The Wave of the Future: Municipal Association of SC Announces New TECH Program
reprinted from Uptown, August 2001 Internet usage is growing daily by leaps and bounds. People who used to shop from catalogs now use the Web. Those who once thought banking by phone was a treat now use online banking. The more business that citizens are able to do on the Web, the more online business they begin to demand - including from their local government. "The Internet is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and people can access it from their homes," said Miriam Hair, MASC deputy director. "This means the people who used to go to City Hall for information are beginning to go to the Web for that information."
A rapidly growing number of local governments are offering online services and information to citizens via the Web. However, municipalities need an easy-to-use, affordable way to create and update a Web site and offer information and payment services to citizens in an efficient and convenient way. With this in mind and in an effort to help its members stay on top of the ever-growing Internet, MASC spent many months researching available e-government products.
"It would be wasteful for each municipality to spend time and money researching all the software companies out there," said Hair. "We did the research to benefit our members."
MASC has selected a company to begin its newest membership service, the Technology Enhanced City Hall (TECH) program.
The Association created a strategic alliance with VC3, a Columbia-based Internet software company, to enhance their services to citizens. The alliance will allow S.C. municipalities to implement cost-effective software products for conducting municipal business online. VC3 offers several e-government modules, including online utility bill payment and receiving and responding to citizen requests online.
While researching the companies, MASC discovered an opportunity to negotiate lower prices for its members. According to Hair, the relationship between MASC and VC3 will offer S.C. municipalities discounts off the list price of VC3 products. In addition, VC3 agreed to charge fees based on population and number of utility accounts. The company also agreed to give volume discounts as more S.C. municipalities sign on.
"Technology is one area that is better pursued together than individually," said Hair. "This program will allow South Carolina cities to bring their buying power together to lower prices instead of purchasing separately at higher prices."
Hair said there were many reasons for choosing VC3 besides the excellent, cost-efficient software.
- The company is based in Columbia, which makes it easier to reach their staff when questions arise. Also, it is important to support in-state companies to South Carolina's overall economy.
- Many municipalities may not have a technology department and might require technical assistance. Most companies MASC considered had no technical support staff available, but VC3 has staff ready to help municipalities implement modules. MASC has negotiated a discounted rate for setup and hourly technical support fees.
- VC3 was willing to hold the modules' codes in escrow for MASC and the municipalities that purchase its software. Because there are up-front costs with implementing e-government services, it is important to know you don't have to change software if the company stops offering e-government services. S.C. municipalities can still access the code to continue offering online services to citizens.
- VC3's business plan is solid and not based solely on venture capital, unlike many other e-government software companies. The company relies on continuous revenues derived from supporting the technology environments of local governments and private businesses in the Southeast.
Besides the research and reduced prices, MASC is offering another service to help S.C. municipalities move more smoothly into e-government. MASC's attorneys are creating a model contract that municipalities can use to enter into an agreement with VC3. "This is another effort to save our members time and money," Hair said. "There's no need for every city attorney to spend time refining the same points of a contract."
Hair stressed that even municipalities not planning to offer e-government services immediately should have a company assess their current technology foundation to ensure they are positioned to provide online services to their citizens. "We encourage municipalities to make technology decisions with e-government in mind," she said