OFS Portal Selects GXS B2B Outsourcing Solutions to Provide Oil and Gas Transaction Services; GXS Provides Secure Management of OFS Portal's Message Routing and Transformation Service

HOUSTON & GAITHERSBURG, Md.--March 2, 2005--OFS Portal, LLC, an industry-leading group of major upstream oil and gas suppliers, today announced it has selected GXS, a leading provider of B2B e-commerce solutions, to implement and manage the OFS Portal Transaction Messaging Service (TMS). TMS is a trusted message routing and transformation service that allows industry buyers and sellers to send and receive electronic transactions and data via the secure and reliable Petroleum Industry Data Exchange (PIDX) standards.

Houston-based OFS Portal was formed in 2000 by a group of large, diverse upstream suppliers with the common objective of facilitating secure, cost-effective e-commerce solutions between sellers and buyers of upstream oil and gas products and services. Since it was founded, OFS Portal has published and syndicated electronic data in a standardized format to its members' B2B trading partners.

According to OFS Portal CEO William Le Sage, "The addition of the TMS takes OFS Portal and its members to the next level, allowing trading partners to exchange electronic documents with each other in a true 'many-to-many' environment in the most cost-efficient way possible. OFS Portal's challenge has been to facilitate the application of newer uniform language and formatting standards to complex e-commerce information tools in which disparate languages and protocols currently collide with each other. We believe we have now solved that problem. In fact, we believe so strongly in the efficiencies of the OFS Portal Transaction Messaging Service that we invite buyers to subscribe to TMS and start connecting and transmitting transactional documents to other trading partners, including non-OFS Portal members," he said.

"Forward-thinking companies like OFS Portal and its members look for a secure e-commerce environment that can provide global reach and best-in-class services without breaking the bank," said GXS President and CEO Gary Greenfield. "GXS Advantage Services allow companies to expand their trading community worldwide, while reducing upfront development and implementation costs, thus allowing customers to focus on other core business operations. GXS has guided thousands of global customers through the intricacies of data translation and the complexities and difficulties of managing change among trading partners."

As a part of the GXS Trading Grid(SM) platform, GXS Advantage Services offer the technical infrastructure to conduct a global B2B program, including data translation, transaction visibility, systems administration and robust reporting capabilities. In addition, GXS Advantage Services provide customers the B2B expertise to deliver world-class B2B program management, trading community management and customer support. The GXS Trading Grid enables customers to automate transactions with their trading community while shielding organizations from rapidly changing standards, eliminating manual and duplicative efforts and enabling a higher level of process integration and business intelligence.

By utilizing the GXS Trading Grid, GXS allows OFS Portal's community to quickly and efficiently adopt new technologies, PIDX industry standards and customer requirements faster, with native support of ANSI / EDIFACT EDI, Internet EDI, AS2, EAN-UCC XML, RosettaNet PIPs and RNIF transactions. With the GXS Trading Grid, OFS Portal members can reach any trading partner in the world without the boundaries created by multiple languages and time zones and divergent technologies and standards.

"GXS has a proven track record of providing fast, efficient messaging services to a variety of industries around the world with unmatched reliability," said Le Sage. "When paired with the ability to convert and standardize large volumes of data in a secure environment for our members and their trading partners, we have now solved one of the most daunting problems that have faced the industry since transactions began the move from paper to electronic data. OFS Portal provides a safe, secure solution to the often expensive complications arising as a result of the vastly different electronic data protocols in use today in the electronic marketplace. As e-commerce users continue to adopt industry-accepted PIDX standards in greater numbers, the OFS Portal Transaction Messaging Service has in place a routing framework for a low-cost, simple and scaleable solution for our members to exchange information and data with their trading partners," he added.

Other benefits of utilizing OFS Portal's Transaction Messaging Service and GXS Advantage Services include:

-- Reduced implementation costs through shared infrastructure, freeing up resources to focus on core initiatives instead of implementing and maintaining new hardware and software

-- An all-in-one solution to route, transform, operate, monitor and track messages while connecting with all trading partners

-- A single connection to an OFS Portal-member/supplier's IT system has the potential to provide access to any upstream oil and gas company. Conversely, through a single connection to its IT system, a producer can gain access to a multitude of suppliers in real time

-- Increased supply chain speed and efficiency, as companies are now able to connect new and existing trading partners in their preferred communication format through the GXS Trading Grid

-- Trading partners of OFS Portal members may exchange PIDX messages with that member at no cost

About OFS Portal

Headquartered in Houston, OFS Portal, LLC (http://www.ofs-portal.com) is a member-based group of industry-leading global upstream oil and gas suppliers and service providers whose objective is to be at the forefront of global eCommerce processes in the oilfield. OFS Portal delivers cost-effective ways to make eCommerce a reality for both buyers and sellers and works with global standards organizations to converge or develop open and non-proprietary eCommerce standards for use in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Electronic data is provided in standard format at no cost to OFS Portal-members' customers. OFS Portal operates with a non-profit objective. Success is measured by the members' ability to reduce costs, increase internal efficiencies and optimize customer service. OFS Portal's members include: Baker Hughes, BJ Services, Cooper Cameron, ENSCO, FMC Technologies, Greene, Tweed & Co., Halliburton, M-I SWACO, Schlumberger Oilfield Services, Smith International, Vetco Gray, and Weatherford International. Membership is open to any oilfield supplier with activities in the upstream oil and gas sector.

About GXS

GXS (Global eXchange Services) is a leading provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that simplify and enhance business process integration and collaboration. Organizations worldwide, including over half of the Fortune 500, leverage GXS' global interoperability and supply chain execution solutions to achieve the perfect balance of supply and demand. Active in the global standards arena, GXS solutions, powered by the Trading Grid(SM), enable customers both large and small, to connect with global partners, synchronize product information and optimize the execution of supply chains.

Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., GXS provides sales and support to businesses and their partners worldwide. For more information about GXS visit www.gxs.com.

Editors' Note:

For more information about PIDX, log on to www.pidx.org.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This document includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory factors. These factors include technological developments, customer demand, trading partner participation and network availability.