Freeborders Named One of the 50 Best Managed Global Outsourcing Vendors by The Black Book of Outsourcing; Global Survey Recognizes Top Outsourcing Vendors in Leadership Performance and Management Outcomes

Business Wire, July 13, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -- Freeborders, a leading technology outsourcing provider from China, has been identified by The Black Book of Outsourcing's 2006 survey as one of the 50 best managed global outsourcing vendors. Freeborders was ranked against 872 outsourcing vendors across 63 countries. Freeborders is also the only China provider on the list.

This is the industry's only outsourcing survey ranked by actual customers, contractors and employees of worldwide outsourcing companies. Rankings are not based on application or selection fees, advertising or financial contribution to the sponsors. Surveying more than 15,000 qualified outsourcing purchasers and corporate employees, the Brown-Wilson Group, an outsourcing management consulting firm, judged companies on four distinct areas: human capital performance, CEO commitment, corporate direction and leadership impact.

Freeborders delivers a full range of application outsourcing, business process, consulting and systems integration services to North American and European companies in financial services, technology, retail/consumer goods, manufacturing, transportation and logistics. The company delivers top-rated services to Fortune 1000 organizations by combining strong project management with one of the largest technology centers in China.

In 2005, Freeborders experienced 45% year-over-year revenue growth, and year-over-year bookings grew 30%. Freeborders also became one of the first firms in China to be certified at CMMI Level 5, the highest quality rating offered by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Freeborders is one of 70 CMMI Level 5-certified companies in the world.

"The need for an objective ordering of outsourcing vendors was planned by our editors for our book over a year before the book was published," said Scott Wilson, co-author of The Black Book of Outsourcing (John Wiley & Sons Publishers). "Wiley required a directory of companies that objectively named the outsourcing industry's Top 50 'Best Managed' by measurable criteria and independent of subjective judging. We sought the best set of benchmarks from top university business schools as appropriate indicators of managerial excellence."

"This award is an outstanding achievement for Freeborders and is testament to our world-class outsourcing services, as selected firsthand by nearly 900 outsourcing purchasers and corporate employees in the industry," said John Cestar, CEO of Freeborders. "China's massive pool of IT talent and the country's emerging leadership in the global supply chain have made it a strategic location for organizations seeking cost-effective IT solutions and services. Freeborders remains committed to developing close partnerships with its clients, helping pioneer a new kind of outsourcing in China with long-term benefits."

Audits for The Black Book of Outsourcing were conducted in March 2006 and again in June 2006 to determine response validity. Companies were rated on a 100-point scale, based on responses from the survey. For further information on the 2005 full list of companies, please visit http://theblackbookofoutsourcing.com.

About Freeborders

Freeborders is a leading provider of technology solutions and outsourcing from China. Freeborders provides industry expertise to North American and European companies in financial services, technology, retail/consumer goods, manufacturing and transportation & logistics. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices on three continents, Freeborders has developed a track record of service delivery to the Fortune 1000 by combining world-class project management in both hemispheres with one of the largest technology centers in China. Freeborders believes China's massive and growing supply of IT talent and the country's emerging importance in the global supply chain make China a strategic imperative for any company seeking cost-effective world-class technology solutions.

About The Black Book of Outsourcing

Released in April 2005 by Wiley Publishers, The Black Book of Outsourcing (Douglas Brown, Scott Wilson) continues to be the world's best-selling book on outsourcing, on the major booksellers' lists for over 60 consecutive weeks. The authors are the principals of the not-for-profit outsourcing advisory firm, Brown-Wilson Group of Clearwater, Florida and are adjunct professors of Syracuse University's Outsourcing Management Institute. For more information, please visit http://TheBlackBookOfOutsourcing.com