
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United Kingdom
Ireland
Australia
New Zealand
Axcess1 supports configurable workflows designed around the applicable legislation. Government organizations remain responsible for legal interpretation and statutory decisions. Summaries of the legislation are paraphrases prepared from the published text; they are not legal advice.