Accelerating Digital Transformation in Colorado

Digital transformation can improve internal efficiency, reduce costs, and dramatically increase access and convenience for users of government services. But too many state and local government agencies have lacked the staff and financial resources to digitalize important services and programs.

Now, for cities and counties in Colorado, these hurdles have been reduced, thanks to a relationship between the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) and NIC, a subsidiary of Tyler Technologies.

Since 2005, NIC has provided more than 1,100 digital government services to the state of Colorado, working with 580 state and local government entities and securely processing more than 8 million transactions. Among those services is a multi-award-winning content management system hosting more than 400 websites for government partners, including the state’s official website, Colorado.gov.

2021: Building a Strong Foundation

In 2021, NIC’s digital services and payments platform processed 8.7 million transactions, serving more than 380 state and local government organizations in Colorado.

Websites on the NIC content management platform won design and user experience awards for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and Department of Public Health and Environment, as well as the town of Johnstown.

NIC also redesigned the Colorado.gov website to help constituents efficiently find and connect with government resources statewide. Site visitors can use an online chat tool or enter a multi-site search query for faster discovery of information and resources. Behind-the-scenes changes made by NIC improve how the site displays information and maintains appropriate separation between the more than 370 connected jurisdiction websites. In addition, new capabilities for agency administrators improve their experience when authoring content for Colorado.gov or their own organization’s website.

Last year these services, all funded by user transaction fees, enabled SIPA to award micro grants totaling more than $161,000 to help 33 Colorado government entities offer new digital services.

2022: Expanding digital services and access

In 2022 and beyond, NIC will help Colorado governments digitize more services, including those that previously received lower priority due to tight budgets.

This year, a newly created innovation team will offer expert advice and development support for new digital services. Team members bring expertise in technology, project management and business analysis to help Colorado governments advance their digital transformation. The team will help define and create new digital services, as well as improve the user experience and efficiency of existing services. The goal in both cases will be to optimize how Coloradans engage with their government.

In addition, a new AccessGov platform from NIC will expand constituent self-service capabilities for Colorado public agencies. Through the AccessGov web portal or mobile app, users can find information, make online payments, schedule appointments, and fill out and submit forms with digital signatures. Government administrators gain tools to create content, define workflows and integrate transactions with existing systems.

For example, working with NIC, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment created a benefits calculator for the state’s family and medical leave insurance program. Colorado workers can use the calculator to determine their available paid-leave benefits, and businesses can estimate their premiums for wage-replacement insurance.

Government agencies can use AccessGov to offer more digital services and extend them to populations and community needs where digital access has been a challenge. The platform is initially available at no cost, and over time the services provided through AccessGov will be sustained through transaction fees.

By combining the expertise of the newly formed innovation team, the AccessGov delivery platform and a strategy for services self-funding, NIC can help Colorado government agencies sidestep barriers to digitization.

“Throughout 2021, NIC Colorado continued to provide solutions to meet residents’ growing demand for access to convenient, easy-to-use and secure digital services,” says Elizabeth Proudfit, president of NIC. “In 2022, our first-of-its-kind innovation team and our AccessGov platform will provide catalysts to digitize even more services for our government partners and create new opportunities to expand efficiencies for citizens.”

About NIC
NIC, a subsidiary of Tyler Technologies, is a leader in digital government solutions and payments, partnering with public sector customers to deliver user-friendly digital services that make it easier and more efficient to interact with government.