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MINNEAPOLIS, MI., June 2, 2000 -(BUSINESS WIRE)-, Sierra Systems (Toronto: SSG ), a leading provider of customer information system (CIS) integration services in North America, and Open-c Solutions, a provider of customer-centric solutions, today announced a teaming agreement under which the two businesses will work together to Deliver Open-cIS™ to the energy and telecommunication industries.

"We have been involved with the development and implementation of customer information systems for the past 25 years, and we truly believe that Open-c Solutions has developed the next-generation CIS and is destined to become an industry leader," explains Leslie Ann Ingram, Chief Operating Officer of Sierra Systems. "The insight and technology that has gone into the design of Open-cIS is truly remarkable, and the Open-c Solutions team is extremely knowledgeable and committed. We believe that joining forces with Open-c Solutions allows us to Offer our clients a premium CIS solution and value, especially given that the new customer-care organization needs to deal effectively with ongoing industry and business change.

"Pat Langan, President of Open-c Solutions, embraces Sierra Systems as an integration partner. "Successful implementations are critical to our business, and finding a partner with the industry-specific experience and successful track record of Sierra Systems was a major priority for us. But what I really like about Sierra Systems is their unwavering commitment to Delivering real value to their clients.

The Sierra Systems team emphasizes risk management and works diligently to Reduce the cost, time, and risk that characterize most CIS implementations. We at Open-c Solutions believe that teaming with Sierra Systems greatly strengthens our implementation capability and the value proposition we offer to Open-cIS clients."Open-c Solutions and Sierra Systems are currently working together to implement Open-cIS at DQE, Inc. Pat Tarcy, DQE project manager, has been working with the joint project team for several months and strongly endorses the teaming agreement.

"We are confident that our selection of Open-cIS is the right solution for our customer-care needs at DQE. However, CIS implementations are complicated and we asked Open-c Solutions to implement Open-cIS at DQE within an aggressive timeframe. I am pleased to report that the combined team of Open-c Solutions and Sierra Systems is delivering tangible value to our organization by helping us meet some critical business initiatives and milestones."Open-c Solutions and Sierra Systems will work together to Market, implement, and support Open-cIS for regulated and unregulated companies in both the energy and telecommunications business sectors.

About Sierra Systems:
Sierra Systems (Toronto: SSG) is a leading technology consultancy and systems integrator with over 900 employees in 15 offices in key North American markets. Sierra Systems' reputation for delivering world-scale business solutions has been earned over 33 years of service to many of the most respected organizations in the utilities, telecommunications, government, financial services, health care and justice sectors. They know Sierra Systems for practicality, reliability, and seamless integration. In today's Internet economy, that integration expertise is in great demand as enterprises everywhere tie their core information systems into Web-based e-commerce and business-to-business applications - and seek success in a wired world.

About Open-c Solutions:
Open-c Solutions is the premium provider of customer-centric solutions for the open-access era. Open-c Solutions is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Open-cIS is a flexible CIS with an architecture and data model that allows companies to configure Open-cIS to meet their specific needs, whether they are a utility, a marketer, a billing service bureau, or a hybrid company. Open-c Solutions offers Open-cIS as a supported software license and as an application service.

About DQE, Inc.:
DQE is a growth utility delivering essential products, including electricity, water, and gas, to more than one million customers throughout the United States. DQE offers the stability of a utility and the spirit of a dot com business by applying leading-edge technology to create greater value for customers and shareholders. DQE subsidiaries include AquaSource Inc., which acquires, develops, and manages water and waste-water assets; Duquesne Light, a Pittsburgh based electric distribution company; DQE Financial, a financial-services company that makes long-term investments and provides financing to both DQE and other firms in the energy and utility markets; DQE Enterprises, an energy, communications, and e-commerce business; DQE Energy Services, a diversified services company offering a wide range of energy outsourcing solutions; and DQE Systems, a propane, gas, and telecommunications delivery company.

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