May 30, 2002

Houston, Texas - Hewlett Packard (HP) and Alliance Data Corporation (ADC) announce the launch of a new software venture i4cast. i4cast is focused on providing leading edge web-based product costing, financial modeling, e-procurement and collaboration tools for the supply chain.

Over the past 3 years, ADC and HP have working diligently in building a collaborative costing and financial modeling suite that provides cross platform functionality, speed and integration into multiple systems giving incomparable enterprise supply chain visibility. “i4cast products are filling a market niche by integrating with existing ERP software vendors such as SAP, i2, People Soft and Baan, in the Costing, Financial Modeling, Forecasting and Supply Chain Management areas to maximize your investment and deliver unparalleled visibility and data access ” said John Hawkins, President, Alliance Data Corporation.

i4cast products include iCost; a collaborative costing and financial modeling tool, xCost; a web-based collaborative partner management tool, and iCM; a comprehensive e-procurement and commodity cost pricing system. Additional products are currently under development to complement existing financial needs and should be released with the next year.

Several benefits of the i4cast system include speed, cross platform visibility, improved product profitability, improved customer service, stronger vendor alliances and increased product forecasting capabilities. “Our mission is to provide enterprise costing and financial modeling solutions for the supply chain that deliver 100% customer satisfaction, increase product profitability and provide a tangible and sustainable return on investment” Harry Jones, CEO, Alliance Data Corporation.

For more information on i4cast, please contact us at 281-397-7029 or visit our website at www.i4cast.com.

About i4cast

i4cast, a joint venture between Hewlett Packard and Alliance Data Corporation, provides leading edge web-based Corporate Performance Management applications focused on product costing, financial modeling, and e-procurement.