OUTSOURCED GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS | 2. OUTSOURCED GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS Outsourced portal contracts The Company’s outsourced 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 a defined 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 a 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 was not renewed after a defined term or if its contract was terminated by a government partner for cause, 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 partner 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 if the Company breaches a material contractual obligation and fails to cure such breach within a specified period or upon the occurrence of other events or circumstances specified in the contract. In addition, 17 contracts under which the Company provides services can be terminated by the other party without cause on a specified period of notice. Collectively, revenues generated from these contracts represented 64% and 63%, respectively, of the Company’s total consolidated revenues for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2015. 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 Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, 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 states of Arizona and Delaware. 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 Company has never had any defaults resulting in draws on performance bonds. At September 30, 2015, the Company was bound by performance bond commitments totaling approximately $6.6 million on certain outsourced portal contracts. The following is a summary of the portals in each state through which the Company provides enterprise-wide outsourced portal services to multiple government agencies as of September 30, 2015: NIC Portal Entity Portal Website (State) Year Services Commenced Contract Expiration Date (Renewal Options Through) Connecticut Interactive, LLC www.ct.gov (Connecticut) 2014 1/9/2017 (1/9/2020) Wisconsin Interactive Network, LLC www.wisconsin.gov (Wisconsin) 2013 5/13/2018 (5/13/2023) 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 8/10/2017 (8/10/2019) Mississippi Interactive, LLC www.ms.gov (Mississippi) 2011 12/31/2015 (12/31/2021) New Jersey Interactive, LLC www.nj.gov (New Jersey) 2009 5/1/2020 (5/1/2022) Texas NICUSA, LLC www.Texas.gov (Texas) 2009 8/31/2018 West Virginia Interactive, LLC www.WV.gov (West Virginia) 2007 3/31/2016 Vermont Information Consortium, LLC www.Vermont.gov (Vermont) 2006 6/8/2016 (6/8/2019) Colorado Interactive, LLC www.Colorado.gov (Colorado) 2005 4/30/2019 (4/30/2023) South Carolina Interactive, LLC www.SC.gov (South Carolina) 2005 7/15/2019 (7/15/2021) Kentucky Interactive, LLC www.Kentucky.gov (Kentucky) 2003 8/31/2016 Alabama Interactive, LLC www.Alabama.gov (Alabama) 2002 3/1/2016 (3/1/2017) Rhode Island Interactive, LLC www.RI.gov (Rhode Island) 2001 7/1/2017 (7/1/2019) Oklahoma Interactive, LLC www.OK.gov (Oklahoma) 2001 3/31/2016 (3/31/2020) Montana Interactive, LLC www.MT.gov (Montana) 2001 12/31/2017 (12/31/2020) NICUSA, TN Division www.TN.gov (Tennessee) 2000 3/31/2017 Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC www.eHawaii.gov (Hawaii) 2000 1/3/2016 (3-year renewal options) Idaho Information Consortium, LLC www.Idaho.gov (Idaho) 2000 6/30/2017 Utah Interactive, LLC www.Utah.gov (Utah) 1999 6/5/2019 Maine Information Network, LLC www.Maine.gov (Maine) 1999 7/1/2018 NIC Portal Entity Portal Website (State) Year Services Commenced Contract Expiration Date (Renewal Options Through) Arkansas Information Consortium, LLC www.Arkansas.gov (Arkansas) 1997 6/30/2018 Iowa Interactive, LLC www.Iowa.gov (Iowa) 1997 6/30/2016 (6/30/2020) Indiana Interactive, LLC www.IN.gov (Indiana) 1995 7/31/2016 Nebraska Interactive, LLC www.Nebraska.gov (Nebraska) 1995 1/31/2016 Kansas Information Consortium, LLC www.Kansas.gov (Kansas) 1992 12/31/2021 (annual 1-year renewal options) During the first quarter of 2015, the Company received two-year contract extensions from the states of Montana and Idaho. In addition, the Company executed one-year contract extensions with the states of Alabama and Tennessee. During the third quarter of 2015, the Company executed one-year contract extensions with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the state of Maryland. During the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company executed a two-year contract extension with the state of Maine and a one-year contract extension with the state of Texas. Other outsourced state contracts During the third quarter of 2014, the Company’s subsidiary, Louisiana Interactive, LLC, signed a master contract with the state of Louisiana Division of Administration, Office of Technology Services (“Louisiana Division”) that creates a framework to provide certain eGovernment services for a pilot period. The pilot period commenced during the first quarter of 2015 and the Company anticipates it will conclude in approximately 12-18 months after the commencement of the pilot period. Subsequent to the pilot period, the Louisiana Division has the option to receive enterprise-wide eGovernment services pursuant to the master contract. The Company’s subsidiary, New Mexico Interactive, LLC, has a contract to manage eGovernment services for the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (“MVD”) and its parent, the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. The current contract runs through June 30, 2016 and includes a renewal option for the government to extend the contract for two additional one-year periods. During the third quarter of 2015, the Company’s subsidiary, Virginia Interactive, LLC (“VI”), extended its agreement with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to provide eGovernment services through August 31, 2016. The agreement includes an option for the government agency to extend the contract for one additional one-year period. During the third quarter of 2015, VI extended its agreement with the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to provide eGovernment services through August 31, 2016. The agreement includes an option for the government agency to extend the contract for seven additional one-year periods. Outsourced federal contracts The Company’s subsidiary, NIC Federal, LLC (“NIC Federal”, formerly NIC Technologies, LLC) 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 third quarter of 2015, the Company signed a new one-year contract with the FMCSA that runs through August 31, 2016, which includes two one-year renewal options for the agency to extend the contract. Any renewal of the contract with the FMCSA beyond the current term is at the option of the FMCSA and the contract can be terminated by the FMCSA without cause on a specified period of notice. The loss of the contract 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 September 30, 2015, there were 14 contracts under which the Company provides services that have expiration dates within the 12-month period following September 30, 2015. Collectively, revenues generated from these contracts represented 31% of the Company’s total consolidated revenues for each of the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2015. 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. During the first quarter of 2013, the Company’s subsidiary, NICUSA, Inc. (“NICUSA”), chose not to respond to a request for proposal issued by the state of Arizona for a new contract. NICUSA provided transition services as required by the contract through the March 26, 2014 final expiration date of the contract. The costs 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, did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2014, revenues from the legacy Arizona portal contract were approximately $0.8 million. The contract under which the Company’s subsidiary, Delaware Interactive, LLC (“DI”), managed the state of Delaware’s official government portal expired on March 31, 2015. The primary revenue source for DI under the contract was an annual portal management fee paid to DI by the state. During the second quarter of 2014, the state informed DI that due to fiscal constraints, it did not intend to renew its contract with DI when the contract term expired. The costs incurred in transitioning out of DI’s contract with the state of Delaware, including employee retention bonuses, operating lease termination costs, and fixed asset impairment, did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition. For the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, revenues from the Delaware portal contract were approximately $0.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively. For the three-month period ended September 30, 2014, revenues from the Delaware portal contract were approximately $0.6 million. |