Note: This was sent along to us from Kate Kaye of channelseven.com as material received from the State of Pennsylvania during the course of her research in writing a story about PA PowerPort.

PA PowerPort Fact Sheet

A portal is a web site that aims to be a gateway to the World Wide Web, typically offering useful features like a search engine, news services, and links to other popular web pages. These services are usually provided for free in the hope that users will make the site their default home page, or at least will visit it often. In essence, a portal adds value by collecting and organizing Internet-based information and services in a user-friendly way.

In May 1999, the Governor’s Office for Information Technology began the process of meeting with vendors to discuss the creation of a Pennsylvania portal. The project’s goals were to expand on the services currently available through the Pennsylvania Home Page <www.state.pa.us>, to promote e-commerce, to bring greater technology benefits to Pennsylvania schools and communities, and to expand the state’s presence on the Internet. Proposals ultimately were received from Microsoft, Oracle/ NIC, and SAP. In February 2000, the Commonwealth selected Microsoft on the strengths of its proposal to help develop the new Pennsylvania portal, known as the PA PowerPort.

• The new portal acts on Gov. Ridge’s directive to ensure that state government investments in technology not only benefit state agencies but communities, too, whenever possible.
• The portal also furthers Gov. Ridge’s electronic commerce initiative by positioning Pennsylvania as the premier state in the nation for conducting business online.
• The PA PowerPort will emphasize a number of key areas:
• E-government (online state and local government services)
• E-commerce (promoting Internet business)
• E-education (supplementing the classroom experience)
• E-citizen (boosting public access to the Internet)
• Under the portal agreement, Microsoft will provide at least $100,000 worth of consulting services at no cost to PA:
• Microsoft also will provide a variety of value-added products and services at no cost.
• The potential benefits provided by the PA PowerPort will be numerous:
• Online Blue Pages will provide a database of PA government resources – the first in the nation;
• State agency "Team Rooms" will provide web sites for inter-agency collaboration;
• A state government Calendar of Events will highlight public meetings;
• Local governments will be given technical assistance to get on the Internet;
• Online Yellow Pages will provide a database of PA businesses;
• The PA Small Business Network will offer reduced prices and assistance to help small businesses establish e-commerce "store fronts" on the portal;
• Business-to-business e-commerce will be promoted to enhance PA companies’ global competitive advantage;
• Secure online bill paying will help businesses reduce billing costs and offer customer convenience;
• Through the Lightspan Partnership, schools will be offered discounts for using secure online educational services, offering teachers more technology resources and promoting parental involvement;
• Workforce development will be promoted through online training courses;
• Citizens will be offered free e-mail accounts and the ability to establish personalized web pages that will customize how information is presented whenever they visit the PA PowerPort;
• A search engine will help users find services and information;
• Useful services will include PA-specific news, weather, stock reports, and maps.
• The portal will come online during the first half of 2000, with enhancements and expanded services added continually as the site evolves.
• Microsoft will recoup its investment through development work tied to the portal. For example, businesses participating in the PA Small Business Network will pay a subscription fee, as will local governments which ask for assistance in developing their web sites.
• Microsoft will compete with other vendors for future development work.
• The Commonwealth alone reserves the right to allow advertising on the portal.
• Examples of other portals include: <www.msn.com>; <www.lycos.com>; <www.snap.com>; <www.excite.com>; and <www.yahoo.com>.

• 56% of PA businesses will be on the web within the next year.*
• Gartner & Forrester estimate the average cost to build an e-commerce web site at $1 million.
• Twenty-four million people in the U.S. shopped online last year with average purchases totaling $1,911.*
• Of the 2,565 local governments in Pennsylvania, only about 148 have Internet sites.*