Accenture Wins Two New U.S. Federal Contracts to Modernize, Integrate Military Business Operations; Defense Contracts Together Valued at $38.4 Million.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 2003

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been awarded two new contracts to overhaul and integrate business systems for the U.S. Army and the Defense Logistics Agency. The contracts are collectively valued at up to $38.4 million and serve as blanket purchase agreements between Accenture and these two new clients.

The first deal is a five-year, $15.9 million contract to help the U.S. Army consolidate its human resources systems into a single modern, integrated system that will complement the Department of Defense's Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (DIMHRS) foundation. The Accenture team, which includes SI International and Northrop Grumman IT, will provide the Army with the capability to build seamless, integrated access to personnel information that now is contained in hundreds of disparate legacy systems. The new system is designed to provide decision-makers with more timely and accurate information and enable them to make key business decisions in support of the Army's military operations.

The second deal is a five-year, $22.5 million contract to help the Defense Logistics Agency develop its new Integrated Data Environment (IDE). IDE will enable the integration of logistics business processes used by DLA, its customers, and commercial trading partners. It will support the data needs of various business processes, ranging from requisition and shipment processing to status inquiries and vendor interactions, through a seamless data architecture that reduces infrastructure maintenance and interface costs and delivers fully synchronized and accurate data. Accenture will provide a core commercial-off-the-shelf solution that will be used to modernize existing DLA data brokering capabilities and integrate related DLA data management initiatives.

"As a result of the work begun under these contracts, many of the essential business operations that support the nation's defense capabilities will become more seamless, more consistent and more accurate," said Eric Stange, managing partner of Accenture's Defense and Homeland Security practice. "These projects will benefit those on the front line by providing military decision-makers with the critical information they need, when and where they need it."

The full capabilities of the human resources project for the U.S. Army are scheduled to be deployed by 2008. The major capabilities of the Defense Logistics Agency project are scheduled to be deployed by September 2005, with subsequent work to be completed in phases.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills, and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 83,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$11.8 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.