Section 50IAC26-17-1. Vendor eligibility

   (a) For purposes of this section, "QPA", which is an acronym for quantity purchase agreement, refers to a legal agreement between the state and a vendor whereby the state or one (1) of its political subdivisions may purchase particular goods or services, or both, from the vendor at a specified rate.

  (b) Assessment software vendors and tax and billing software vendors must do the following:

(1) Demonstrate that their products can:

(A) successfully meet the requirements of this article; and

(B) be included as part of a certified property tax management system:

(i) before entering into any contract or sales agreement with a county; and

(ii) each time that major changes are made.

(2) Either:

(A) submit once and only once a current copy of all applications program source code to an independent escrow agent designated by the department; or

(B) deliver all source code to the county.

(3) Submit a current copy of the following with the department, the designated escrow agent, and the county:

(A) All existing user documentation and technical documentation that includes any of the following:

(i) Existing data flow diagrams.

(ii) Entity relationship diagrams.

(iii) Structure charts.

(iv) Flow charts.

(v) Other systems analysis and design information.

(B) The database documentation that includes the following:

(i) Database structures.

(ii) Any diagrams and technical reports normally kept for the database management system used.

(iii) Descriptions of all data elements.

(iv) The data dictionary in machine-readable form.

(v) Any edit tables and external database structures used by the system.

(vi) Any other information necessary to replicate the database structure and its contents.

(4) Submit with the:

(A) department;

(B) designated escrow agent; and

(C) county;

documentation of system resource requirements for the system.

  (c) For the purpose of this section, "major change" means a significant alteration in the operation of the computer system or any other change that would cause the computer system not to comply with this article. As defined in this section, the term:

(1) includes changes such as:

(A) the removal or modification of any required data or feature;

(B) the addition, modification, or removal of any feature that impacts data, features, or functionality required under this article; or

(C) a modification that requires a different operating system; and

(2) does not include changes such as:

(A) a modification that allows a different printer to be added to the computer system;

(B) the addition of any feature that increases functionality without requiring different or additional computer hardware or a different operating system;

(C) the addition, modification, or removal of any feature that does not impact data, features, or functionality required under this article; or

(D) a modification that improves performance without requiring different or additional computer hardware or a different operating system.

If the assessment software vendor or tax and billing software vendor has reason to question whether a change constitutes a major change under this section, the assessment software vendor or tax and billing software vendor must request a written determination from the department. The request must specify the contemplated change in detail. Within ten (10) business days of receipt of the request specifying the contemplated change, the department will issue a determination of whether the contemplated change constitutes a major change.

  (d) Assessment software vendors are limited to certification of three (3) versions of assessment software. No vendor may have more than one (1) of each of the following version types:

(1) A software package that is currently installed and supported in a majority of customer environments.

(2) A software package that is being phased out and replaced by either version (1) or (3).

(3) A software package that is currently under development and has been property tax management system certified.

  (e) Tax and billing software vendors are limited to certification of three (3) versions of tax and billing software. No vendor may have more than one (1) of each of the following version types:

(1) A software package that is currently installed and supported in a majority of customer environments.

(2) A software package that is being phased out and replaced by either version (1) or (3).

(3) A software package that is currently under development and has been property tax management system certified.

  (f) In the event an assessment software vendor or tax and billing software vendor acquires a new assessment software or tax and billing software package, causing the vendor to exceed the limitation requirement prescribed in subsections (c) and (d), the vendor must submit a transition plan to the department for approval explaining how it will come into compliance with the limitation requirement. (Department of Local Government Finance; 50 IAC 26-17-1; filed Jan 28, 2011, 3:07 p.m.: 20110223-IR-050100165FRA)