BCE Emergis and Ariba Expand Their Relationship: Ariba Looks To Integrate BCE Emergis e-services Into Ariba Commerce Services Network.

Business Editors

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 2000

BCE Emergis Inc. (TSE:IFM), a leading e-commerce product and solutions provider, today announced an agreement with Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARBA), the leading business-to-business (B2B) e-Commerce platform provider, that could pave the way for the integration and deployment of certain Emergis e-services that would enhance and add depth to the transaction capabilities of the Ariba(R) Commerce Services Network(TM) (Ariba CSN).

As a result of this agreement, three best-of-breed value-added e-services developed by BCE Emergis - Business Document Exchange (BDX), Advanced Order Management (AOM) and Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP) - will be evaluated for possible addition to Ariba's portfolio of commerce services. Ariba CSN is Ariba's network infrastructure for delivering value-added services to companies in the B2B ecosystem and extending interaction and collaboration between B2B trading partners globally.

This agreement follows a year of close and successful cooperation between BCE Emergis and Ariba. During the past twelve months, BCE Emergis has integrated several of its value-added services to the Ariba Commerce Services Network platform, in such a manner that these extra services are made available to both buyers and suppliers connected to the Emergis-enabled marketplace. This agreement is the first step towards extending the availability of these same services to all customers of Ariba.

"Through these services, we have been successful in bringing additional value to the buyers and suppliers. Our customers have appreciated the flexibility and scope these services have afforded them when combined with the Ariba B2B eCommerce Platform, explained Brian Edwards, President and CEO of BCE Emergis. Edwards was a keynote speaker at the Ariba Live 2000 conference this week in Miami where Ariba demonstrated BCE Emergis e-services. He added that he was very pleased that Ariba has considered extending the availability of these services to its buyer and supplier customer base.

"The value-added services available through the Ariba Commerce Services Network is a key differentiator for Ariba and provides enhanced commerce efficiencies for buyers, suppliers and market makers. Additional value-added services from Emergis will broaden our eCommerce offerings and continue to give our customers a leading edge in building a complete B2B digital enterprise," said James Kwak, director of product marketing for Ariba Commerce Services Network.

The BDX service is designed to facilitate the secure and reliable exchange of business documents of all types. Among its many features, BDX provides a proven methodology for sending and receiving documents in any format desired by the supplier, whether it be EDI, web forms, fax or any other form. This service is important for accelerating the adoption of new suppliers to the Ariba-based marketplaces.

The Advanced Order Management offers several advantages to both suppliers and buyers, including mission critical services such as on-line order status, managing order exceptions such as back orders and returns, fraud detection, various payment processing and reporting options and shipper tracking integration.

Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment allows trading partners to present, review and collaboratively approve invoices, resolve disputes and authorize payment.

Over the coming months, Ariba will work with Emergis to evaluate these services with a view to offering them to Ariba's buyers and suppliers.

BCE Emergis delivers network-centric e-commerce services that significantly improve customer processes through secure B2B exchanges. Combining e-commerce, e-payment and security services, BCE Emergis offers clients in the healthcare, financial services, telecommunications and transportation industries a full suite of core and vertical-specific services that are the essential building blocks and infrastructure required for e-commerce. BCE Emergis is one of the top e-commerce providers in North America and its shares are included in the TSE 100 Composite Index. For more information, please refer to www.emergis.com.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of BCE Emergis with respect to its performance, business and future events. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and events may vary significantly.