Accenture to Acquire Pecaso, a Leading Information Technology Firm for SAP Human Capital Management; Addition of Pecaso's People and Technology Will Build on Accenture's Leadership in Human Resources Management Solutions

Business Wire, April 7, 2006

NEW YORK & HEIDELBERG, Germany -- Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has agreed to acquire Pecaso Limited, a privately held information technology firm specializing in SAP Human Capital Management consulting and integration services for multinational corporations and governments.

The addition of Pecaso's people and technology builds on Accenture's leadership in human resources management solutions. Terms of the transaction, which is subject to merger-control clearance in Germany and is expected to close within 30 days, were not disclosed.

Founded in 1994 by former SAP executives Martin Braun and Thomas Kastner, Pecaso has delivered more than 1,000 implementations of SAP Human Capital Management to more than 700 clients around the world. Upon closing of the acquisition, Braun, Kastner and all key members of Pecaso's leadership team, in addition to Pecaso's approximately 300 HR and IT experts in seven countries and its proprietary technology, will become part of Accenture, within its Human Performance practice.

Industry analysts estimate that the market for SAP Human Capital Management is growing annually by more than 10 percent worldwide and by more than 25 percent in the United States.

"The Pecaso acquisition enables us to better serve clients by broadening and deepening our pool of resources, tools and capabilities for a leading technology platform in human resources, SAP Human Capital Management," said Peter Cheese, global managing director of Accenture's Human Performance practice. "Clients, who tell us that managing their workforces is becoming ever more complex, will benefit greatly from Pecaso's exceptional combination of expertise in HR and IT."

"Together, Accenture and Pecaso are determined to become a preferred provider of end-to-end services using the SAP Human Capital Management platform," said Braun, Pecaso's CEO. "We look forward to working with our new Accenture colleagues to offer services spanning the entire human resources lifecycle, including planning, organizational and business-process design, the development and implementation of SAP Human Capital Management systems and e-HR solutions, supported by training and long-term support."

Upon closing of the acquisition, Accenture will have more than 5,000 human capital professionals helping clients continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their human resources functions and workforces.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With more than 129,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$15.55 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2005. Its home page is www.accenture.com.