Office of the Legislative Auditor - Financial Audit Division

Report Summary
Minnesota Vehicle Title and Registration System
June 2021 Quarterly Review

The Vehicle Title and Registration System (VTRS) implementation project, also referred to as MNDRIVE, successfully replaced MNLARS following the first system rollout and release of MNDRIVE on November 16, 2020. Project work has moved forward for the second major milestone, MNDRIVE Rollout II, which implements International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) and International Registration Plan (IRP) functionality for the trucking industry. Completion of this milestone will finalize the consolidation of Driver and Vehicle Services functionality under the unified MNDRIVE system umbrella.

As directed by the Legislature, we examined the status of the project implementation, looking at project progression that enables completing the work on time, and reviewed current and estimated expenditures to gauge if the work can be completed within budget. Additionally, we reviewed project documentation and current legislative bills that may impact DPS and the project. To gain an understanding of and monitor stakeholder engagement within the project, we attended stakeholder meetings, such as with the Driver and Vehicle Services Executive Steering Committee, interviewed key stakeholders, and reviewed stakeholder communications.¹ Finally, we reviewed the status of the decommissioning of MNLARS and the other legacy systems.

Conclusions

DPS, MNIT, and FAST completed the first major milestone of the VTRS project on November 16, 2020, with the initial release of MNDRIVE. This first rollout was completed prior to the legislative deadline. The project is currently on track to meet its planned second rollout date of October 4, 2021, fulfilling the Legislature’s intention to fully implement the system “by the fall of 2021.”²

Current budget estimates through the end of the project forecast a surplus. However, we note a risk that the budget for Fiscal Year 2022 may not be complete, and the extent of the surplus may change. Additionally, we carried forward risks from our previous quarterly report regarding legislative changes that may impact project resources and timelines and the potential for obsolete information on DPS websites—pertaining to legacy computer systems—to cause confusion and user frustration.

Although OLA assesses these risks as generally minor, they must be addressed to avoid negative project impacts and to ensure the success of the project.

Risks and Concerns

Our review found three risks that currently do not have complete mitigation strategies or have unknown impacts:

• RISK 1: Certain legislative requirements could negatively impact the VTRS project. (p. 6)
• RISK 2: The VTRS project budget for Fiscal Year 2022 is not complete. (p. 10)
• RISK 3: A lack of timely updates on DPS web pages about system changes could cause confusion and user frustration. (p. 15)

¹Laws of Minnesota 2019, First Special Session, chapter 3, art. 2, sec. 33 (d).
²Laws of Minnesota 2019, First Special Session, chapter 3, art. 2, sec. 35, subd. 7.