CONTACT INFORMATION

SPL WorldGroup, Inc.
www.splwg.com
(973) 539-6268 (New Jersey)
(415) 541-9462 (San Francisco)
(800) 275-4775

MORRISTOWN, NJ., March 13, 2002- Lafayette Utilities System (LUS), which implemented SPL WorldGroup's (SPL) customer management solution in September 2000, has now commenced providing telecommunications service to its customers. LUS has extended its use of the industry-leading SPL software to bill its customers for telecom as well as power, water, waste-water and, on behalf of the Public Works Department, waste management services. LUS serves approximately 60,000 residential and commercial customers in the City of Lafayette, LA.

Designed and built by SPL and marketed by PeopleSoft, Inc. To the municipal market, the SPL customer management software features a powerful billing engine that allows new services to be added with ease. LUS added the new telecom services without modification or enhancement to the system. "The SPL software makes it simple to add new services and rates," reports Mr. A. Duhon, customer and support services manager for LUS. "We really value the flexibility of the system and have been able to handle rating complexities, particularly around water and wastewater, with relative ease."

The SPL solution replaced a 30 year-old legacy system, enabling LUS to improve customer service as well as bill presentment and readability. "Our old system was very limited in respect of the information that we could print on a bill. Now we can provide customers with a rich variety of information regarding their services, including graphical representation of 13 months of consumption history," said Mr. Duhon. LUS provides a multiple service bill to its customers that includes both an account summary as well as bill segments for each service.

LUS has also seen its ability to improve customer service increase as a result of the implementation of the SPL software. "Applications for service and disconnections are much easier to process, and we can now bill the customer's deposit, whereas previously, the customer actually had to show up in person to pay it," said Mr. Duhon.

"The SPL rating and billing engine is world-class and has proven its flexibility across a wide variety of industry business environments, from the world's largest investor-owned utilities to the smallest municipal utilities, " said CD Hobbs, president and chief executive officer, SPL WorldGroup. "SPL's customer management solution is designed to support businesses through time as their business environment changes, and LUS's need and ability to add telecom services demonstrates how important this is to our customers. LUS is well positioned to continue to respond to changes in its business environment, including de-regulation, when it occurs in Louisiana."

About SPL WorldGroup
Established in 1994, SPL WorldGroup is a leading provider of best-of-breed customer management solutions to the energy and service-related industries in regulated and competitive markets worldwide. With a 100% record of successful implementations, SPL continues to demonstrate its place as the market leader in providing flexible and scalable customer management solutions that evolve with client requirements and enable unrivaled business responsiveness. SPL employs over 600 professionals in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and has delivered its customer management products to more than 50 energy, water and waste management customers worldwide. Visit SPL WorldGroup at www.splwg.com or call (973) 539-6268 (New Jersey),
(415) 541-9462 (San Francisco), or within the US and Canada, (800) 275-4775.

About PeopleSoft CIS for Public Enterprise
Developed and built by SPL WorldGroup using the PeopleSoft tool set, the PeopleSoft CIS for Public Enterprise solution is marketed to municipals across North America by PeopleSoft, Inc. The package is designed, developed, implemented and supported by SPL WorldGroup.

About Lafayette Utilities System
For more information on Lafayette Utilities System, visit its web site at http://www.lus.org.

(2002 SPL WorldGroup, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SPL WorldGroup and SPL are trademarks owned by SPL WorldGroup B.V. or its subsidiaries. SPL WorldGroup and SPL are registered as trademarks in the United States and in certain foreign jurisdictions. All other brand, product and company names herein are used for identification purposes only and are the property of their respective owners.

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