Breakthrough technology enhances purchasing card program to offer state and local governments more control over spending

PHILADELPHIA, PA, May 15, 2003 -- Taxpayers hold government entities accountable for spending, demanding that government be just as diligent with tax dollars as taxpayers are with their own household budgets.

With ongoing goals of improving administrative efficiency and cost control, Bucks County Commissioners in southeastern Pennsylvania recently voted to implement a purchasing card program through the Treasury Management division of PNC Bank, N.A., a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC).

Bill Lyle, purchasing director of Bucks County, said PNC Bank's Purchasing Card program was chosen largely because it can be used with the Web-based technology of Works Operating Company's Payment Manager, that helps the County to manage spending more effectively. The use of this new technology with PNC Bank's Purchasing Card program enables the County to minimize the number of checks issued, reduce errors and time associated with manual account reconciliation, and settles payments electronically with a purchasing card. Other government entities implementing PNC Bank's Purchasing Card program and Works Operating Company's Payment Manager include the State of Delaware and Allegheny County located in southwestern Pennsylvania.

"Purchasing cards are convenient and cost-effective, enabling our employees to make needed purchases from nearby vendors or stores without the time and expense it takes to set up individual vendor accounts," Lyle said. "PNC Bank and Works helped to address our ability to efficiently manage how much and where an employee spends County dollars. The Payment Manager enables us to instantly increase the dollar limit on an individual card right from a desktop computer to accommodate an approved purchase then automatically resets the card's dollar limit back to the original authorized amount - as low as zero."

"We are proud to team up with Bucks County on its commitment to operate with greater efficiency," said J. William Mills, regional president of PNC Bank, Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey markets. "Combining our purchasing card program with Works' Payment Manager can help customers save money by improving business processes."

Features and Benefits

The benefits for Bucks County, which has 600,000 residents across 600 square miles, and other government entities using PNC Bank's Purchasing Card program and Works' Payment Manager include:

• Greater control over employee spending by determining when pre-purchase approval is required.
• Reduces risk of overspending budgets by using online tools to track purchases faster.
• Reduces reliance on petty cash for majority of low-cost, high-volume transactions.
• Saves the cost of paper checks by reducing reliance on checks as a primary means of payment.
• Reduces the need for paper purchase orders by automating the request and approval process along with the post-purchase reconciliation process.

Works is a trademark of the Works Operating Company, headquartered in Austin, Texas, a leading provider of web-based software solutions that help organizations minimize the number of checks they issue, reduce the expense of costly manual back-office reconciliation processes and settle payment transactions electronically through the use of commercial credit cards. Copyright 2001 Works Operating Company. All rights reserved. Works, Active Card Control and the Works logo are trademarks of Works Operating Company. Learn more about Works at www.works.com.

PNC Bank, N.A., is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. As one of the top 10 treasury management providers in the nation, PNC Bank delivers personalized service and industry-leading technology and tailored treasury management solutions. It provides financial solutions for more than 25,000 companies with a comprehensive line of receivables, payables, investment, information reporting and global cash management services.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations, operating businesses engaged in regional community banking; wholesale banking, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management; and global fund services.