LONDON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 1999--ECsoft Group plc ("ECsoft" or the "Company") today announced that it has agreed to acquire the Dutch IT services company Achilles IT Group B.V.

Achilles, which is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has a workforce of 96 people. Revenues for fiscal year ended 31 December 1998 were approximately NLG 14.9 million, with profit before tax of NLG 2.1 million and net assets of NLG 1.6 million. Achilles provides IT resourcing, consultancy and managed projects, predominantly, to small and medium sized Dutch businesses. Achilles also has a leading position in the provision of skills relating to the Uniface product, ranking in the top three Uniface service providers in the Dutch market. In addition, Achilles provides skills in a wide range of databases, operating systems and programming languages, particularly focusing on Progress, Oracle Tools and Versis (a package solution for the insurance industry from Software AG). Achilles owns 60% of the Dutch IT recruitment company "i.t. Career Support B.V."

"We are very pleased to be bringing Achilles into the ECsoft Group", commented Terje Laugerud, President and CEO, ECsoft Group plc. "This strengthens our presence in the fastest growing European IT markets by adding the Netherlands to our existing territories in the UK and Scandinavia. Achilles will provide a large base of talented and committed professional staff and a highly referenceable Dutch customer base. This local Dutch presence and reputation will help ECsoft to better serve its existing Dutch and multi-national customers."

"By joining forces with ECsoft, we will be able to provide an enhanced service to our customers through the additional skills and technology partnerships which ECsoft can provide", added Ron Brinckman, Joint Managing Director, Achilles IT Group B.V. "The increased scale and the status of a publicly listed company will allow us to compete for business with larger Dutch customers. This will also allow us to provide increased and more varied career opportunities for our staff."

Under the terms of the agreement, ECsoft will purchase all of the shares of Achilles IT Group B.V. in a share for share transaction, through the allotment of 605,000 shares in ECsoft Group plc. The transaction will be accounted for as a "pooling of interests" under US GAAP, valuing Achilles at approximately NLG 36 million. Achilles will become a wholly owned subsidiary of ECsoft Group plc and will trade as Achilles ECsoft under the existing Achilles management team. The agreement is subject to approval by the Dutch Securities Board.

ECsoft Group plc (London: ECS, Nasdaq:ECSGY) is an independent European IT services company specializing in the practical application of advanced technology. Its customer base includes many of Europe's top 500 companies. Working through the flexible deployment framework of its methodology, Practicology(tm), ECsoft delivers a broad range of consultancy, application development, systems integration and information systems management services. The Company, which has a workforce of over 800, is headquartered in London with nine offices in the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. More information about ECsoft Group can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ecsoft-group.com

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information with respect to the plans, projections or future performance of the Company, the occurrence of which involve certain risks and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, continued competitive pressures in the market place; reliance on attracting and retaining technically skilled professional staff; successful integration of acquired companies; managing risks associated with customer projects; significant fluctuation in quarterly operating results; the Company's ability to manage its growth; dependence on trends towards open systems computing architecture and outsourcing; reliance on key executives; reliance on relationships with third parties; and the Company's ability to develop information technology solutions that keep pace with rapid and continuing changes in computing technology, evolving industry standards and changing customer preferences. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results are included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly in its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on April 6, 1998 and its Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed on June 24, 1998.

CONTACT: ECsoft Group plc, London Forbes Cook, Investor Relations, forbes.cook@ecsoft-group.com Peter Harris, Chief Financial Officer peter.harris@ecsoft-group.com +44 (0)171 355 1101, fax: +44 (0)171 355 9001, www: http://www.ecsoft-group.com or Financial PR: Citigate Dewe Rogerson Ginny Pulbrook/Nick Lockwood nick.lockwood@citigatedr.co.uk +44 (0)171 282 8000