[LOGO] NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS: Rich Phillips
NIC
(877) 445-4306
rich@nicusa.com
Shawn Martin
Tidemark Computer Systems
(206) 971-3715
smartin@tidemarksys.com
NIC PARTNERS WITH TIDEMARK COMPUTER SYSTEMS TO EXPAND
EGOVERNMENT PERMIT APPLICATIONS, MOBILE SOLUTIONS
NIC INVESTS $5.5 MILLION IN TIDEMARK FOR APPROXIMATELY 27 PERCENT OF THE COMPANY
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - (April 7, 2000) - NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV), the world's largest
eGovernment solutions provider, today announced a strategic partnership with
Tidemark Computer Systems, a leading provider of eGovernment permit applications
and related solutions for local government. The partnership will allow both
companies to help communities automate a variety of business processes through
mobile and web-based applications.
Said Bruce Dahl, president and CEO of Tidemark, "NIC is the world leader in
providing eGovernment solutions and we anticipate that this partnership will
fuel the adoption of our best-of-class permit, planning and related applications
into state and local markets. NIC's investment will also help fund the
development and roll out of new Internet applications and real-time mobile
solutions."
Tidemark's core software and suite of function-specific extensions are currently
powering more than 700 processes in the building, planning, health,
transportation, utilities, public works, engineering, community development,
licensing, and code enforcement departments of dozens of government agencies.
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NIC PARTNERS WITH TIDEMARK TO EXPAND EGOVERNMENT PERMIT APPLICATIONS 2-2-2-2
Tidemark's customers include jurisdictions in Juneau, Alaska; Anaheim,
Sacramento, San Carlos and Santa Barbara, California; Orlando and Sarasota,
Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; Overland Park and Wichita, Kansas; Rockville,
Maryland; Detroit, Michigan; Reno, Nevada; and Tacoma, Washington; as well as
North Vancouver, British Columbia.
A consortium of 10 municipalities otherwise known as BASP, Bay Area Software
Purchase Consortium, in Silicon Valley recently named Tidemark the vendor of
choice for its Smart Permit Project, which encourages Silicon Valley development
by implementing advanced technologies to speed permit processing across district
lines.
Said Ray Coutermarsh, president of NIC Local, "Our partnership with Tidemark
will enable us to rapidly develop new services and solutions for cities and
counties. This agreement is a significant component of our local eGovernment
strategy which will help our local government partners obtain a faster return on
their Internet investment."
Tidemark's mobile solutions give government workers such as utility crews,
animal control officers and fire department officials, real-time access to
inspection schedules, permit and violation records, disaster assessment and
other data through any personal digital assistant (PDA). Tidemark E-Mobile-TM-
supports popular PDAs including many laptops, notebooks, Windows CE-TM-
machines, and pen-based portable devices like PalmPilot-TM-.
Tidemark also provides Managed Service Provider (MSP) services to agencies
allowing them access to applications on a subscription basis, delivered via the
Internet. State and local government can access Tidemark's permit and other
transaction services through its MSP site at www.gov-online.com.
With Tidemark's flagship workflow solution, government agencies can automate
hundreds of steps from application to inspection, utilize interactive voice
response (IVR) and web-based systems to access data from the field, and share
critical information across teams to ensure requirements are met. The Tidemark
workflow engine also stores valuable resource information, allowing for
real-time impact assessments and analysis allowing community leaders to make
better decisions about their community's growth and land utilization.
NIC has invested $5.5 million in Tidemark giving NIC ownership of approximately
27 percent of the company through Series B voting Preferred Stock. NIC expects
to account for the investment under the equity method.
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NIC PARTNERS WITH TIDEMARK TO EXPAND EGOVERNMENT PERMIT APPLICATIONS 3-3-3-3
Said Jim Dodd, president and CEO of NIC, "Our partnership with Tidemark will
enable us to help our government partners meet the higher expectations of
citizens and businesses in the Internet economy. Tidemark's permit applications
are best of breed. And their mobile and MSP solutions are cutting-edge.
Together, we will revolutionize community development and make eGovernment a
powerful ally for city planners as they manage economic growth."
In addition to the investment, Ray Coutermarsh and Dan Evans, former Governor of
Washington State, will join Tidemark's Board of Directors.
ABOUT TIDEMARK COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Since 1984, Tidemark has been providing innovative solutions that streamline
government business processes and manage workflow communication. As an
innovative leader in eGovernment, Tidemark serves state and local governments by
supporting over 700 different processes in building, planning, public works,
engineering, community development, licensing, code enforcement, utilities,
health, transportation and many more. By offering the choice of custom
application solutions or Internet-hosted services, Tidemark helps government
increase the quality of service agencies provide to their citizens. For more
information please visit www.tidemarksys.com or www.gov-online.com.
ABOUT NIC
NIC is the world's largest eGovernment solutions provider dedicated to
positively transforming the relationships among citizens, businesses and
government. Through federal, state, local and global government partnerships,
NIC manages millions of transactions and thousands of applications accessible to
more than 140 million people worldwide. For more information, visit NIC at
www.nicusa.com.
Windows CE is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
PalmPilot is a registered trademark of Palm, Inc.
Special Note: The statements in this release regarding continued implementation
of NIC's business model and its development of new products and services are
forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by
such forward-looking statements. These include, among others, the success of the
Company in signing contracts with new states and government agencies, including
continued favorable government legislation; NIC's ability to develop new
services; existing states and agencies adopting those new services; acceptance
of e-government solutions by businesses and citizens; competition; and general
economic conditions and the other important cautionary statements and risk
factors described in NIC's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 10, 2000
with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in the Company's most recent
quarterly report filed with the SEC.
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