Annapolis, MD –May 20, 2015 — The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) is one of five national and international government agencies to receive a Merit Award from the International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA). The award was presented to Maryland for their commitment to streamlining processes and making government operations more efficient for business owners with the implementation of Maryland's Central Business Licensing and Registration Portal.
"We are thrilled to receive this award from the IACA," said Michael Griffin, Associate Director with SDAT. "I know there were many submissions from all over the world. So to be picked to receive this recognition, is truly an honor." Griffin also says, "The portal has greatly reduced the need for SDAT staff to physically process business applications, freeing up time for us to help more customers and work on other necessary duties."
In the past, businesses owners needed to visit multiple agencies' websites to file paperwork to start their business, create legal entities, file trade names, and establish tax accounts. In 2012, the Central Business Registration and Licensing Portal (CBL) was launched through a cross-agency collaborative partnership to streamline the process for business owners. Now business owners only need to visit one website to file all their paperwork with the respective agencies. On average, filings are now processed in one day rather than the ten weeks it would previously take through the paper process. The CBL Portal is available through the State's official website, www.maryland.gov or by visiting www.egov.maryland.gov/easy.
To date, over 45,000 business registrations have been processed through the portal, with up to 60% of all sole proprietorship and general partnerships filing online. Additional functionality includes the ability to submit Foreign LLC and Foreign Corporation filings as well as filing annual business personal property returns.
In addition to the benefits to Maryland business owners, there are numerous benefits to the State:
- Improves agency efficiency of administering government licensing and registration programs;
- State employees spend less time on data entry and processing the registration;
- Eliminates the time, expense, and risk of managing a conventional paper and postage based registration; and
- Developed at no cost to the state under the Maryland Self-Funded eGovernment Services master contract with a market value of $1.4 million.
The International Association of Commercial Administrators (IACA) is a professional association for government administrators of business organization and secured transaction record systems at the state, provincial, territorial, and national level. In order to qualify for the IACA Merit Award, submissions must show effectiveness, originality, significance and transferability.
The Central Business Licensing and Registration Portal is a collaborative effort between the Department of Information Technology, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Comptroller of Maryland and the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The CBL Portal was developed at no charge for the State of Maryland by NIC Maryland, through the self-funded eGovernment services contract with the State Department of Information Technology (DoIT).
About NIC Maryland
NIC Maryland builds, operates, maintains, and markets the official website of the state of Maryland, www.maryland.gov and its eGovernment services. NIC Maryland is a collaborative public/private partnership managed by the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and NIC Maryland. NIC Maryland helps Maryland state and local government entities web-enable their services and operates without tax funds through a Self-funded eGovernment Services contract. NIC Maryland has developed nearly 50 eGov services for the state of Maryland since the contract was awarded in August 2011.
About NIC
Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the "100 Best Small Companies in America" five times, most recently ranked at No.11 (2013), and the company has been included four times on the Barron's 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com