Nebraska Information Technology Commission
Government Technology Collaboration Fund - 2002
Guidelines
Purpose of the Grant Program
Establishment of the Government Technology Collaboration Fund
The Government Technology Collaboration Fund was created by state statute (Section 86-1513):
"The Government Technology Collaboration Fund is created. The fund shall be granted by the commission. The fund shall be used to provide incentives for collaborative technology projects and programs by state agencies, boards, and commissions and to assist in meeting the technology needs of small agencies as determined by the commission. Expenditures from the fund shall be approved by the commission only after review by the technical panel created in section 86-1511. The fund shall be administered by the Department of Administrative Services. Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act."
The Legislature appropriated $250,000 to this fund for FY2003.
Furthering NITC Goals and State Government Council Priorities
The Government Technology Collaboration Fund will be used to further the goals and priorities established by the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC) and the NITC's State Government Council. The Government Council recommends that the Government Technology Collaboration Fund be used for projects that serve the Council's priority for e-government as reflected in the goals of the Business Portal Action Plan (PDF 238k) and the E-Government Strategy (PDF 176k).
Application Guidelines Deadline
Applications must be received by no later than 5 p.m. CDT on DATE???.
Eligible/Ineligible Activities
Activities that support e-government are eligible for funding. Salaries are eligible if they are necessary for the implementation of the overall project. Equipment costs and transmission costs are eligible if they are necessary for the implementation of the overall project.
Buildings, rents, non-telecommunications utilities, and indirect costs are ineligible for grant funds.
Eligible Entities
Only state agencies, boards and commissions are eligible for Government Technology Collaboration Fund grants. State agencies may submit collaborative projects with local government partners.
Match Requirement
A 25 percent match is required. The match may be shared among project participants. The match may be a cash match, an in-kind match, or a combination of the two. An in-kind match can include time, people, machines, buildings, rent, and utilities. Both cash and in-kind matches must be documented.
Acceptable documentation of an in-kind match include:
- Copies of sign-in sheets for volunteers or other records of volunteer hours.
- A signed letter from an employee's supervisor indicating that he/she has contributed a specified number of hours working on the project.
- A signed letter from the appropriate supervisor/director documenting the use of facilities and equipment.
Length of Projects
Projects should be completed within 12 months of receipt of the grant.
Format and Procedures
Submission of Applications
All applications should be submitted on the form provided on the NITC Web site (http://www.nitc.state.ne.us). Applicants may download the form or duplicate it on their own word processor. If a question included on the application form is not applicable to the project being submitted, please briefly indicate why the question is not applicable.
Applications may be provided in any of the following ways:
- E-mail to rbecker@cio.state.ne.us with the application attached as a Microsoft Word document, WordPerfect document, or PDF document.
- On paper, delivered by U.S. mail, inter-office mail, or hand-delivered to:
Office of the Chief Information Officer/NITC
State of Nebraska
521 South 14th Street, Suite 200
Lincoln, NE 68508-2707
Applications must be received by 5 p.m. CDT on DATE???.
Application Review Process
The completed application forms will be reviewed in the Office of the Chief Information Officer for compliance with minimum eligibility requirements. Agencies may be asked to revise their proposals, if the review process identifies ways to strengthen an application. Eligible grant applications will be reviewed by both the Technical Panel and the State Government Council. The State Government Council will submit a recommendation on funding to the NITC. The NITC makes the final decision on which projects to fund.
Memorandum of Agreement
Grant recipients must enter into a memorandum of agreement with the NITC. The agreement will commit the agency to the project scope and deliverables, cost, timetable, and reporting requirements.
Disbursement of Funds
Agencies must prepare and sign a disbursement document with supporting information for all grant-supported expenditures. The disbursement document should include the agency's line of coding for its 25% match (unless in-kind personnel costs are being used as match). The Office of the Chief Information Officer will provide the line of coding for the eligible grant share and submit the document to DAS Accounting for payment. Supporting information should include receipts or invoices of all expenditures made with grant funds.
Reporting Requirements and Time of Performance
Grant recipients will be required to submit a progress report six months after funding has been approved. A full report, detailing the results of the project, will be required shortly after the project is finished. Additional reporting may be required at the discretion of the Chief Information Officer.
Projects should be completed within 12 months of receipt of the grant. A grant recipient may request, in writing, up to two extensions of up to three months each. Approval of any extension will be at the discretion of the Chief Information Officer.
Right to Audit
The NITC reserves the right to audit any and all grants for a period of 2 years after project completion
For More Information
For further information, please contact:
Rick Becker, Information Technology Manager
Office of the CIO/NITC
521 So. 14th Street, Suite 200
Lincoln, NE 68508-2707
(402) 471-7984.
E-mail: rbecker@cio.state.ne.us