MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 20, 2001 – Four51 announced today that the company has successfully completed the requirements for the company’s eCommerce integration to Ariba Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ARBA) Ariba Commerce Services Network™ (Ariba CSN). Based on these results, Four51 has qualified to receive the Ariba Ready designation, which communicates selling organization’s integration capabilities to the Ariba CSN. Four51 enables independent distributors to manage their end-user and manufacturer relationships from a central, secure control. The Ariba Ready program allows for business interoperability between buyers and suppliers accessing the Ariba CSN. Four51 will utilize Ariba PunchOut™, delivering a seamless interface between the end-user’s enterprise procurement environment and the distributor’s Four51-enabled customer management systems. “Our customers are finding themselves frequently selling to and servicing end-users who are standardizing on systems like Ariba,” said Rich Landa, Four51’s CEO. “Our Ariba Ready designation helps our customers compete for business from larger accounts, and service current accounts who choose Ariba.” Four51 has successfully tested Ariba PunchOut with several end-user accounts on behalf of select Four51 distributor customers. Plans for further testing and rollout with additional Ariba end-users are in process with the distributors who serve those accounts. Four51 expects several end-user accounts to submit their orders from Ariba to their distributors via Four51 using the Ariba PunchOut capability within the next 90 days. “We are very pleased to be able to provide our distributors with Ariba Ready status,” said Bryan Schueler, Four51’s vice president of technology operations. “Using Four51 will enable distributors to present their solutions and services to larger prospects who require Ariba Ready status.” To qualify for Ariba Ready status, suppliers must demonstrate scalable processes for managing transactions between the Ariba CSN and their eCommerce environments. Ariba Ready leverages processes and measurement standards that Ariba developed in conjunction with Arthur Andersen, Ariba’s third-party provider of testing and validation services. Ariba Ready services are another in a series of XML-based services provided by Four51. Four51 remains committed to building and providing additional XML-based web services to support broad-based application interoperability based on flexible, open and market driven standards.