Aquilent Wins $10 Million Agreement to Implement a Web-Based Acquisition System for Department of Labor.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LAUREL, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2003

Solution Provides Model for Agencies Striving to Support the Office of

Management and Budget's E-Government Integrated Acquisition

Environment Requirement

Aquilent, a leading provider of e-government and IT consulting services for government clients, has been awarded a three-year, $10 million agreement to provide a web-based acquisition system to the United States Department of Labor.

Aquilent will provide the professional IT services and project management to develop and integrate a complete web-based acquisition solution. Under this agreement, Aquilent was recently issued a $4 million task order to implement a pilot acquisition system for four Department of Labor agencies.

Aquilent's web-based acquisition solution will streamline product and service procurement processes for over 20 Department of Labor agencies and offices.

The web-based acquisition solution supports the Department of Labor's e-Government strategy to become a digital department, improve internal efficiencies and support the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) E-Government Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) initiative.

The IAE initiative will provide agencies with the ability to share common data elements and make more informed procurement, logistical, payment and performance assessments.

"We are delighted to support the Department of Labor in its response to the call for improved e-government by the OMB and the President's Management Agenda," said David Fout, President and Chief Executive Officer at Aquilent. "The government is starting to synchronize its technology infrastructure with the many acquisition reforms signed into law over the years. Government agencies can now unlock the benefits of these laws by implementing solutions that improve acquisition efficiency and increase management visibility and control over spending. This solution provides a model for other government agencies interested in transitioning to a web-based acquisition solution."

For web-based acquisition and complex contracting management, Aquilent partnered with Distributed Solutions, Inc. (DSI), whose software was designed specifically for the federal government. For enterprise e-procurement and sourcing applications, Aquilent partnered with Commerce One.

These technologies will improve DOL's internal acquisition effectiveness and enable more visibility over spending, by automating the exchange, tracking and reporting of acquisition information for the full range of products and services purchased by the department.

Based on open standards technologies such as Java and XML, the Aquilent solution will be ready to exchange data with other IAE systems such as the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG), being developed by the General Services Administration (GSA).

About Aquilent

Aquilent is an award-winning small business with a 23-year history providing rapid web development and IT services in the federal market, specializing in complex web portals, scientific applications, and e-procurement solutions.

Headquartered in Laurel, Maryland, the company's key practice areas include automated acquisition management, web services and systems integration, scientific applications, knowledge and content management, and regulatory compliance solutions. Further information about Aquilent may be found through the Aquilent website at www.aquilent.com.