SciQuest.com Launches Procurement Resource In Europe; Scientists at Max-Planck-Institute Begin Using SciQuest.com Marketplace to Source Critical Lab Equipment and Supplies.

Business/Technology Editors

GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2000

SciQuest.com (NASDAQ: SQST), the unbiased marketplace and trusted source for buyers and suppliers of scientific products, services, software and information, announced the launch of its Internet-based research product procurement platform for the Max Planck Society (MPI) - Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany. SciQuest.com successfully leveraged its existing technology, catalog services and proprietary implementation methodology to meet the requirements of doing business in the European Community.

"MPI is a highly respected research organization and we're very pleased to launch our European initiative with such a prestigious group," said John Arkebauer, president of SciQuest.com International. "Our solution streamlines the entire supply chain, allowing scientists to minimize the amount of time spent procuring supplies, while maximizing the amount of time available for research and discovery. Moreover, by integrating into existing enterprise applications, we are supporting the business objectives and necessary controls required by larger customers. This rapid deployment validates our ability to leverage our five years of experience to the benefit of our customers. It is another indication of the benefits of our focused approach to solving problems for our customers on a global basis."

"SciQuest.com delivered the system to us within the schedule and scope they promised," said Kai Simmons, executive director, MPI-CBG. "We believe the rapid and successful deployment of this application was a result of a closely coordinated effort between our organizations. Until we consolidate our institute at our new facility in Dresden in 2001, our people are currently located in 3 different cities across Germany. The SciQuest solution easily rolls-out to multiple locations with only minimal training and orientation. We are looking forward to utilizing this system to help our scientists be more productive and to helping our facilities efficiently manage our operations. Working with an established and experienced partner like SciQuest.com should prove to be a wise decision."

SciQuest.com was created in 1995 based upon extensive industry experience in the fragmented life science products supply chain. The company has successfully leveraged its vast industry experience to deploy supply chain technology in a rapid and scaleable fashion. Strategically positioning itself as a unbiased and trusted partner for both buyers and suppliers has allowed SciQuest.com to secure over 100 enterprise customers and secure contracts with over 830 suppliers from around the world. The SciQuest.com catalog contains more than 1 million catalog stock keeping units (SKU) that are organized in a proprietary taxonomy for science. Since its inception, SciQuest.com has raised over $175 million (US) in capital and been delivering Web services to the scientific industry since 1996.

Visit SciQuest during ELSO (European Life Science Organization), Geneva, Switzerland at booth #1001.

About MPI

The Max Planck Society is Germany's leading non-profit research organization promoting first and foremost basic research in its institutes. By founding the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, the Max-Planck-Society responds to a new challenge in biological research: molecular cell biology in the post-genomic era. The Max Planck Society-Cell Biology and Genetics is also in the forefront of procurement of scientific supplies and equipment used to perform their leading edge research.

About SciQuest.com

SciQuest.com offers an unbiased marketplace and is a trusted solution for buyers and suppliers of scientific products, services, software and information. The company is dedicated to being an indispensable resource for scientific buyers and suppliers by increasing their productivity and reducing their supply chain costs. Its leadership team has deep experience in science, technology and supply chain management, enabling SciQuest.com to focus on unique challenges facing science-intensive organizations. SciQuest.com acquired EMAX Solution Partners to create the first integrated e-business solution that manages the entire lifecycle of scientific laboratory products from selection and procurement through ownership, use and disposal. The company's e-marketplace (SciQuest.com) is the industry's only unbiased solution and can be customized and seamlessly integrated with its customers' enterprise systems, internal inventory systems and chemical libraries. SciQuest.com maintains additional technology partnerships with IBM, Ariba, Commerce One, and Oracle, among others. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company has North American offices in Mountain View, Calif., Plainview, N.Y., and Philadelphia; and European offices in London, Paris and Walldorf, Germany. For more information about SciQuest.com, please visit www.sciquest.com or call [phone] (USA) or [phone] (Walldorf).

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For such statements, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The potential risks and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented herein, and the reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the Company's ability to successfully market the SciQuest.com brand, to successfully expand its international operations, to increase transaction volume, to attract and retain a broad range of purchasers and suppliers, to effectively add additional products to its e-commerce database, to negotiate favorable pricing terms with suppliers, to successfully integrate its acquisition of EMAX Solution Partners and to otherwise operate efficiently and cost effectively. These and other risk factors are discussed in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2000, the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 15, 2000.