August 05, 2014

Accenture to Acquire Specialist Hytracc Consulting, Expanding Its Hydrocarbon and Revenue Accounting Services to Oil and Gas Companies

STAVANGER, NORWAY; August 5, 2014 – Accenture (ACN:NYSE) has entered into an agreement to acquire Hytracc Consulting, a specialist consulting company that designs and implements hydrocarbon production data management and accounting solutions that help oil and gas companies achieve greater value by more effectively tracking, managing and delivering hydrocarbons from the wellhead to the sales meter. The transaction will expand Accenture’s upstream production management solutions and services portfolio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the acquisition is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions.

Based in Stavanger with operations in six countries, Hytracc provides specialist consulting and software implementation and support services within the hydrocarbon supply chain. The software solutions deployed by Hytracc enable oil and gas companies to track and record production volumes and revenues accurately from production to processing, transport, sales and revenue recognition. The company is a primary supplier of expertise and services for Energy Components (EC), a hydrocarbon accounting solution.

“Hytracc’s specialist skills together with Accenture’s deep technology and production management capabilities will offer a powerful combination to oil and gas companies seeking to increase rigor and accountability in hydrocarbon accounting solution deployment,” said Andrew Smart, energy industry managing director for Accenture. “This transaction will further enhance our commitment to becoming the provider of choice for upstream production management services.”

Henning Stokke, Founder and Director of Hytracc, added, “Accenture and Hytracc are joining forces to create scalable systems integration capabilities to better serve the hydrocarbon and revenue accounting needs of our oil and gas clients worldwide. Hytracc was founded with the aim of changing the way the upstream industry manages the hydrocarbon supply chain. This work will continue with even greater force as part of Accenture. Both companies have proven track records, industry depth and technology expertise, which also will make the combination a good fit. ”

Hytracc will operate within Accenture’s Resources operating group, complementing Accenture’s upstream production management solutions, including hydrocarbon and revenue accounting outsourcing services.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 293,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About Hytracc
Hytracc is the world’s leading skill centre for the hydrocarbon supply chain. Hytracc designs and implements state-of-the-art hydrocarbon management solutions for the oil and gas industry. Based in Stavanger, Norway, and with operations in six countries, Hytracc has approximately 100 skilled staff. Homepage: www.hytracc.com

Forward Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the company and Hytracc will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if the company’s pricing estimates do not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of the company performing its work or third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then the company’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be unprofitable; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; the company’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses or entering into joint ventures; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s alliance relationships may not be successful or may change, which could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; outsourcing services and the continued expansion of the company’s other services and solutions into new areas subject the company to different operational risks than its consulting and systems integration services; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; changes in the company’s level of taxes, and audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if the company is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; the company’s share price and results of operations could fluctuate and be difficult to predict; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Contacts:

Guy Cantwell
Accenture
+ 281 900 9089
guy.cantwell@accenture.com

Justyna Devraj
Accenture
+ 44 20 7844 0090
+ 44 750 012 4567 (mobile)
justyna.devraj@accenture.com