SoftSmiths adds e-Options to its e-Merchant Product Suite

Houston, TX. – September 24, 2002 – Today, SoftSmiths announced the availability of an e-Options application for its e-Merchant product suite, providing customers the flexibility to utilize options in their portfolios. SoftSmiths delivers critical e-Business solutions and services that enable energy industry participants to enhance profitability and reliability in the competitive marketplace.

e-Options provides the ability to enter and manage options, including setting the strike and premium prices, the number of times the option can be exercised within a given time period, and the timing requirements for exercising the option. When an option is exercised, e-Merchant checks that the criteria for exercising the option are met, as well as verifying that there is sufficient unexercised commodity remaining.

"In today's changing market place, it is increasingly important that companies are able to use various trading strategies to protect themselves against price volatility" said Hugo Stappers, Director of Sales/Marketing at SoftSmiths. "Trading power options is playing an important role in hedging with future contracts against fluctuations in the price of power and gas and an instrument to increase profitability".

e-Merchant is a collection of business-critical, robust, and easy-to-use interactive applications that delivers to Load Serving Entities (LSE), Generation Producing Entities (GPE), Purchase/Selling Entities and Municipal Utilities the core capabilities to electronically create, process and manage transactions. e-Merchant offers a flexible, scalable business technology solution – seamlessly integrating Forecasting, Trading, Portfolio Assessment, Resource Management, Scheduling, Risk Measurement, Accounting and Reporting.

About SoftSmiths

SoftSmiths is a leading provider of proven business critical Transaction Management Systems and services to the energy industry. SoftSmiths' seamlessly integrated and scalable products are designed to address increased customer and transaction volumes and yield increased operational efficiencies, thereby enabling its customers to profitably operate in the competitive marketplace. SoftSmiths' highly differentiated position in the market is a result of its in-depth knowledge of the industry’s business practices, having the broadest product development strategy and using its intellectual property and consulting service to meet its customer’s competitive business requirements. The company has been successfully delivering e-business solutions to energy service companies since 1997.

SoftSmiths is a registered trademark of SoftSmiths, Inc.

Contact Information:

Softsmiths Inc.
Hugo Stappers
Phone:    713.626.9184
Fax:          713.626.0186
Email:      mkt@softsmiths.com
Website:  www.softsmiths.com

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