Computas Inks Blanket Purchase Agreement with U.S. Department of Commerce.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

DCI Government EA Show

BOOTH # 204

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2003

Agreement Streamlines Procurement, Allows Commerce Department Organizations to Purchase Metis Visual Modeling Software at a Discount

to Computas' GSA Schedule

Computas NA, Inc. today announced it has negotiated a Blanket Purchase Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for its Metis(R) Enterprise visual modeling toolset, training, and services.

Under the agreement, NOAA and any other U.S. Department of Commerce organization can directly purchase the Metis software at an accelerated discount to Computas' General Services Administration supply-schedule pricing.

"We did an extensive evaluation of visual modeling tools, and we identified Metis as the one that best supports our Enterprise Architecture requirements. Metis lets our managers at every level access architectural views tailored to their needs for making effective business decisions," said Ira Grossman, NOAA IT Architect. "We are pleased to have negotiated a very attractive discount."

According to Computas president Bill Wright, "This agreement builds on the very good trusted supplier relationship we have developed with the Department of Commerce over the past year. Commerce is quite visionary on where it wants to go with Enterprise Architecture modeling, driving it into governance and management processes, and for us that's the best kind of customer to have."

Metis is currently being used in a number of Department of Commerce agencies and sub organizations. One is NOAA, which is using Metis to construct an architecture to manage and evolve its inventory of weather data collection and processing systems. Another is the U.S. Census Bureau, which is using Metis to develop an Enterprise Architecture that will integrate easily into the Bureau's capital asset planning and acquisition process and other programs and projects.

Metis, the only native XML visual modeling tool on the market, enables federal agencies to quickly implement Enterprise Architecture models that provide a comprehensive view of their business processes and Information Technology operations, and to use these models in their IT planning and management processes. This capability is essential for meeting key requirements of the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 as well as recent OMB directives for agencies to align their strategic agendas with their IT investments in order to receive funding for IT projects.

Computas NA, Inc.

Computas NA, headquartered in Sammamish, Wash., is a subsidiary of Norway's Computas. Computas was established in 1985, and has grown to become the leading knowledge engineering company in Scandinavia. The company's core skills include knowledge engineering and management, intelligent systems for work support, and knowledge processes in the networked economy. Current customers include large industrial enterprises, government agencies and international organizations. Computas is on the web at www.computas.com. For more information contact Bill Wright at 1-425-391-2000, [e-mail] or stop by the booth at the DCI Government Enterprise Architecture show June 4 to 6, 2003 at the Hilton Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.