Many organizations have transformed the way they conduct business with their suppliers by implementing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capabilities.

EDI enables a "hands-off," completely automated, electronic exchange of business data between organizations in a standardized, structured manner. This allows businesses to effectively communicate and process business transactions electronically.

If your business is EDI-ready or if you're considering this business investment, ComEd's EDI billing/payment option is the logical choice for managing your electric bill.*

* Please Note:  ComEd's EDI billing/payment option is available to all customers on summary billing who have EDI capability. ComEd does not provide EDI installation or consulting services. A ComEd customer with at least five subordinate accounts can be set up for summary billing.

Benefits
With ComEd's EDI option, your organization will be able to realize the many benefits associated with EDI, including:

• Reduced labor, mailing, archival, and bank costs from more efficient, electronic transactions.
• Improved accuracy and speed of information exchanged between companies (EDI requires one-time data entry and performs automatic reconciliation).
• More environmentally friendly process that minimizes paper use and storage requirements.
• Streamlined bill management operations, such as sending and receiving invoices and remitting payments.
• Reduced incidents of delays, late fees, and lost invoices.

If having an EDI system is already one of your business' competitive advantages, then participating in ComEd's EDI billing/payment option makes good business sense.

How an EDI System Generally Works
Businesses that have implemented EDI software and systems follow certain protocols for exchanging data electronically. Each transacting party is categorized as a trading partner, and they exchange mutual agreements that define a commercial transaction.

All subsequent transactions are then communicated in a standardized manner through an intermediate channel company, called a Value Added Network (VAN). The VAN is a third-party service provider that permits many different trading partners to communicate through a central clearing house.

Setting Up EDI Billing and Payment with ComEd

Step 1: Execute two originals of the  EDI Trading Partner Agreement , available online or from your ComEd Account Manager.  Complete, sign and return these documents to your Account Manager or fax to the number provided on the form.

Step 2:   A ComEd Technical Rep will contact you to provide an EDI implementation guide, explain testing requirements and schedule a date for testing to begin.

Step 3:   ComEd will then transmit a set of test invoices specifically used for EDI certification testing purposes to ensure the successful download of invoices into your financial processing system, and the successful test of electronic payment and remittance information.

Step 4: ComEd will perform a "penny test" to verify that the Value Added Networks (VANs) are communicating successfully.

• The customer will send a penny transaction to ComEd's bank,
   which will then forward the transaction to ComEd.
• ComEd will verify that the format of the transaction is correct
   and the penny was successfully received into our system.

Step 5: Following the completion of all testing, your organization's Summary Bill Account will be switched to EDI, and you will no longer receive paper bills** from ComEd. Your Account Manager will notify you when the first EDI invoice is initiated.

** Please note:  Per ComEd's tariffs, ComEd reserves the right to charge a $2.00 monthly duplicate invoice fee per paper bill issued (i.e., a monthly fee of  $2 per subordinate account).

Preliminary Customer Requirements

1. EDI Software  -- If your organization does not already have EDI capability, you will need to purchase and install EDI translation software. The software must be capable of receiving the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X-12, Utility Industry Group (UIG), Transaction Set 810 Invoice.

2. VAN Mailbox  -- You will need to establish an electronic mailbox with a Value Added Network Service Provider (VAN). You must have access to a VAN for EDI 810 invoices and EDI 820 payment/remittance orders.

3. DUNS Number -- You will need to obtain a Dun & Bradstreet Number (DUNS), a common company identifier in EDI and global electronic commerce transactions used on all EDI transactions by ComEd. A DUNS number can be obtained by calling 1-800-999-3867 or by visiting
Dun & Bradstreet's Website .

4. Value Added Service Bank -- You will need to contact your banking institution and verify that they provide services as a Value Added Service Bank. Your bank must be capable of providing electronic payments in one of two ways:

• Remittance data per the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X-12, Utility Industry Group (UIG) , 820 Payment and Remittance Order; or
• National Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments in Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) format.

You or your bank will need to contact Bank One, ComEd's banking institution, for EDI to exchange any information and perform required setup.