Notice of Intent for UI Interstate Connection Network

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) within the U.S. Department of Labor has announced its intent to provide continued funding in support of the UI Interstate Connection Network (ICON). The ICON program is a long-standing cooperative agreement that facilitates the exchange of unemployment insurance data between State Workforce Agencies. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), through its Center for Employment Security Education and Research (CESER), has been overseeing the operations of ICON since its inception in 1983, with ETA providing financial support to ensure program continuity and functionality. The ICON system serves as a centralized data hub designed to support the administration of unemployment insurance across state lines. Its core purpose is to ensure accurate and timely exchange of data between states, which is essential for managing unemployment insurance benefits and meeting statutory requirements for performance accountability. Through ICON, State Workforce Agencies are able to access wage record data and other information critical to program integrity, fraud prevention, and compliance with federal requirements. The cooperative agreement enables NASWA/CESER to manage the day-to-day operations of ICON, including oversight of the contractor responsible for hosting and technical operations. For this cycle, ETA intends to provide an additional $39.6 million under a sole-source cooperative agreement to NASWA/CESER to maintain ICON operations. This is not a competitive grant process, as the opportunity is restricted exclusively to NASWA/CESER in recognition of their established role and specialized capacity in managing ICON. As such, there are no provisions for other entities to apply, and the sole eligibility rests with this organization. The funding opportunity is categorized under Employment, Labor, and Training. Spending is expected to continue supporting the technological infrastructure, contractor services, and coordination required for ICON’s operation. The cooperative agreement ensures that the funding supports activities directly aligned with unemployment insurance program administration. The total estimated program funding for this award is $39,600,000, with the award ceiling also set at this amount. Only one award is expected, and no cost-sharing or matching is required of the recipient. The official notice indicates that applications are not being solicited. Instead, ETA has issued this as a Notice of Intent to award funding. The official closing date is listed as September 5, 2025, though this date functions administratively rather than as a competitive deadline. The archive date is October 4, 2025. Because this is a sole-source award, there are no pre-application requirements, evaluation criteria, or application questions applicable to the general public or other organizations. The point of contact for questions about this funding action is Jeannette Flowers, who can be reached at flowers.jeannette@dol.gov. No phone number has been provided. Interested parties or observers who have difficulty accessing the full announcement are directed to contact her directly for assistance.