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UtiliPoint® International, Inc. Unveils Industry Analysis and Rankings
for Service Providers of CIS/Meter-to-Cash Business Process Outsourcing

UtiliPoint Introduces Technology Vendor Analysis Matrix (TVAM) geared toward
helping utilities determine and assess key criteria for selecting BPO service providers

Albuquerque, N.M., May 2, 2005—UtiliPoint® International, Inc. announced today the release of its CIS and Meter-to-Cash Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) TVAM, that is a comprehensive assessment and ranking of industry service providers in North America. This TVAM, the first of several to be released by UtiliPoint this year, identifies key industry drivers for BPO, critical criteria against which utilities should assess providers, and a ranking of industry service providers based on UtiliPoint's independent analysis. In this TVAM, a number of criteria were used to measure the capabilities of service providers such as technology expertise, complexity of business process capabilities, performance of management, and quality of services to clients.

"The purpose of this particular TVAM is to provide utilities with a pre-selection tool for the complicated IT outsourcing decision process related to improving efficiencies and streamlining business-critical processes," said Ethan L. Cohen, Director of Utility and Energy Technology at Utilipoint, and co-author of the report. "TVAM takes a holistic approach to benchmarking industry players, measuring key criteria as well as interviewing service providers, technology vendors, and utilities alike."

Utility BPO Drivers

According to the TVAM, CIS and meter-to-cash outsourcing is an ever increasingly common business and financial decision, resulting in noticeable cost benefits and improved operational efficiency for utilities. Also, information security, the ability to execute, and business continuity have become increasingly important factors for consideration in the BPO decision process for utilities.

Rankings of Providers of CIS and Meter-to-Cash Outsourcing

UtiliPoint ranked providers in the TVAM according to factors such as commitment to clients, the people and resources available to providers, providers' competitive market footprint, strength of business model, and ability to offer risk mitigation. For more information on the ranking methodology, please visit http://www.utilipoint.com/specialpages/TVAM.asp.

In the overall ranking, the top six CIS and Meter-to-Cash BPO Providers were ranked as follows:

  1. Alliance Data Systems
  2. Vertex Outsourcing
  3. CapGemini Energy
  4. IBM
  5. Accenture
  6. Delinea

The rankings were determined after results from the following specific categories were analyzed: Peer Assessment, Industry Awareness/Reputation, Industry Focus/Market Share, Channels and Partnerships, Customer Satisfaction, Competitive Position, Technology Functionality, Integration, Development Process, Product Testing and Support.

UtiliPoint will present a complete set of customer care TVAMs at the up coming CIS conference to be held in Phoenix, Arizona May 17-20 (www.cisconference.com). For more information on the CIS and Meter-to-Cash Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) TVAM, visit http://www.utilipoint.com/specialpages/TVAM.asp.

About UtiliPoint® International, Inc.

UtiliPoint International, Inc. has a 72-year history of innovation and delivery providing independent research-based information, analysis, and market, management, and selection consulting to energy companies, utilities, software and services firms. UtiliPoint provides the actionable industry knowledge, expertise and solutions that serve companies’ needs, and help them thrive in the dynamic energy and utilities space. UtiliPoint experts are located across North America. For more information about the company, visit its web site at www.utilipoint.com.