MSC Industrial Supply Expands Relationship With Ariba; Leading MRO Supplier Joins Ariba Supplier Advantage Program; Teams With Company to Drive Quick and Seamless Integration of Ariba Supplier Network Among the Fortune 1000 Companies.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Ariba(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, today announced that MSC Industrial Supply Company, one of the nation's largest maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) supply companies, has joined the Ariba Supplier Advantage Program(TM). As a member of the Supplier Advantage program, MSC will team with Ariba to further enhance the benefits of the Ariba Supplier Network(TM) by sharing insights and best practices designed to facilitate quick and seamless integration among Fortune 1000 companies.

"The Ariba Supplier Network is an extremely effective tool that MSC uses to facilitate the online procurement process and create a positive experience for our customers," said Tom Cox, Executive Vice President -- Sales, MSC. "Leveraging Ariba's technology, advanced integration and customer interfaces through our eVendor Managed Inventory and Customer Managed Inventory applications, we have been able to make it easier than ever for our customers to do business with us. We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with Ariba by joining the Supplier Advantage program, and look forward to sharing some of the things that we have learned from our implementations to enhance the value of the network and the value that it creates for suppliers and buyers alike."

The Ariba Supplier Network, an open trading network through which buyers and suppliers can do business electronically, allows trading partners to manage complete transactions from sourcing and orders to invoicing and payment. More than 120,000 suppliers in 115 countries belong to the network, and more than $6 billion in transactions flows through it each month.

The Ariba Supplier Advantage program was launched by Ariba to establish strategic relationships with suppliers who are committed to offering best-in-class integration solutions, deployment programs, category expertise and total cost of ownership improvements to buyers who use the Ariba Supplier Network.

"MSC is a pioneer among suppliers in the use of technologies that improve the efficiency of the procurement process and enhance relationships with trading partners," said Don Darby, Director, Supplier Solutions, Ariba. "As a leading provider of MRO supplies on the Ariba Supplier Network, MSC has considerable experience implementing the Ariba platform and a set of best practices that can be leveraged to enhance the value that we deliver to suppliers and buyers who use it. We are pleased to be expanding our relationship with them through the Ariba Supplier Advantage program, and look forward to working closely with their team to build additional value for our mutual customers."

About MSC

MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE:MSM) is one of the premier distributors of MRO supplies to industrial customers throughout the United States. MSC distributes more than 500,000 industrial products from approximately 2,100 suppliers to over 340,000 customers. In-stock availability is approximately 99% and standard ground delivery is next day to 80% of the industrial United States. MSC reaches its customers through a combination of more than 28 million direct-mail catalogs, 91 branch sales offices, 500+ sales people, the Internet and associations with some of the world's most prominent B2B e-commerce portals.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of Spend Management solutions to help companies realize rapid and sustainable bottom line results. Successful companies around the world in every industry use Ariba Spend Management software and services. Ariba can be contacted in the U.S. at 1.650.390.1000 or at www.ariba.com.

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Ariba and the Ariba logo are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Spend Management, Ariba Spend Management. Find it. Get it. Keep it., Ariba. This is Spend Management, Ariba Solutions Delivery, Ariba Analysis, Ariba Buyer, Ariba Category Management, Ariba Category Procurement, Ariba Contract Compliance, Ariba Contracts, Ariba Contract Management, Ariba Contract Workbench, Ariba Data Enrichment, Ariba eForms, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Invoice, Ariba Travel & Expense, Ariba Workforce, Ariba Supplier Network, Ariba Supplier Performance Management, Ariba PunchOut, Ariba QuickSource, PO-Flip, Ariba Settlement and Ariba Spend Management Knowledge Base are trademarks or service marks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Proprietary and Confidential. All rights reserved. Patents pending. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995: Information and announcements in this release involve Ariba's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to Ariba's operating and financial results to differ materially from its current expectations include, but are not limited to: delays in development or shipment of new versions of Ariba's products and services; lack of market acceptance of Ariba's existing or future products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; difficulties in assimilating acquired companies; long and unpredictable sales cycles and the deferrals of anticipated orders; declining economic conditions; inability to control costs; changes in the company's pricing or compensation policies; significant fluctuations in our stock price; the outcome of and costs associated with pending or potential future regulatory or legal proceedings; the impact of our acquisitions, including the disruption or loss of customer, business partner, supplier or employee relationships; and the level of costs and expenses incurred by Ariba as a result of such transactions. Factors and risks associated with its business, including a number of the factors and risks described above, are discussed in Ariba's Form 10-K filed December 7, 2005 and in its Form 10-Q filed February 8, 2006.