Texas Department of Information Resources Selects CivicPlus to Provide Web Development & Management Services

MANHATTAN, KS, March 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) Public officials in Texas and throughout the country now have a new option for saving taxpayer dollars and increasing citizen engagement thanks to selection of CivicPlus, the national leader in open government technology, as the newest partner in the Texas Department of Information Resources' (DIR) cooperative purchasing program, the company announced today.

The DIR's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Cooperative Contracts Program leverages the state's purchasing power to negotiate competitive discounts with vendors, saving taxpayer money and streamlining the purchasing process. Any Texas state, county, local government office or public education entity can participate in the procurement program as well as public entities outside of Texas. Cities and counties in 10 other states from Alaska to Florida currently enjoy savings through Inter-local Cooperative Contracts with Texas DIR. In fiscal year 2009, the program generated more than $171 million in taxpayer savings.

Kansas-based CivicPlus develops, designs and manages award-winning local government websites. The company was selected after a rigorous review and competitive bidding process that began in 2008 and was completed last month.

"CivicPlus goes beyond websites to create powerful, easy-to-use community engagement systems that connect people with government in new, more efficient ways," said Ward Morgan, CEO of CivicPlus. "Today public officials at all levels of government are challenged to do more with less and this DIR program offers a perfect solution. Add these DIR contract savings to the benefits of CivicPlus' innovative eGovernment options, features and free software upgrades, and the savings can be multiplied many times over."

This week, Sherman, Texas became the first city to take advantage of CivicPlus' inclusion in the DIR ICT Co-op Program when the City Council voted unanimously to award the contract for the city's website redesign, construction and hosting to CivicPlus. Systems IT Manager Kay Thomas oversaw the work of the city's website vendor selection committee that began last fall.

"By using the State of Texas DIR ICT contract, the purchasing procedure, contract negotiation and City Council approval were streamlined into a very simple process," said Thomas. "We looked at a number of vendors and the website selection committee was continually impressed with CivicPlus' professional approach, amazing website designs and award-winning track record with other cities. They provide similar services for 772 local governments, including 103 here in Texas. We look forward to replacing our outdated and static website with one that invites our citizens to cost-effectively interact and engage with city government when and where it's most convenient for them."

In addition to selection by the Texas DIR, CivicPlus is a certified GSA Schedule contractor holder for the U.S. Federal Government as an Information Technology Service provider (SIN 132-51) under the IT Schedule 70. The company also has held a statewide master contract for web hosting and development services with the Kansas Department of Administration since 2008.

Public entities in the following states currently hold Texas DIR Inter-local Cooperative Contracts: Alaska, California, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. For more information about the DIR program visit http://www2.dir.state.tx.us/ict/Pages/contracts.aspx. For information about CivicPlus products, services and DIR pricing visit http://www.civicplus.com/index.aspx?nid=704 or contact Carrie Broeckelmann at 888.228.2233 ext. 315 or broeckelmann@civicplus.com.

About CivicPlus
CivicPlus develops, designs and manages award-winning community engagement systems that use advanced technology to connect people with government in new, more efficient ways. Founded in 2001 in Manhattan, KS, CivicPlus serves more than 700 cities and counties throughout North America with cost-effective website solutions for communities of all sizes. The innovative CivicPlus Government Content Management System includes more than 60 customizable, integrated eGovernment applications including Citizen Request Tracker , MuniMobile , Facebook and economic development tools. Over the past two years, CivicPlus has won more than 150 website awards, including the Center for Digital Government's Best Fit Integrator Award of 2009 for delivering extraordinary digital solutions to public IT projects.