Tech Data U.S. Hosts Inaugural TechEDG Conference

Business Wire, March 15, 2005

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD) today kicked off its first TechEDG Conference, a key component of this IT distributor's government services offering designed to help resellers gain a larger share of the state, local and federal government and education business. The conference is being held in Orlando, Fla., today through Thursday. Resellers will interact with Tech Data government specialists and leading manufacturers to gain insight on selling into the government and education market. Throughout the event, resellers will learn how to:

--Increase the productivity of their government and education sales force

--Maximize General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule opportunities

--Build and submit competitive bids for government and education contracts

"It's critical that resellers become familiar with the unique regulatory and administrative challenges they'll face when selling to state, local and federal agencies," said Barb Miller, director of Tech Data's Government and Technical Services. "Through our TechEDG conferences and government services organization, Tech Data is dedicated to providing resellers the information and support they need to capitalize on the estimated $120 billion government and education market."

During the conference, resellers will hear from industry experts on how proposed changes to Small Business Administration (SBA) sizing standards may impact their government businesses. The SBA has proposed changes to how the federal government categorizes or sizes small businesses, while the GSA recently set aside $15 billion in IT contracts for small businesses during the next 10 years.

"Not only does the government set aside business for small resellers, it also is required to grant opportunities to minority-, veteran- or women-owned businesses," added Miller. "To efficiently and profitably fulfill these contracts, a growing number of resellers are realizing the benefits of partnering with one another. The TechEDG Conference offers resellers the opportunity to establish relationships that can ultimately lead to increased government and education revenue for both the contract holder and its subcontractors."

In addition to the TechEDG Conference, Tech Data supports government and education resellers throughout the year with a comprehensive array of specialized services that include:

--Bid Desk: Assists resellers in quickly securing contract-specific pricing and competitive quotes needed to respond to lengthy and complicated government bid procedures.

--Government Business Development Representatives: Helps resellers identify opportunities in the state, local and federal government and education markets, and assist with RFIs, RFQs and RFPs.

--Letters of Supply: Serves as a pass-through for more than 45 government and education manufacturer letters of supply supporting resellers holding their own GSA Schedule.

--Special Government Promotions: Implements special promotions for government and education market from more than 120 manufacturers and software publishers. Tech Data provides resellers with a free, up-to-date listing of all of these special promotions on its dedicated TechEDG Web site.

--Technical Services: TechEDG government specialists work closely with Tech Data's technical services organization to help resellers quickly identify the products and technologies needed to fulfill contracts and construct the most accurate bids.

--Credit Uplifts: Seasonal reviews of government resellers' credit lines ensure optimum credit availability for government and education buying seasons.

--Logistics Management: Same-day shipping with reseller-branded labels delivered directly to end users ensures efficient product delivery.

--Extended Hours: TechEDG team and Tech Data Government Sales extend daily hours to support resellers during peak buying periods.

About Tech Data

Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD), founded in 1974, is a leading global provider of IT products, logistics management and other value-added services. Ranked 111th on the FORTUNE 500, the company and its subsidiaries serve more than 90,000 technology resellers in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Tech Data's extensive service offering includes pre- and post-sale training and technical support, financing options and configuration services as well as a full range of electronic commerce solutions. The company generated sales of $19.8 billion for its most recent fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2005.