The state government’s official Web site, RI.gov, has signed a new contract with e-government firm NIC Inc. (Nasdaq: EGOV), state and company officials announced today.

The state’s first contract with NIC was signed in 2001 and expired on Aug. 7. The new contract, a three-year deal awarded through a competitive bidding process, includes a two-year renewal option that could extend the contract’s term through 2012.

“We’ve worked with NIC for six years, and the results speak for themselves,” John E. Landers, the state’s chief information officer, said in a statement today. “In that time, we’ve made doing business with the state of Rhode Island easier. We’ve put 170 state services online, including business-tax processing for 55 unique taxes. We’re happy to continue the partnership.”

RI.gov currently attracts nearly 223,000 visits per month, NIC said, a 35-percent increase from the site’s traffic rate last year. It was a finalist for the Center of Digital Government’s 2006 Best of the Web award.