Independent Research Firm Ranks Ariba as a Leader in Contract Management Solutions

Business Wire, March 15, 2006

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Ariba(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, today announced that it has been ranked as a leading contract lifecycle management vendor by an independent research firm. In a new report by Forrester Research, Ariba Contract Management(TM) received top scores for its contract compliance and repository functionality and scored well for its contract creation, negotiation, approval and optimization capabilities. (The Forrester Wave(TM): Contract Life-Cycle Management, Q1 2006, Forrester Research, Inc., March 2006)

Designed to assess the state of the market for contract lifecycle management solutions, the report evaluated 10 vendors across 98 criteria. In addition to its strong functionality scores, Ariba Contract Management was noted for its integration, hosting and globalization capabilities. The report also recognized Ariba as having a very strong strategy for pursuing the contract management marketplace, and a strong market presence among vendors.

"As pressure to deliver savings continues to rise and regulatory requirements increase, contract management has become more critical than ever," said Lou Unkeless, Chief Marketing Officer, Ariba. "Companies need an effective way to manage contracts from end-to-end on a global basis. To do so, they must drive best practices that allow them to realize the savings they've negotiated while also managing risk and compliance issues. Through our commitment to continued innovation, Ariba provides companies of all shapes and sizes with leading-edge solutions that enable them to do just that."

With Ariba Contract Management, companies can manage everything from the authoring of legal agreements to the structuring of pricing terms and service level agreements in support of buyer and supplier contract compliance. The solution also supports overall process management, real-time procurement enforcement and fulfillment tracking, and performance features such as contract forecasting and savings reporting. More than 115 companies currently use Ariba Contract Management to drive their contract processes.

For more information on Ariba Contract Management and the value it can create, please visit www.ariba.com. To access the Forrester report, "The Forrester Wave(TM): Contract Life-Cycle Management, Q1 2006," visit: http://www.ariba.com/learningcenter/view_page.cfm?asset_ID=258

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of Spend Management solutions to help companies realize rapid and sustainable bottom line results. Successful companies around the world in every industry use Ariba Spend Management software and services. Ariba can be contacted in the U.S. at 1.650.390.1000 or at www.ariba.com.

Copyright (C) 1996-2006 Ariba, Inc.

Ariba and the Ariba logo are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Spend Management, Ariba Spend Management. Find it. Get it. Keep it., Ariba. This is Spend Management, Ariba Solutions Delivery, Ariba Analysis, Ariba Buyer, Ariba Category Management, Ariba Category Procurement, Ariba Contract Compliance, Ariba Contracts, Ariba Contract Management, Ariba Contract Workbench, Ariba Data Enrichment, Ariba eForms, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Invoice, Ariba Travel & Expense, Ariba Workforce, Ariba Supplier Network, Ariba Supplier Performance Management, Ariba PunchOut, Ariba QuickSource, PO-Flip, Ariba Settlement and Ariba Spend Management Knowledge Base are trademarks or service marks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Proprietary and Confidential. All rights reserved. Patents pending. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Ariba Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995: Information and announcements in this release involve Ariba's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to Ariba's operating and financial results to differ materially from its current expectations include, but are not limited to: delays in development or shipment of new versions of Ariba's products and services; lack of market acceptance of Ariba's existing or future products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; difficulties in assimilating acquired companies; long and unpredictable sales cycles and the deferrals of anticipated orders; declining economic conditions; inability to control costs; changes in the company's pricing or compensation policies; significant fluctuations in our stock price; the outcome of and costs associated with pending or potential future regulatory or legal proceedings; the impact of our acquisitions, including the disruption or loss of customer, business partner, supplier or employee relationships; and the level of costs and expenses incurred by Ariba as a result of such transactions. Factors and risks associated with its business, including a number of the factors and risks described above, are discussed in Ariba's Form 10-K filed December 7, 2005 and in its Form 10-Q filed February 8, 2006.