Chicago, IL July 21, 2008 -- Acquity Group, a leading provider of consulting services and digital solutions, was awarded the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Best IT Strategy Implementation Partner Award for a second consecutive year. The 2008 award gives tribute to Acquity Group's collaboration with The George Washington University (GWU) to implement the HP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) 7.1 solution. Last year, Acquity Group received the same award for a PPM implementation with Garmin International.

Acquity Group partnered with The GWU's Information Systems and Services (ISS) department to smoothly transition its Mercury IT Governance 6.0 to a formal portfolio management office (PMO) that utilized the HP PPM solution. The GWU had encountered significant challenges with the informal process of prioritizing ISS initiatives, which limited work project visibility, standardization, and consolidation of project management tools.

Acquity Group determined the best strategy to approach The GWU's business and technology needs by focusing on increased PMO IT control and visibility. The team implemented specific controls that included a standardized project and proposal workflow, and electronic forms to capture data as it passed through the project and proposal phases.

The approach allowed The GWU to benefit almost immediately from better project visibility, improved IT governance, and greater team collaboration. With a sound PPM strategy, the university was able to better capture The GWU IT portfolio in real time, thus allowing for increased communication among the various IT departments.

"The George Washington University partnered with us to build upon their solid foundation to deliver the next generation of true Project and Portfolio Management," said Davin Gallego, Acquity Group's Vice President of IT Planning and Transformation. "I am extremely happy and proud of the Acquity Group team that supported the final solution."

The GWU team was pleased with their decision to use Acquity Group for the project. "We selected Acquity Group because of their considerable experience with HP's Project and Portfolio Management suite, as well as their expertise in the portfolio management and IT Governance process area," said Christina Griffin, Assistant Director of the Portfolio Management Office at The GWU. "Working with Acquity Group, we were able to take our paper-based business processes and automate them in the PPM tool creating one central intake filter for all IT initiatives."    

Acquity Group and The GWU jointly presented at the HP Software Universe 2008, detailing best practices on extending and upgrading the Mercury IT Governance 6.0 environment to HP Project and Portfolio Management 7.1. To listen to the archived version, visit: https://h30406.www3.hp.com/campaigns/2008/events/sw-05-20-08/.

About Acquity Group:
Acquity Group is shaping the way technology is used to extend the most recognized consumer brands in the world. Acquity Group's innovative digital strategy, interactive marketing & design and powerful IT planning & execution services are the choice of many leading brands. Acquity Group is headquartered in Chicago, IL and has offices in Irvine & Los Angeles, CA, Overland Park, KS, Scottsdale, AZ and Dallas, TX. Visit their Web site for more information: http://www.acquitygroup.com.

About The George Washington University:
In the heart of the nation's capital, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington, D.C. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 130 countries.

About Hewlett-Packard:
Hewlett-Packard (HP) is among the world's largest IT companies, with approximately 172,000 employees worldwide. It is a leader in desktop PCs, notebooks and workstations, as well as ink-jet printers. HP is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.