News release

HP's Latest Agreement with Swedish Public Administration Brings Combined Contract Value to 450 Million Euros Over Last 12 Months

HP's environmental and accessibility standards drive public sector procurement wins

HP (NYSE:HPQ) has signed a contract with the Swedish National Agency for Services to Universities and University-colleges expanding the company's public sector installed base in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Under the agreement, valued at an estimated 70 million euros over two years, HP will supply printers, copiers, cartridges, faxes and all-in-one products to local authorities, county councils, universities, government departments and other public institutions.

This is the third contract HP has won in the past 12 months with the Swedish public administration, bringing the combined contract value to more than 450 million euros. HP is already supplying desktop PCs, portable PC accessories, servers and storage products to the Swedish public administration under these separate agreements.

To win the contract, HP had to meet rigorous environmental and accessibility requirements. Environmental requirements ranged from IT Eco Declarations (environmental product self declarations)⁽¹⁾ to ensuring HP's products meet the low energy criteria Energy Star and the provision of a national system for product collection and recycling. Among other environmental attributes, HP has the largest number of IT Eco Declarations and Blue Angel⁽²⁾ certified printers worldwide and a free of charge recycling program for HP supplies.

"This latest contract testifies to the growing significance environmental and accessibility criteria have today in informing public procurement decisions," said Bernard Meric, senior vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP EMEA. "HP's success in Sweden is based on a combination of price, quality, the satisfaction of high corporate social and environmental responsibility conditions and the overall strength of HP's public sector offering."

Accessibility standards set by the Swedish public administration require that products are suitable for users with limited mobility and low vision. HP's full range of products, from handheld and desktop computers to printers and scanners, are designed to be accessible and support third-party assistive technology products as a standard feature.

Accessibility features in HP printers, faxes, copiers and all-in-one products include:

• Backlit LCD display providing high-quality screen clarity that support low vision accessibility;
• Tactical discernible buttons with associated icon labels; and
• Covers, paper trays and other mechanical features, such as doors, designed to be easier to operate and within reach of users with limited mobility.

The contract is a framework agreement set by the Swedish National Agency for Universities and University-colleges. The agency signs framework agreements with suppliers in order to simplify IT purchases for public authorities, municipalities and county councils.

The HP contract came into effect on Oct. 17 and is valid until July 2005.

HP accessibility and environmental sustainability policies

HP's accessibility policy outlines the company's longstanding commitment to connect people to the power of technology, helping ensure that everyone – including people with disabilities – can access all of HP's offerings. HP integrates accessibility features, including access to the Web, into the design of all its products. It is the only information technology manufacturer to have the accessibility features of all its products documented and available online. More information is available at www.hp.com/accessibility.

HP works toward a sustainable future by developing programmes that reduce its environmental footprint, as well as those of its customers and partners. HP's vision is to develop products and solutions, and operate the company, in such a way that it is able to lead global businesses toward a sustainable future. More information is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/index.html.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the fiscal year ending on Oct. 31, 2003, HP revenue totaled $73.1 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾ The IT Eco Declarations provide information about the environmental attributes of products for any product category, including those for whom the eco labelling organizations have not developed any criteria. More information is available at www.hp.se/itecodeclarations.

⁽²⁾ The Blue Angel eco label offers companies the opportunity to document their environmental competence and provides consumers with clear practical guidance as to the environmental consequences

of potential purchasing decisions. For example, to meet the exacting Blue Angel standards, HP printers must consume less than 2W of energy in off mode. More information about Blue Angel can be found at www.hp.com/environment - product environmental profiles.