BAS-01Overview
Practical technical
systems for real
organizations.
Bureau of Applied Science designs, builds, and stewards technical systems that support real operations: platforms, workflows, infrastructure, and the decisions that connect them.
FIELD RECORDERAn Instrument for the Bureau's Own Fieldwork
FIGURE 01
On-device transcriptionPublished data standard
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MARK LAURENPlatform Architecture & Technical Stewardship
FIGURE 02
Platform architectureSubscription management
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A small, focused technical practice.
Brought in when systems are unclear, fragmented, or under strain.
—Too many tools, no clear structure
—Critical workflows held together manually
—Platforms that no longer reflect how the organization operates
—No senior technical ownership across systems
Mapping what exists, deciding what matters, making it work.
NOT PRODUCTS IN ISOLATION - SYSTEMS IN CONTEXT
Platforms
Web applications, content systems, membership platforms, internal tools
Workflows
Intake, scheduling, fulfillment, reporting, automation
Infrastructure
Hosting, data models, integrations, environments
Decision layers
What to keep, what to remove, what to rebuild, what to ignore
THREE ENTRY POINTS. SAME STANDARD OF WORK.
01System Audit
Short-term engagement to understand what exists and what is failing. Delivers: system mapping, risk identification, clear recommendations.
02Targeted Build or Repair
Defined intervention. Re-platforming, workflow correction, tool consolidation, performance or reliability fixes.
03Ongoing Stewardship
Fractional technical leadership. System ownership, vendor and tool decisions, long-term stability and evolution.
SELECTED WORK
Field Recorder - An Instrument for the Bureau's Own Fieldwork
Internal engagement · 2026 · Systems / Product / AI
An internal CLI transcription script kept drawing requests for a version without the terminal. No transcription product met the practice's three requirements at once: on-device confidentiality, speaker attribution, and output built for machine retrieval.
Defined the output artifact as a documented schema, then built its reference implementation: a self-contained Windows tray application, specification-driven and executed with Claude Code.
Field Recorder v1.0.0 shipped in one week and six and a half hours of working time, released under Apache 2.0 and in daily use inside the practice.
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Platform Architecture and Technical Stewardship
Mark Lauren - Original platform architecture → ongoing CTO leadership
—Unified fragmented training products into a single subscription platform
—Designed and implemented subscription billing, content delivery, and operational tooling
—Led platform through multiple infrastructure and product phases
—Built and maintained operational continuity across content, billing, and delivery
A stable, evolving platform supporting a global user base.
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Website Design and Rebuild
Westside Shipping - westsideship.com
—Redesigned a web presence that no longer reflected the business
—Clarified service structure and built a clear path for prospective customers
—Modernized visual presentation to match the quality of the operation
Launched.
Observation before prescription.
01ObserveUnderstand how the organization actually operates.
02MapIdentify systems, dependencies, and points of failure.
03DecideDetermine what matters and remove what does not.
04BuildImplement only what is required.
05StewardRemain accountable for what is put in place.
Most organizations do not need a full-time technical executive.
They do need: clear systems, durable decisions, work that holds up under real use.
This practice exists to provide that, directly, without layers.
If something feels unclear, fragmented, or harder than it should be: that is usually a systems problem.
Start there.
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