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Outsourced Government Contracts
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Outsourced Government Contracts
2.  OUTSOURCED GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

Outsourced State Portal Contracts

The Company's outsourced state government portal contracts generally have an initial multi-year term with provisions for renewals for various periods at the option of the government. The Company's primary business obligation under these contracts is generally to design, build, and operate Internet-based portals on an enterprise-wide basis on behalf of governments desiring to provide access to government information and to complete government-based transactions online. NIC typically markets the services and solicits users to complete government-based transactions and to enter into subscriber contracts permitting the user to access the portal and the government information contained therein in exchange for transactional and/or subscription user fees. The Company enters into separate agreements with various agencies and divisions of the government to provide specific services and to conduct specific transactions. These agreements preliminarily establish the pricing of the electronic transactions and data access services the Company provides and the division of revenues between the Company and the government agency. The government oversight authority must approve prices and revenue sharing agreements. The Company has limited control over the level of fees it is permitted to retain. Any changes made to the amount or percentage of fees retained by NIC, or to the amounts charged for the services offered, could materially affect the profitability of the respective contract to NIC.

The Company is typically responsible for funding up-front investment and ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the government portals, and generally owns all of the intellectual property in connection with the applications developed under these contracts. After completion of the initial contract term, the government partner typically receives a perpetual, royalty-free license to use the software only in its own portal. However, certain customer management, billing and payment processing software applications that the Company has developed and standardized centrally and that are utilized by the Company’s portal businesses, are being provided to an increasing number of government partners on a software-as-a-service, or “SaaS,” basis, and thus would not be included in any royalty-free license. If the Company's contract were not to be renewed after a defined term, the government agency would be entitled to take over the portal in place with no future obligation of the Company, except as otherwise provided in the contract and except for services provided by the Company on a SaaS basis, which would be available to the partners on a fee-for-service basis.

Any renewal of these contracts beyond the initial term by the government is optional and a government may terminate its contract prior to the expiration date upon specific cause events that are not cured within a specified period. In addition, 15 contracts under which the Company provides outsourced state portal services can be terminated by the other party without cause on a specified period of notice. Collectively, revenues generated from these contracts represented 57% of the Company’s total consolidated revenues for the three-month period ended March 31, 2013. In the event that any of these contracts is terminated without cause, the terms of the respective contract may require the government to pay a fee to the Company in order to continue to use the Company’s software in its portal. In addition, the loss of one or more of the Company’s larger state portal partners, such as Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, or Utah, as a result of the expiration, termination or failure to renew the respective contract, if such partner is not replaced, could significantly reduce the Company’s revenues and profitability. See the discussion below under “Expiring Contracts” regarding the expiration of the Company’s contracts with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Arizona.

At March 31, 2013, the Company was bound by performance bond commitments totaling approximately $5.3 million on certain outsourced portal contracts. The Company has never had any defaults resulting in draws on performance bonds. Under a typical portal contract, the Company is required to fully indemnify its government clients against claims that the Company’s services infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others and against claims arising from the Company’s performance or the performance of the Company’s subcontractors under the contract.
 
The following is a summary of the portals through which the Company provides outsourced portal services to state governments as of March 31, 2013:
 
 
NIC Portal Entity
 
Portal Website (State)
Year Services
Commenced
Contract Expiration Date
(Renewal Options Through)
Pennsylvania Interactive, LLC
www.pa.gov (Pennsylvania)
2012
11/30/2017 (11/30/2022)
NICUSA, OR Division
www.oregon.gov (Oregon)
2011
11/22/2021
NICUSA, MD Division 
www.maryland.gov (Maryland)
2011
8/10/2016 (8/10/2019)
Delaware Interactive, LLC
www.delaware.gov (Delaware)
2011
9/25/2014 (9/25/2017)
Mississippi Interactive, LLC
www.ms.gov (Mississippi)
2011
12/31/2015 (12/31/2021)
New Jersey Interactive, LLC
www.nj.gov (New Jersey)
2009
6/30/2013 (6/30/2014)
New Mexico Interactive, LLC
www.mvd.newmexico.gov (New Mexico)
2009
6/1/2013
Texas NICUSA, LLC
www.Texas.gov (Texas)
2009
8/31/2016
West Virginia Interactive, LLC
www.WV.gov (West Virginia)
2007
6/30/2013
NICUSA, AZ Division
www.AZ.gov (Arizona)
2007
6/26/2013
Vermont Information Consortium, LLC
www.Vermont.gov (Vermont)
2006
5/25/2013
Colorado Interactive, LLC
www.Colorado.gov (Colorado)
2005
5/18/2014
South Carolina Interactive, LLC
www.SC.gov (South Carolina)
2005
7/15/2014
Kentucky Interactive, LLC
www.Kentucky.gov (Kentucky)
2003
8/31/2014 (8/31/2015)
Alabama Interactive, LLC
www.Alabama.gov (Alabama)
2002
2/28/2015 (2/28/2017)
Rhode Island Interactive, LLC
www.RI.gov (Rhode Island)
2001
8/31/2013
Oklahoma Interactive, LLC
www.OK.gov (Oklahoma)
2001
12/31/2013 (12/31/2014)
Montana Interactive, LLC
www.MT.gov (Montana)
2001
12/31/2015 (12/31/2020)
NICUSA, TN Division
www.TN.gov (Tennessee)
2000
9/30/2014 (3/30/2016)
Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC
www.eHawaii.gov (Hawaii)
2000
1/3/2016 (unlimited 3-year renewal options)
Idaho Information Consortium, LLC
www.Idaho.gov (Idaho)
2000
6/30/2013 (6/30/2015)
Utah Interactive, LLC
www.Utah.gov (Utah)
1999
6/5/2016 (6/5/2019)
Maine Information Network, LLC
www.Maine.gov (Maine)
1999
7/1/2014 (3/14/2018)
Arkansas Information Consortium, LLC
www.Arkansas.gov (Arkansas)
1997
6/30/2018
Iowa Interactive, LLC
www.Iowa.gov (Iowa)
1997
9/30/2013
Virginia Interactive, LLC
www.Virginia.gov (Virginia)
        1997
Expired – in transition period ending 8/31/2013
Indiana Interactive, LLC
www.IN.gov (Indiana)
1995
7/1/2014
Nebraska Interactive, LLC
www.Nebraska.gov (Nebraska)
1995
1/31/2016
Kansas Information Consortium, Inc.
www.Kansas.gov (Kansas)
1992
12/31/2014 (12/31/2017)

During the first quarter of 2013, the Company received a one-year contract extension from the state of Kansas, a two-year contract extension from the state of Nebraska and a four-month contract extension from the state of Vermont. Additionally, the Company received a five-month contract extension from the state of Rhode Island.

During the second quarter of 2013, the Company received a one-year contract extension from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and a six-month contract extension from the state of Iowa.
 
Outsourced Federal Contracts

The Company currently has contracts with two federal agencies to provide outsourced services through its NIC Technologies subsidiary. NIC Technologies has a contract with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) to develop and manage the FMCSA’s Pre-Employment Screening Program (“PSP”) for motor carriers nationwide, using the self-funded, transaction-based business model. During the first quarter of 2013, the FMCSA exercised the third of four one-year renewal options for the PSP contract, extending its term through February 16, 2014. NIC Technologies also designs and develops online federal campaign expenditure and ethics compliance systems for federal agencies through its contract with the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”). During the first quarter of 2013, the FEC awarded the Company a three-month contract extension. The contract with the FEC will expire on May 31, 2013, and the Company does not currently expect to provide services after this date.
 
Any renewal of these contracts beyond the initial term is at the option of the government agency, and the agency may terminate its contract prior to the expiration date upon specific cause events that are not cured within a specified period. The contract with the FMCSA can be terminated by the other party without cause on a specified period of notice. The loss of the contract with the FMCSA, as a result of the expiration, termination or failure to renew the contract, if not replaced, could significantly reduce the Company’s revenues and profitability. In addition, the Company has limited control over the level of fees it is permitted to retain under the contract with the FMCSA. Any changes made to the amount or percentage of fees retained by the Company, or to the amounts charged for the services offered, could materially affect the profitability of this contract.
 
Expiring Contracts

As of March 31, 2013, there were 13 contracts under which the Company provides outsourced portal services or software development and services that have expiration dates within the 12-month period following March 31, 2013. Collectively, revenues generated from these contracts represented 21% of the Company’s total consolidated revenues for the three-month period ended March 31, 2013. As described above, if a contract is not renewed after a defined term, the government partner would be entitled to take over the portal in place with no future obligation of the Company, except as otherwise provided in the contract and except for the services the Company provides on a SaaS basis, which would be available to the government agency on a fee-for-service basis.

The contract under which the Company's subsidiary, Virginia Interactive, LLC ("VI"), provided outsourced portal services to agencies of the Commonwealth of Virginia, expired on August 31, 2012. As more fully disclosed in a Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on April 18, 2012, VI chose not to agree to terms mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia for a new contract. Beginning September 1, 2012, VI began providing transition services as required by the contract, and may do so for up to one year following the contract expiration to the extent requested by agencies of the Commonwealth of Virginia. During the second quarter of 2013, VI signed an agreement with a state agency to provide eGovernment services for an additional 18 months. The Company has evaluated the costs which may be incurred in transitioning out of VI’s contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia, including employee retention bonuses, operating lease termination costs, and fixed asset impairment, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2013, revenues from the Virginia portal contract accounted for approximately 2% of the Company's total consolidated revenues.

The contract under which the Company's subsidiary, NICUSA, Inc. (“NICUSA”), provides outsourced portal services to agencies of the state of Arizona expires on June 26, 2013. NICUSA chose not to respond to a request for proposal issued by the state of Arizona for a new contract. Beginning June 27, 2013, NICUSA expects to begin providing transition services as required by the contract, and may do so for a period of time following the contract expiration to the extent requested by agencies of the state of Arizona. The Company has evaluated the costs which may be incurred in transitioning out of NICUSA’s contract with the state of Arizona, including employee retention bonuses, operating lease termination costs, and fixed asset impairment, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2013, revenues from the Arizona portal contract accounted for approximately 1% of the Company's total consolidated revenues.