CONTACT INFORMATION
 
Systems & Software, Inc.
www.ssiutilitysuite.com

Kate Thornton
Kate.Thornton@ssiutilitysuite.com
(802) 655-4400 X214

COLCHESTER, VT., February 26, 2003 – Systems & Software, Inc. (S&S), a leading provider of billing & customer service solutions for the utility industry, today announced it has signed a 6.2 million dollar contract with the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD), the third largest water utility in the country.

S&S is the developer and sole distributor of the UtilitySuite family of products, which includes the browser-oriented solution, enQuesta. Working closely with the prime contractor, SYNC Technologies, Inc., S&S will install this family of products to give DWSD the resources they need to continue improving service to their 275,000-customer account base. Serving municipal and investor-owned utilities for nearly three decades, S&S has created an integrated suite of functionally superior applications, allowing companies to enhance customer relationships and better manage their business activities. UtilitySuite consistently performs as the most functionally rich and scalable solution in the industry.

"Our legacy system is over twenty years old and has limited functionality," comments Ms. Lillie White-Rivers, Manager of Commercial Operations, DWSD. "We believe with the implementation of enQuesta we will have the functionality we have been looking for, such as improved billing, better maintenance of landlord/tenant relationships and increased capability to collect revenue from delinquent customers through improved tracking and reporting. Through a combination of SYNC’s project management talents, DWSD’s functional knowledge, and S&S’ CIS software expertise, DWSD will implement a state-of-art customer billing and management system."

Prior to hiring S&S, DWSD selected SYNC Technologies, as the prime contractor, with the mission of providing a replacement Customer Billing and Management System (CBMS). SYNC Technologies is a provider of advanced IT project management, and high level consulting services ranging from application development, Unix, networking, Oracle, security and training, and has worked with DWSD on a variety of projects over the past 15 years.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to work with S&S on this joint project," says Donna Stallings, President, SYNC Technologies. "S&S has a "complete" customer relationship approach, as they not only customize and implement the software and manage the hardware, but they also offer 24/7 customer support--a quality we highly value in a partner."

DWSD selected S&S to provide the CIS software because of its 100% success rate in regards to implementations, and collection of customer testimonials. DWSD first learned about S&S through an existing customer, the City of Milwaukee.

"It is our current customer relationships that are and will continue to be the foundation of all of our future relationships," comments Burt Willey, President and CEO, S&S. "We respect the investment both DWSD and SYNC Technologies have made in us; in turn, we will provide DWSD with a functionally rich system and continuous support that will surpass all of their expectations. This project, as with all of our projects, will be completed on time and on budget." "In addition, since we are targeting larger markets, where prime contractors are typically the norm in the implementation process, this experience with SYNC is invaluable and is hopefully just the beginning of many joint future projects," he continues.

About The Detroit Water & Sewerage Department
The Detroit Water & Sewerage Department supplies retail water and sewer services to the City of Detroit residential, commercial and industrial customers (between 275,000 and 300,000 active accounts). The utility also supplies wholesale water services to 125 suburban communities and wholesale sewer services to 77 suburban customers. DWSD is constantly seeking to improve service delivery to its customers through innovative/proven methods. The utility’s mission is to "exceed customer’ expectations through the innovative treatment and transmission of water and wastewater and the provision of services that promote healthy communities and economic growth." DWSD’s water quality is among the best and its rates are among the lowest in the country.

About SYNC Technologies
SYNC Technologies is a highly professional, versatile, and customer-driven provider of professional services in the IT field. Certified as a Detroit-based, women-owned, and minority-owned business enterprise, by the City of Detroit and other certifying agencies, SYNC has successfully provided IT services nationally to a diverse group of clients over the past 15 years. Other than DWSD, the company’s clients include the City of Detroit Health Department, the Detroit Public Schools, several large engineering firms, and various non-profit organizations. SYNC specializes in technical project management, user training and support, and IT consulting services in such areas as computer networking, system administration and support, web-based application development, security and object-oriented systems modeling and implementation. The corporate aim is to assist clients in defining and implementing cutting-edge, high-quality, and cost-effective solutions to meet their information technology needs. More information about SYNC Technologies, Inc., is available at www.synctech.com.

About Systems & Software, Inc.
Systems & Software is a leading provider of billing & customer service solutions for regulated and deregulated utilities throughout the United States. Founded in 1973, the company has focused exclusively on the utility industry. Through a proprietary implementation and support approach projects are always delivered on time and within budget. While customers focus on their key business operations, S&S is relied upon for complete technology, maintenance and software support. S&S is located in Colchester, Vermont. More information about Systems & Software, Inc., is available at www.ssiutilitysuite.com.

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