ConnectND has cost the state an estimated $49 million -- $14 million more than originally projected -- and the implementation remains incomplete. Officials did not break out the cost of the NDUS portion of the project but blamed problems with that piece for the cost overruns and delays.

State Rep. Bob Skarphol, a member of the North Dakota legislature's IT committee, said the ConnectND system was first projected to cost about $35 million, with the rollout originally slated for completion two years ago. "Obviously, we probably underestimated the costs," said Skarphol, who noted that he had expected a smoother rollout from an IT operation at an academic body.

He also noted that the state government's rollout of the PeopleSoft software has been mostly smooth.

The academic software modules, particularly a grants and contracts management application, also did not perform as expected and have required extensive customization, said Laura Glatt, vice chancellor of administrative affairs at the Bismarck-based university system. "Things are not working as intended, but most of that is due to the fact we tried to implement too aggressively with too little resources," Glatt said.

The ConnectND project was launched in 2001 when PeopleSoft was selected to supply the ERP and academic software. The academic applications, many of them Web-based, were to replace a set of legacy applications that included internally-developed and mainframe-based packaged software, Glatt said. The systemwide rollout of the PeopleSoft academic applications began in April 2003, she said.