PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS INC
S-1/A, 1999-06-18
PREPACKAGED SOFTWARE
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<PAGE>


  As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 18, 1999
                                                         Registration 333-77477
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                ---------------

                             Amendment No. 2
                                      TO
                                   FORM S-1
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                ---------------

                       PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

<TABLE>
 <S>                                 <C>                                <C>
            Washington                              7372                            91-1350484
   (State or other jurisdiction        (Primary Standard Industrial             (I.R.S. Employer
 of incorporation or organization)      Classification Code Number)          Identification Number)
</TABLE>

                               1601 Fifth Avenue
                           Seattle, Washington 98101
                                (206) 292-1000
  (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   registrant's principal executive offices)

                               Michael A. Brochu
         President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
                       Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.
                               1601 Fifth Avenue
                           Seattle, Washington 98101
                                (206) 292-1000
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                             of agent for service)

                                ---------------

                                  Copies to:
<TABLE>
<S>                                                <C>
                  Gregory Gorder                                     Alan K. Austin
                 Daniel F. Vaughn                                  Steven V. Bernard
                 Perkins Coie LLP                           Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
          1201 Third Avenue, 40th Floor                         Professional Corporation
          Seattle, Washington 98101-3099                           650 Page Mill Road
                  (206) 583-8888                            Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
                                                                     (650) 493-9300
</TABLE>

                                ---------------

  Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as
practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

  If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on
a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, check the following box. [_]

  If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier
effective registration statement for the same offering. [_]
                                                            -------------

  If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the
Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. [_]
                                                  ------------

  If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement
for the same offering. [_]
                           -------------

  If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434,
please check the following box. [_]

                                ---------------

  The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or
dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant
shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this
Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with
Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration
Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting
pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may +
+not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the     +
+Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an    +
+offer to sell securities, and we are not soliciting offers to buy these       +
+securities, in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.            +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                   SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 7, 1999

                                 [PRIMUS LOGO]

                                4,150,000 Shares
                                  Common Stock

  Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. is offering 4,000,000 shares, and the
selling shareholders are offering 150,000 shares. This is Primus's initial
public offering, and no public market currently exists for its shares. Our
common stock has been approved for quotation on the Nasdaq National Market
under the symbol "PKSI." We anticipate that the initial public offering price
will be between $10.00 and $12.00 per share.

                                --------------

                 Investing in the common stock involves risks.
                    See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 5.

                                --------------

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                 Per Share Total
                                                                 --------- -----
<S>                                                              <C>       <C>
Public Offering Price...........................................   $       $
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions..........................   $       $
Proceeds to Primus..............................................   $       $
Proceeds to Selling Shareholders................................   $       $
</TABLE>

  The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have
not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus
is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.

  Primus has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an
additional 622,500 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments. BancBoston
Robertson Stephens Inc. expects to deliver the shares of common stock to
purchasers on       , 1999.

                                --------------

BancBoston Robertson Stephens

              Hambrecht & Quist

                            U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray

                                                                    FAC/Equities

                  The date of this prospectus is       , 1999
<PAGE>

                            [ARTWORK APPEARS HERE]

FRONT COVER

[THE COMPANY'S LOGO ACCOMPANIED BY THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

Competitive Differentiation with Customer Support

The growth of electronic commerce has made customer support a primary customer-
contact point and source of customer loyalty. As products and services have
become more standardized, customer support and problem resolution have become
key competitive differentiators.]

[THE SOLUTIONPUBLISHER, SOLUTIONEXPLORER AND SOLUTIONBUILDER LOGOS AND A GRAPHIC
REPRESENTATION OF THE PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SOLUTION ACCOMPANIED BY THE
FOLLOWING TEXT:

SolutionPublisher allows an organization's customers to use the web for problem
resolution at any time of the day or night.

SolutionExplorer's Web-based approach allows field service personnel and
business partners to access and contribute to the knowledge base.

Customer support professionals use SolutionBuilder to find existing solutions
and author new solutions while working with a customer.

Capture, Solve, Reuse and Share for Better Support

Our SolutionSeries products allow customer-support personnel to capture problem-
resolution information in the workflow. Our associative problem-solving
technology enables our users to efficiently locate relevant solutions or create
new solutions to add to the knowledge base. These new solutions are immediately
available for reuse by other customer-support personnel and accessible
throughout the extended enterprise via the Web.]

<PAGE>

  You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have
not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that
contained in this prospectus. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to
buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are
permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of
the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this
prospectus or of any sale of our common stock.

  Until       , 1999, all dealers that buy, sell or trade our common stock,
whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a
prospectus. This requirement is in addition to the dealers' obligation to
deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their
unsold allotments or subscriptions.

                               ----------------

                               TABLE OF CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         Page
                                                                         ----
<S>                                                                      <C>
Prospectus Summary......................................................    3
Risk Factors............................................................    5
Use of Proceeds.........................................................   13
Dividend Policy.........................................................   13
Capitalization..........................................................   14
Dilution................................................................   15
Selected Consolidated Financial Data....................................   16
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
 of Operations..........................................................   17
Business................................................................   28
Management..............................................................   44
Certain Transactions....................................................   53
Principal and Selling Shareholders......................................   54
Description of Capital Stock............................................   57
Shares Eligible for Future Sale.........................................   60
Underwriting............................................................   62
Legal Matters...........................................................   64
Experts.................................................................   64
Additional Information..................................................   64
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements..............................  F-1
</TABLE>

                               ----------------

  "Primus," "SolutionBuilder," "SolutionPublisher" and "Solution X" are
registered trademarks of Primus. "SolutionExplorer," "SolutionSeries,"
"SolutionAdmin," "Solution Reports" and "Primus Knowledge Solutions" are
trademarks of Primus. "Primus" is also a service mark of Primus. This
prospectus also contains trademarks and service marks of other companies, which
are the property of their respective owners.

  Except where we state otherwise, we present information in this prospectus
assuming (1) the conversion of all outstanding shares of preferred stock into
an aggregate of 4,966,660 shares of common stock upon the closing of this
offering, (2) the exercise of warrants to purchase 55,999 shares of preferred
stock and subsequent conversion into 18,666 shares of common stock, (3) the
exercise of warrants to purchase 47,723 shares of common stock and (4) no
exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option.
<PAGE>

                               PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

  This summary highlights information that we present more fully in the rest of
this prospectus. The summary is not complete and does not contain all the
information you should consider before buying shares in this offering. You
should read the entire prospectus carefully.

                        Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

  We are a leading provider of Web-based problem-resolution software for
customer support and self-service. Our applications enable businesses to
capture problem-resolution information, solve customer problems, reuse
solutions stored in the knowledge base and share captured knowledge throughout
the extended enterprise. Our SolutionSeries family of software products
enhances an organization's problem-resolution capabilities by using our
associative problem-solving technology and leveraging the Internet to extend
customer support to remote employees, business partners and end-user customers.

  We believe our software allows organizations to improve customer satisfaction
levels and decrease support costs by:

  . reducing the overall time needed to resolve problems
  . improving first-call resolution rates
  . increasing call deflections to the Web
  . reducing escalation of problems to senior analysts
  . increasing solution reuse
  . reducing training time

  We believe that our SolutionSeries products enable our users to realize a
substantial economic return on their investment by:

  . Enhancing problem resolution

    Our products are based on a methodology which, as opposed to alternative
    methodologies such as enhanced text retrieval, decision trees and case-
    based reasoning, improves the relevance of solutions retrieved, supports
    and enhances diverse problem-solving approaches and cost-effectively
    captures knowledge in the workflow.

  . Leveraging Internet technology to extend problem-resolution solutions
    Our Web-architected applications can be deployed throughout the extended
    enterprise more quickly and cost effectively than traditional client/server
    products. Our products also enable our users to provide their customers
    enhanced around-the-clock Web-based self-service, reducing the overall cost
    of customer support. According to International Data Corporation, the cost
    of providing Web-based software support averages $0.45 per incident as
    compared to $30.00 for traditional phone support.

  . Providing solutions for large global organizations and their partners
    Our software has been deployed by one of our users to over 500 support
    engineers globally and is being used by that company to provide Web-based
    customer self-service support to over 130,000 registered end-users.

  . Leveraging investment in existing customer-support systems
    Our products integrate with most leading customer-relationship-management
    systems, increasing customer-support personnel productivity and customer
    satisfaction by reducing the need to re-gather existing customer
    information before proceeding to problem resolution.

  We market and sell our products primarily through a direct sales force. Our
customers include: 3Com, 3M, Amdahl, Compaq, EDS, EMC, Ericsson, Fujitsu,
Lucent, MCI/SHL Systemhouse, Microsoft, Motorola, Nortel Networks, Novell, NTT,
SGI, Softbank, Starbucks, Williams and Xerox.

  Our objective is to establish and maintain a leadership position in providing
Web-based problem-resolution software applications for our users and their
customers. Our strategy to achieve this objective is to continue to leverage
the Internet, enhance our product suite, target additional vertical markets,
build additional strategic relationships and extend our solutions to functional
areas outside of customer support.

                                       3
<PAGE>

                                  The Offering

<TABLE>
<S>                                              <C>
Common stock offered by Primus.................. 4,000,000 shares
Common stock offered by the selling
 shareholders................................... 150,000 shares
Common stock to be outstanding after this
 offering....................................... 13,501,796 shares
Use of proceeds................................. For general corporate purposes, including debt
                                                 repayment and working capital. See "Use of
                                                 Proceeds."
Proposed Nasdaq National Market symbol.......... PKSI
</TABLE>

  Common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on shares
outstanding on March 31, 1999. It excludes 2,915,427 shares issuable on
exercise of outstanding stock options granted under our 1993, 1994 and 1995
stock plans at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.12 per share,
24,641 shares of common stock available for future grants under the 1995 stock
plan, 1,166,667 shares available for future grant under our 1999 stock
incentive compensation plan, 600,000 shares available for future issuance under
our 1999 employee stock purchase plan and 34,166 shares issuable on exercise of
warrants at a weighted-average exercise price of $5.85 per share. Between March
31, 1999 and May 31, 1999, we issued 10,276 shares of common stock on exercises
of outstanding options, we agreed to issue 18,400 additional shares to
employees of Primus KK and we granted options to purchase 10,000 shares at a
weighted-average exercise price of $10.50 per share.

                      Summary Consolidated Financial Data
                     (In thousands, except per share data)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Three Months
                                  Year Ended December 31,     Ended March 31,
                                  --------------------------  ----------------
                                   1996     1997      1998     1998     1999
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
<S>                               <C>      <C>      <C>       <C>      <C>
Statement of Operations Data:
  Total revenues................. $ 2,422  $ 5,189  $  8,610  $ 1,365  $ 3,911
  Loss from operations...........  (5,992)  (5,945)  (10,506)  (1,614)  (1,844)
  Net loss.......................  (5,878)  (5,985)  (10,603)  (1,626)  (1,863)
  Loss Per Share:
    Basic and Diluted............   (1.58)   (1.62)    (2.82)  (0.44)    (0.48)
    Pro Forma Basic and Diluted..     --       --      (1.32)     --      (.20)
  Shares used in Computation of
   Loss Per Share
    Basic and Diluted............   3,857    3,884     3,957    3,903    4,313
    Pro Forma Basic and Diluted..     --       --      8,020      --     9,280
</TABLE>

  The following table summarizes:

  . actual consolidated balance sheet data

  . pro forma consolidated balance sheet data, giving effect to conversion of
    all outstanding shares of preferred stock into 4,966,660 shares of common
    stock and proceeds of $272,000 from the exercise of warrants to purchase
    66,389 shares of common stock at a weighted-average exercise price of
    $4.10 per share, for which we have received binding commitments from the
    warrant holders to exercise the warrants in conjunction with the closing
    of this offering.

  . pro forma consolidated balance sheet data as adjusted to give effect to
    our sale of 4,000,000 shares of common stock offered by us through this
    prospectus at the assumed initial public offering price of $11.00 per
    share and after deducting anticipated underwriting discounts and
    commissions and estimated offering expenses and the retirement of long-
    term debt of $1.6 million.

  See "Capitalization."

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                         March 31, 1999
                                                 -------------------------------
                                                                      Pro Forma
                                                  Actual   Pro Forma as Adjusted
                                                 --------  --------- -----------
<S>                                              <C>       <C>       <C>
Balance Sheet Data:
  Cash and cash equivalents..................... $  2,423   $ 2,695    $41,042
  Working capital (deficit).....................   (1,099)     (827)    38,136
  Total assets..................................   11,546    11,818     50,165
  Long-term obligations, net of current ........    1,054     1,054         47
  Redeemable convertible preferred stock........   23,373       --         --
  Total shareholders' equity (deficit)..........  (23,318)      327     40,297
</TABLE>

  Our headquarters are located at 1601 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1900, Seattle,
Washington 98101, and our telephone number is (206) 292-1000. Our Web site is
www.primus.com. We were incorporated in Washington in 1986.

                                       4
<PAGE>

                                  RISK FACTORS

  You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an
investment decision. If any of the following risks actually occur, our
business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and
adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could
decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

We have incurred operating losses, and we may not be profitable in the future.

  We have incurred net losses in each quarter since inception and we expect to
continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. As of March 31, 1999,
we had an accumulated deficit of $33.4 million. We expect to continue to devote
substantial resources to expand our product development, sales and marketing
and client service groups. As a result, we will need to generate significant
revenues to achieve and maintain profitability. We may not be profitable in any
future period. See "Selected Consolidated Financial Data" and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

Quarterly fluctuations in our operating results may adversely affect our stock
price.

  Our license revenues have fluctuated substantially from quarter to quarter in
the past and are likely to continue to fluctuate substantially in the future.
Many of the factors causing the fluctuations are listed in "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--
Quarterly Results of Operations." In addition, the fiscal or quarterly budget
cycles of our users can cause our revenues to fluctuate from quarter to quarter
and applicable accounting policies may cause us to report new license
agreements as deferred revenue until implementation begins. As a result, we
believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are not
meaningful, and you should not rely on such comparisons to predict our future
performance. We will continue to base our decisions regarding our operating
expenses on anticipated revenue trends. To the extent these expenses are not
followed by increased revenues, our operating results will suffer. Fluctuations
in our operating results, particularly compared to the expectations of market
analysts or investors, could cause severe volatility in the price of our common
stock.

Our quarterly operating results depend on a small number of large orders.

  We derive a significant portion of our product license revenue in each
quarter from a small number of relatively large orders. Our operating results
for a particular fiscal quarter could be materially adversely affected if we
are unable to complete one or more substantial license sales or implementations
planned for that quarter. During the last nine quarters, four or fewer
customers accounted for more than half of that quarter's total revenues. See
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations."

Factors outside our control may cause the timing of our license revenues to
vary from quarter-to-quarter, possibly adversely affecting our operating
results.

  Under applicable accounting rules, we may experience further variability in
our license revenues from quarter to quarter due to factors outside our
control, including

  . variability in the mix of new and existing customers

  . whether we are providing implementation services

  . whether implementation is delayed or takes longer than expected

                                       5
<PAGE>


  Where we are implementing the software, we will account for the agreement as
an item of deferred revenue and will recognize the revenue over the period of
implementation. Most of our new customers begin implementation within 30 to 60
days of signing a license agreement. Once commenced, implementation of our
products typically ranges from 60 to 90 days. We can't, however, guarantee that
customers will begin implementation or that we will always be able to implement
our software within those time periods. Thus, all of our deferred license
revenue may not be recognized within the originally expected time period. See
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations."

Seasonality may adversely affect our quarterly operating results.

  We expect to experience seasonality in our license revenue. To date, we
believe that seasonality has been masked by other factors, such as large orders
and the timing of personnel changes in our sales staff. Our customers' purchase
decisions are often affected by fiscal budgetary factors and by efforts of our
direct sales force to meet or exceed sales quotas. As a result, we expect new
business in the last quarter of a year to be greater than new business in the
first quarter of the following year. One effect of our revenue recognition
policy, however, is that revenue recognized in a quarter will typically not
reflect all of the new license agreements signed and shipped in that quarter.
Because revenue recognized in a given quarter may be primarily associated with
new business in prior quarters, revenue in the first quarter may be higher than
revenue recognized in the previous fourth quarter. See "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

The limited sales history of our products makes it difficult to evaluate our
business and prospects.

  We released our first SolutionSeries product in April 1995. As of March 31,
1999, approximately 40 companies licensed our SolutionSeries products.
Accordingly, the basis upon which you can evaluate our prospects in general,
and market acceptance of our products in particular, is limited. The market for
problem-resolution software will have to grow significantly, and we will have
to achieve broad market acceptance of our products, for our business to
succeed.

  Moreover, we released our Web-based products, SolutionPublisher and
SolutionExplorer, in August 1996 and November 1997, respectively. The limited
sales history of our Web-based products further limits your ability to evaluate
our business and prospects. Additionally, part of our strategy is to extend our
solutions to other functional areas where knowledge captured by our products
may be useful, such as product development, sales and marketing and field
service. Whether there will be significant demand for our products in these
areas is untested and uncertain.

We rely on sales of only one product family.

  Product-license revenues and related services from our SolutionSeries
products accounted for substantially all of our total revenues during fiscal
1998, and we expect revenues from our SolutionSeries products to continue to
account for substantially all of our future revenues. As a result, factors
adversely affecting the demand for our SolutionSeries products, such as
competition, pricing or technological change, could materially adversely affect
our business, financial condition and operating results. Our future financial
performance will substantially depend on our ability to sell current versions
of the SolutionSeries products and our ability to develop and sell enhanced
versions of SolutionSeries products.


                                       6
<PAGE>

Our future success depends in part on broad market acceptance of the Web as a
delivery vehicle for problem resolution.

  Part of our strategy is to continue to increase our focus on developing and
marketing Web-based products. Our Web-based products, SolutionExplorer and
SolutionPublisher, accounted for approximately 33% of our software license
revenue in 1998 and 51% in the first quarter of 1999. Broad market acceptance
of the Web as a delivery vehicle for problem solutions to an enterprise's
customers, resellers, channel partners and field representatives through Web
self-service is critical to the success of our business. Thus, our future
success substantially depends on continued growth in the use of the Internet
and the continued development of the Internet as a viable commercial
communication medium. We cannot be certain that commercial Internet usage will
continue to grow as it has in the past. If use of the Internet as a commercial
communication medium does not continue to grow or evolves in a way that we
cannot address, our business, financial condition and operating results would
be materially and adversely affected.

Factors outside our control may make our products less useful.

  The effectiveness of our SolutionSeries products depends in part on
widespread adoption and use of our software by customer-support personnel in
the extended enterprise and the quality of the solutions they generate. The
problem-resolution database is developed by customer-support personnel that
create solutions in the workflow and, sometimes, by importing a user's legacy
solutions. If customer-support personnel do not adopt and use our products,
necessary solutions will not be added to the database, and the database will be
inadequate. Some of our users have found that customer- support personnel
productivity initially drops while customer-support personnel become accustomed
to using our software. If an enterprise deploying our software has not
adequately planned for and communicated its expectations regarding that initial
productivity decline, customer-support personnel may resist adoption of our
software. In addition, if less-than-adequate solutions are created and left
uncorrected by a user's quality-assurance processes or if the legacy solutions
are inadequate, the database will similarly be inadequate, and the value of our
SolutionSeries products to our users will be impaired. Thus, successful
deployment and broad acceptance of our SolutionSeries products will depend in
part on whether our users effectively roll-out and use our software products
and the quality of the users' existing database of solutions, each of which are
outside our control. See "Business--Products."

The high level of competition in our market may result in pricing pressures,
reduced margins or the failure of our products to achieve market acceptance.

  The market for our products is new and rapidly evolving, and is expected to
become increasingly competitive as current competitors expand their product
offerings and new companies enter the market. We face competition in the
problem-resolution software market primarily from:

  . other problem-resolution software vendors

  . e-commerce customer-management software vendors

  . our potential users' internal information technology departments, which
    may choose to rely upon their own proprietary problem-resolution systems
    or develop new proprietary systems

  As the market for problem-resolution software matures, it is possible that
new and larger companies will enter the market, existing competitors will form
alliances or current and potential competitors could acquire, be acquired by or
establish cooperative relationships with third parties. The resulting
organizations could have greater technical, marketing and other resources and
improve their products to address the needs of our existing and potential
users, thereby increasing their market

                                       7
<PAGE>

share. Increased competition could result in pricing pressures, reduced margins
or the failure of our products to achieve or maintain market acceptance. See
"Business--Competition."

The loss of access to, or a problem with, Versant's database could adversely
affect our business.

  We incorporate into our products a database licensed from Versant. We are
currently working to integrate our products with other databases; however we do
not believe that the integrations will be completed for at least three to six
months. Because our products currently rely on Versant's database, we depend on
Versant's ability to support the database in a timely and effective manner.
Until we finish integration of our products with other databases, losing access
to Versant's database would have a material adverse effect on our ability to
license our product to new users. See "Business--Products."

Failure to sufficiently expand our sales and marketing infrastructure would
adversely affect our sales.

  To date, we have licensed our products primarily through our direct sales
force. Our vice president of sales began working for us in January 1999, and we
are currently seeking to hire a vice president of marketing. Our future revenue
growth will depend in large part on our ability to recruit, train and manage
additional sales and marketing personnel and to expand our indirect
distribution channels. We have experienced and continue to experience
difficulty in recruiting qualified sales and marketing personnel and in
establishing third-party relationships. We may not be able to successfully
expand our direct sales force or other distribution channels and any such
expansion may not result in increased revenues. Our business, financial
condition and operating results will be materially adversely affected if we
fail to expand our sales and marketing resources. See "Business--Sales and
Marketing."

Our failure to retain skilled technical personnel in a tight labor market may
adversely affect our product development, sales and customer satisfaction.

  Qualified technical personnel are in great demand throughout the software
industry. The demand for qualified technical personnel is particularly acute in
the Pacific Northwest, due to the large number of software companies and the
low unemployment in the region. Our success depends in large part upon our
continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled technical employees,
particularly software architects and engineers. Our failure to attract and
retain the highly-trained technical personnel that are integral to our direct
sales, product-development and customer-support teams may limit the rate at
which we can generate sales and develop new products or product enhancements.
This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and operating results.

Failure to properly integrate our management team would adversely affect our
business.

  In the last year we added three new members to our senior management team,
none of whom worked together prior to joining Primus. Our success depends on
the performance of our senior management and their ability to work together.
Failure to properly integrate them would harm our business. Much of our success
also depends on Michael A. Brochu, our president and chief executive officer.
The loss of Mr. Brochu's services would harm our business. See "Management."

Our inability to expand sufficiently our implementation and consulting
capabilities would limit our ability to grow.

  If sales of new licenses increased rapidly or if we were to sign a license
agreement for a particularly large or complex implementation, our client
services personnel may be unable to meet

                                       8
<PAGE>

the demand for implementation services. In that case, if we were unable to
retain or hire highly trained consulting personnel or establish relationships
with third-party systems-integrators and consultants to implement our products,
we would be unable to meet customer demands for implementation and educational
services related to our products. A failure to do so could have a material
adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. See
"Business--Strategy."

Our international operations are subject to additional risks.

  Revenues from customers outside the United States represented approximately
$1.4 million in fiscal 1998, or 17% of our total 1998 revenues. A key component
to our business strategy is to expand our sales and support operations
internationally. Our international operations will continue to be subject to a
number of risks. These risks include:

  . costs of customizing products for foreign countries

  . laws and business practices favoring local competition

  . compliance with multiple, conflicting and changing laws and regulations

  . longer sales cycles

  . greater difficulty or delay in accounts receivable collection

  . import and export restrictions and tariffs

  . difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations

  . political and economic instability

  Our international operations also face foreign-currency-related risks. To
date, substantially all of our revenues have been denominated in U.S. dollars,
but we believe that in the future, an increasing portion of our revenues will
be denominated in foreign currencies, including the Euro, which was introduced
in January 1999. The Euro is an untested currency and may be subject to
economic risks that are not currently contemplated. Fluctuations in the value
of the Euro or other foreign currencies may have a material adverse effect on
our business, operating results and financial condition.

  We currently customize our products for the Japanese market. In the future,
we may develop additional localized versions of our products. Localization of
our products could create additional costs and cause delays in new product
introductions.

Our failure to adapt to technology trends and evolving industry standards would
hinder our competitiveness.

  Our market is susceptible to rapid changes due to technology innovation,
evolving industry standards, and frequent new service and product
introductions. New services and products based on new technologies or new
industry standards expose us to risks of technical or product obsolescence. We
will need to use leading technologies effectively, continue to develop our
technical expertise and enhance our existing products on a timely basis to
compete successfully in this industry. We cannot be certain that we will be
successful in using new technologies effectively, developing new products or
enhancing existing products on a timely basis or that any new technologies or
enhancements used by us or offered to our customers will achieve market
acceptance.

Our inability to continue integration of our products with other third-party
software could adversely affect market acceptance of our products.

  Our ability to compete successfully also depends on the continued
compatibility and interoperability of our products with products and systems
sold by various third parties, specifically

                                       9
<PAGE>

including customer-relationship-management software sold by Clarify, ONYX
Software, Remedy, Siebel Systems and Vantive. Currently, these vendors have
open applications program interfaces, which facilitate our ability to integrate
with their systems. If any one of them should close their programs' interface
or if they should acquire one of our competitors, our ability to provide a
close integration of our products could become more difficult and could delay
or prevent our products' integration with future systems.

Our efforts to protect our proprietary rights may be inadequate.

  Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our proprietary rights.
To protect our proprietary rights, we rely primarily on a combination of
copyright, trade secret and trademark laws, confidentiality agreements with
employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions such as
those contained in license agreements with consultants, vendors and customers.
We have not signed such agreements in every case. Despite our efforts to
protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of our
products and obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. Other
parties may breach confidentiality agreements and other protective contracts we
have entered into. We may not become aware of, or have adequate remedies in the
event of, such breach.

  We pursue the registration of some of our trademarks and service marks in the
United States and in certain other countries, but we have not secured
registration of all our marks. A significant portion of our marks include the
word "Primus." Other companies use "Primus" in their marks alone or in
combination with other words, and we cannot prevent all third-party uses of the
word "Primus." We license certain trademark rights to third parties. Such
licensees may not abide by compliance and quality control guidelines with
respect to such trademark rights and may take actions that would adversely
affect our trademarks.

Other companies may claim that we infringe their intellectual property or
proprietary rights.

  If any of our products violate third party proprietary rights, we may be
required to reengineer our products or seek to obtain licenses from third
parties, and such efforts may not be successful. We do not conduct
comprehensive patent searches to determine whether the technology used in our
products infringes patents held by third parties. Product development is
inherently uncertain in a rapidly evolving technological environment in which
there may be numerous patent applications pending, many of which are
confidential when filed, with regard to similar technologies. In addition,
other companies have filed trademark applications for marks similar to the
names of our products. Although we believe that our products do not infringe
the proprietary rights of any third parties, third parties could assert
infringement claims against us in the future. The defense of any such claims
would require us to incur substantial costs and would divert management's
attention and resources to defend against any claims relating to proprietary
rights, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and
operations. Parties making such claims could secure a judgment awarding them
substantial damages, as well as injunctive or equitable relief that could
effectively block our ability to sell our services. Any such outcome could have
a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating
results.

Control by insider shareholders of a large percentage of our voting stock may
permit them to influence Primus in a way that adversely affects our stock
price.

  Following the closing of this offering, our officers, directors and
affiliated entities together will beneficially own approximately 36.7% of the
outstanding shares of our common stock (35.1% if the underwriters' over-
allotment option is exercised in full). As a result, these shareholders will be

                                       10
<PAGE>

able to influence all matters requiring shareholder approval and, thereby, our
management and affairs. Some matters that typically require shareholder
approval include:

  . election of directors

  . certain amendments to our articles of incorporation

  . merger or consolidation

  . sale of all or substantially all our assets

  This concentration of ownership may delay, deter or prevent acts that would
result in a change of control, which in turn could reduce the market price of
our common stock. See "Principal and Selling Shareholders."

Management has broad discretion in using the net proceeds from this offering.

  We have not identified specific uses for the net proceeds from this offering,
and we will have broad discretion in how we use them. See "Use of Proceeds."

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and Washington law contain provisions
that could discourage a takeover.

  Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and our bylaws and
Washington law could make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control
of Primus, which could reduce the market price of our stock. See "Description
of Capital Stock."

Future sales of our common stock may depress our stock price.

  After this offering, we will have outstanding 13,501,796 shares of common
stock. Sales of a substantial number of shares of common stock in the public
market following this offering could materially adversely affect the market
price of our common stock. All the shares sold in this offering will be freely
tradable. The remaining shares of common stock outstanding after this offering
will be available for sale in the public market as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                     Number of
                     Date of Availability for Sale                    Shares
                     -----------------------------                   ---------
   <S>                                                               <C>
        Upon effectiveness of this offering.........................   224,829
        90 days after effectiveness of this offering................    18,150
        180 days after effectiveness of this offering............... 8,863,297
        At various times thereafter upon the expiration of one-year
        holding periods.............................................   245,520
                                                                     ---------
     Total.......................................................... 9,351,796
                                                                     =========
</TABLE>

  See "Shares Eligible for Future Sale" and "Underwriting."

Year 2000 remediation may involve significant time and expense and may reduce
our future sales.

  Many currently installed computer systems are not capable of distinguishing
21st century dates from 20th century dates or have been programmed with default
dates ending in "99," the common two-digit reference for 1999. As a result, as
we transition from the 20th century to the 21st century, computer systems and
software used by many companies and organizations in a wide variety of
industries, including technology, transportation, utilities, finance and
telecommunications, will produce erroneous results or fail unless they have
been modified or upgraded to process date

                                       11
<PAGE>

information correctly. Although we believe the current versions of our software
products are Year 2000 compliant, we may face claims based on Year 2000 issues
arising from the integration of multiple products within an overall system. We
may also experience reduced sales of our products as potential customers reduce
their budgets or delay new purchases for customer-support software due to
increased expenditures on their own Year 2000 compliance efforts. See
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations--Year 2000 Compliance."

Changes in accounting standards could affect the calculation of our future
operating results.

  In October 1997, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
issued its Statement of Position 97-2, "Software Revenue Recognition," and
later amended its position by its Statement of Position 98-4. We adopted
Statement of Position 97-2 effective January 1, 1998. Based on our
interpretation of the AICPA's position, we believe our current revenue
recognition policies and practices are consistent with Statement of Position
97-2 and Statement of Position 98-4. The AICPA has also issued Statement of
Position 98-9, which is effective for transactions we enter into beginning
January 1, 2000. However, full implementation guidelines for these standards
have not yet been issued. Once available, such implementation guidelines could
lead to unanticipated changes in our current revenue accounting practices which
could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and
operating results. Additionally, the accounting standard setters, including the
Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards
Board, are reviewing the accounting standards related to stock-based
compensation. Any changes to this standard or any other accounting standards
could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and
operating results. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations."

You should not unduly rely on forward-looking statements.

  This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. We use words such as "anticipate," "believes," "expects,"
"future" and "intends," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking
statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which apply only as of the date of this prospectus. Our actual
results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking
statements for many reasons, including the risks described above and elsewhere
in this prospectus.

                                       12
<PAGE>

                                USE OF PROCEEDS

  We expect to receive approximately $40.0 million in net proceeds from the
sale by us of the 4,000,000 shares of common stock in this offering, at the
assumed initial public offering price of $11.00 per share (approximately $46.3
million if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full).

  We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering primarily for additional
working capital and other general corporate purposes, including repayment of a
term loan facility. We plan to repay the outstanding balance on our term loan
with Imperial Bank. As of March 31, 1999, we had borrowed $1.6 million under
this facility, which bears interest at Imperial Bank's prime rate plus 1%,
which equaled 8.75% at March 31, 1999. We may also use a portion of the net
proceeds to acquire additional businesses, products and technologies or to
establish joint ventures that we believe will complement our current or future
business. However, we have no specific oral or written plans, agreements or
commitments to do so, and are not currently negotiating any such acquisition or
joint venture. The amounts that we actually expend for working capital and
other general corporate purposes will vary significantly depending on a number
of factors, including future revenue growth, if any, the amount of cash we
generate from operations and the progress of our product development efforts.
As a result, we will retain broad discretion in allocating the net proceeds of
this offering. Pending the uses described above, we will invest the net
proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade securities.

                                DIVIDEND POLICY

  We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to
retain any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business.
Therefore, we do not currently anticipate paying any cash dividends in the
foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of our current credit facilities
prohibit us from paying dividends without our lender's consent.

                                       13
<PAGE>

                                 CAPITALIZATION

  The following table sets forth:

  . our actual capitalization as of March 31, 1999

  . our pro forma capitalization, after giving effect to the conversion of
    all outstanding preferred stock into 4,966,660 shares of common stock and
    proceeds of $272,000 from the exercise of warrants to purchase 66,389
    shares of common stock at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.10 per
    share for which we have received binding commitments from the warrant
    holders to exercise the warrants in conjunction with the closing of this
    offering.

  . our pro forma capitalization, as adjusted to give effect to the sale by
    us of 4,000,000 shares of common stock at the assumed initial public
    offering price of $11.00 per share (less anticipated underwriting
    discounts and commissions and estimated expenses we expect to pay in
    connection with this offering) and the repayment of the $1.6 million
    balance outstanding on our bank term loan

You should read this table in conjunction with our consolidated financial
statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                            March 31, 1999
                            -----------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Pro Forma
                                Actual         Pro Forma         as Adjusted
                            ---------------  ---------------  -------------------
                            (In thousands, except share and per share data)
<S>                         <C>              <C>              <C>
Long-term obligations, net
 of current portion.......  $         1,054  $         1,054   $            47
                            ---------------  ---------------   ---------------
Redeemable convertible
 preferred stock;
 12,810,568 shares
 designated: 12,810,568
 shares issued and
 outstanding, actual; no
 shares issued and
 outstanding, pro forma
 and pro forma as
 adjusted.................           23,373              --                --

Shareholders' equity
 (deficit):
  Preferred stock, $.001
   par value per share;
   15,000,000 shares
   authorized; 500,000
   issued and outstanding,
   actual; no shares
   issued and outstanding
   pro forma or pro forma
   as adjusted............                1              --                --
  Common stock, $.025 par
   value per share;
   50,000,000 shares
   authorized; 4,468,747
   shares issued and
   outstanding, actual;
   9,501,796 shares issued
   and outstanding, pro
   forma; 13,501,796
   shares issued and
   outstanding, pro forma
   as adjusted(1).........              112              238               338
  Additional paid-in
   capital................            9,975           33,495            73,365
  Accumulated deficit.....          (33,401)         (33,401)          (33,401)
  Accumulated other
   comprehensive loss.....               (5)              (5)               (5)
                            ---------------  ---------------   ---------------
    Total shareholders'
     equity (deficit).....          (23,318)             327            40,297
                            ---------------  ---------------   ---------------
      Total
       capitalization.....  $         1,109  $         1,381   $        40,344
                            ===============  ===============   ===============
</TABLE>
- -------
(1) Common stock excludes:
  . 235,214 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options
    outstanding, of which 225,962 are exercisable, under our 1993 stock plan
    at a weighted average exercise price of $1.98 per share
  . 8,332 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of stock options
    outstanding and exercisable under our 1994 nonemployee director stock
    option plan at a weighted average exercise price of $2.25 per share
  . 2,671,881 shares of common stock issuable on exercise of options
    outstanding, of which 1,055,510 shares are exercisable, under our 1995
    stock plan at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.31 per share and
    24,641 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 1995
    plan. An additional 500,000 shares were reserved under the plan in April
    1999.
  . 1,166,667 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 1999
    stock plan
  . 600,000 shares available for issuance under our 1999 employee stock
    purchase plan
  . 34,166 shares issuable on exercise of warrants outstanding at a weighted-
    average exercise price of $5.85 per share


                                       14
<PAGE>

                                    DILUTION

  If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the
extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our
common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of
our common stock after this offering. We calculate net tangible book value per
share by dividing the net tangible book value (total assets less intangible
assets and total liabilities) by the number of outstanding shares of common
stock on an as-if-converted basis, as adjusted assuming the cash exercise of
the warrants referred to below.

  Our pro forma net tangible book value at March 31, 1999, after giving effect
to (1) the conversion of all outstanding preferred stock into 4,966,660 shares
of common stock upon the closing of this offering and (2) proceeds of $272,000
from the exercise of warrants to purchase 66,389 shares of common stock at a
weighted-average exercise price of $4.10 per share, was $327,000, or $0.03 per
share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of the 4,000,000 shares
of common stock at the assumed initial public offering price of $11.00 per
share (less anticipated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated
expenses we expect to pay in connection with this offering), our pro forma as
adjusted net tangible book value at March 31, 1999 would have been $40.3
million, or $2.98 per share. This represents an immediate increase in the pro
forma net tangible book value of $2.95 per share to existing shareholders and
an immediate dilution of $8.02 per share to new investors, or approximately 73%
of the assumed initial public offering price of $11.00 per share.

  The following table illustrates this per share dilution:

<TABLE>
<S>                                                               <C>   <C>
Assumed initial public offering price per share..................       $11.00
Pro forma net tangible book value per share at March 31, 1999.... $0.03
Increase per share attributable to new investors.................  2.95
                                                                  -----
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after
 this offering...................................................         2.98
                                                                        ------
Dilution per share to new investors..............................       $ 8.02
                                                                        ======
</TABLE>

  The following table shows, as of March 31, 1999 on the pro forma basis
described above, the number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the
total consideration paid to us and the average price paid per share by existing
shareholders and by new investors purchasing common stock in this offering:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                             Shares Purchased  Total Consideration
                            ------------------ ------------------- Average Price
                              Number   Percent   Amount    Percent   Per Share
                            ---------- ------- ----------- ------- -------------
<S>                         <C>        <C>     <C>         <C>     <C>
Existing shareholders......  9,501,796    70%  $34,020,000    44%     $ 3.58
New investors..............  4,000,000    30    44,000,000    56      $11.00
                            ----------   ---   -----------   ---
  Total.................... 13,501,796   100%  $78,020,000   100%
                            ==========   ===   ===========   ===
</TABLE>

  At March 31, 1999, we had outstanding options to purchase shares of common
stock as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                      Number of Weighted-Average
                                                       Options   Exercise Price
                                                      --------- ----------------
   <S>                                                <C>       <C>
   1993 stock plan...................................   235,214      $1.98
   1994 stock plan...................................     8,332       2.25
   1995 stock plan................................... 2,671,881       4.31
                                                      ---------
     Total........................................... 2,915,427       4.12
                                                      =========
</TABLE>

  We also have available 1,166,667 shares for grant under our 1999 stock plan
and 600,000 shares for issuance under our 1999 employee stock purchase plan. To
the extent the option holders exercise outstanding options, or any options we
grant in the future, there will be further dilution to new investors. Both of
these plans have provisions to automatically add shares to the plan in certain
circumstances. In April 1999, we reserved an additional 500,000 shares under
our 1995 plan.

                                       15
<PAGE>

                      SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

  The following selected consolidated financial data and other operating
information are derived from our consolidated financial statements. The
statement of operation and balance sheet data presented below were derived from
our audited consolidated financial statements. The information for years 1996
through 1998 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors. In
our opinion, our unaudited financial statements for the three-month periods
ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 and at March 31, 1999 have been prepared on a
basis consistent with our audited financial statements and contain all
adjustments which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a
fair presentation of our financial position and operating results for those
periods. When you read this selected consolidated financial data, it is
important that you also read the historical consolidated financial statements
and related notes included in this prospectus, as well as the section of this
prospectus related to "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations." Historical results are not necessarily
indicative of future results.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                         Three Months
                                  Year Ended December 31,               Ended March 31,
                          --------------------------------------------  ----------------
                           1994     1995     1996     1997      1998     1998     1999
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
                                   (In thousands, except per share data)
<S>                       <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>       <C>      <C>
Statement of Operations
 Data:
Revenues:
  License...............  $    14  $   427  $ 1,459  $ 3,558  $  6,034  $   948  $ 2,901
  Service...............       --      193      963    1,631     2,576      417    1,010
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
   Total revenues.......       14      620    2,422    5,189     8,610    1,365    3,911
Cost of revenues:
  License...............       --       43      137       97       375       20      145
  Service...............       --      332    1,090    2,306     2,434      518      790
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
   Total cost of
    revenues............       --      375    1,227    2,403     2,809      538      935
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Gross profit............       14      245    1,195    2,786     5,801      827    2,976
Operating expenses:
  Sales and marketing...      917    2,118    3,499    4,613     9,750    1,268    2,876
  Research and
   development..........      674    1,545    2,459    2,538     3,286      713    1,065
  General and
   administrative.......      712    1,111    1,229    1,580     3,271      460      879
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
   Total operating
    expenses............    2,303    4,774    7,187    8,731    16,307    2,441    4,820
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Loss from operations....   (2,289)  (4,529)  (5,992)  (5,945)  (10,506)  (1,614)  (1,844)
Interest income
 (expense), net.........       --      (53)     114      (40)      (52)     (12)       8
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Loss before income
 taxes..................   (2,289)  (4,582)  (5,878)  (5,985)  (10,558)  (1,626)  (1,836)
Income tax provision....       --       --       --       --       (45)      --      (27)
                          -------  -------  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Net loss................  $(2,289) $(4,582) $(5,878) $(5,985) $(10,603) $(1,626) $(1,863)
                          =======  =======  =======  =======  ========  =======  =======
Loss Per Share:
  Basic and Diluted.....    (1.57)   (1.49)   (1.58)  (1.62)     (2,82)   (0.44)   (0.48)
  Pro Forma Basic and
   Diluted..............      --       --       --       --      (1.32)     --     (0.20)
Shares used in
 Computation of Loss Per
 Share
  Basic and Diluted.....    1,458    3,068    3,857    3,884     3,957    3,903    4,313
  Pro Forma Basic and
   Diluted..............      --       --       --       --      8,020      --     9,280
</TABLE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       December 31,                     March 31, 1999
                         --------------------------------------------  ------------------
                                                                                   Pro
                          1994     1995    1996      1997      1998     Actual   Forma(2)
                         -------  ------  -------  --------  --------  --------  --------
                                               (In thousands)
<S>                      <C>      <C>     <C>      <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash
 equivalents............ $     6  $  227  $ 2,014  $    711  $  2,583  $  2,423   $2,695
Working capital
 (deficit)..............  (1,154)   (923)   2,043    (1,957)     (816)   (1,099)    (827)
Total assets............     454   1,737    5,877     5,274    13,687    11,546   11,818
Long-term obligations,
 net of current.........      85     240      738       386     1,073     1,054    1,054
Redeemable convertible
 preferred stock........     --      --     8,128    10,399    23,157    23,373      --
Total shareholders'
 equity (deficit).......    (914)   (223)  (5,291)  (11,487)  (22,247)  (23,318)     327
</TABLE>
- -------
(1) See notes 1 and 12 of notes to consolidated financial statements for an
    explanation of the method used to calculate pro forma basic and diluted
    loss per share.

(2) Adjusted to reflect the conversion of all outstanding preferred stock into
    4,966,660 shares of common stock and proceeds of $272,000 from the exercise
    of warrants to purchase 66,389 shares of common stock at a weighted-average
    exercise price of $4.10. We have received binding commitments from the
    warrant holders to exercise the warrants in conjunction with the closing of
    this offering.

                                       16
<PAGE>

                    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
                 FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

  This section of this prospectus includes a number of forward-looking
statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and
financial performance. We use words such as "anticipate," "believes,"
"expects," "future" and "intends," and similar expressions to identify forward-
looking statements. You should not unduly rely on these forward-looking
statements, which apply only as of the date of this prospectus. These forward-
looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or our
predictions. For a description of these risks, see "Risk Factors."

Overview

  Our predecessor, Symbologic Corporation, incorporated in October 1986 and
initially focused on a software development tool for creation of systems to
gather organizational expertise. In 1993, we licensed that product line to
another company and founded the Customer Support Consortium, a consortium of
leading software and hardware companies focused on advancing customer-support
strategies, models and standards. From 1993 to 1995, we directed our attention
to customer-support products and began developing our SolutionSeries products.
In 1995, we changed our name to Primus and released SolutionBuilder, our first
SolutionSeries product. We launched our first Web-based products,
SolutionPublisher and SolutionExplorer, in 1996 and the end of 1997,
respectively. In 1997, we also divested our interest in the Customer Support
Consortium in conjunction with its transition to an independent nonprofit
entity. The divestiture consisted of the transfer of cash, accounts receivable
and capital equipment with an aggregate book value of $282,000 to the nonprofit
entity and the assumption by it of a $282,000 obligation related to the
fulfillment of Customer Support Consortium membership requirements. We recorded
no gain or loss as a result of the divestiture.

  Our revenues, which consist of software license revenues and related client
services revenues, totaled $2.4 million, $5.2 million and $8.6 million in 1996,
1997 and 1998, respectively. For the foreseeable future, we expect
substantially all of our revenues will continue to be derived from our
SolutionSeries product family and related services. Our customers generally
license a full suite of our products. We have not experienced a decline in
revenues with respect to any one product as a result of product upgrades
provided under our support and maintenance agreements. We market our software
and services through our direct sales organization in the United States and the
United Kingdom. In Japan, Primus KK, a Japanese joint venture in which we hold
a 14.3% minority interest, distributes our products. Our international sales
constituted 17% of our 1998 revenues and 36% of our revenues for the first
quarter of 1999. We believe that international revenues, as a percentage of our
total revenues, will vary substantially on a quarterly basis for the forseeable
future.

  We price our software licenses based on the number of servers, users and/or
concurrent users. From time to time, we grant discounts to customers with large
installations or who license several SolutionSeries products concurrently.

  Our service revenues consist of consulting, training and maintenance and
support fees. We provide consulting and training services relating to our
products on a time-and-materials basis under installation services agreements
with our customers. We provide maintenance and support services to our
customers under renewable one-year maintenance and support agreements, which we
price as a percentage of our license fees.

  Before 1998, we recognized software license revenue in accordance with the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Statement of Position 91-1.
Beginning in 1998, we have recognized

                                       17
<PAGE>

software license revenue in accordance with AICPA Statement of Position 97-2,
"Software Revenue Recognition," and related amendment and interpretations
contained in the AICPA's Statement of Position 98-4. We typically recognize
software license revenues over the software implementation period if:

  . we have signed a noncancelable license agreement with a customer

  . we have shipped the software

  . the fee is fixed and determinable

  . there is sufficient vendor-specific objective evidence to support
    allocation of the total fee to all elements of multiple-element
    arrangements

  . the fee is collectible

We currently recognize license revenue over the implementation period if
implementation services are included in the original license arrangement. As a
result, even where we have a signed license agreement for the purchase of our
software and have shipped the software, license revenue recognition depends on
whether we have begun implementation. At the current stage of our development,
due to the relatively recent introduction of our product line, our desire to
ensure customer satisfaction while we seek to build market share, the limited
number of installations of our products to date and the limited number of
third-party vendors that currently provide implementation services to our
users, we have concluded that the implementation services are, as a practical
matter, essential to the software in initial software arrangements where we
provide implementation services. As such we recognize revenue for these
arrangements following the percentage-of-completion method over the
implementation period. On the other hand, for license agreements under which we
have no implementation responsibility, we generally recognize revenue from the
agreement upon shipping the software, which we typically accomplish shortly
after signing a license agreement.

  For new users, we typically agree to implement our software. Conversely,
examples of situations under which we have no implementation responsibility
would include a license agreement to add users for an existing customer or a
license agreement with a new customer who is using an outside implementation
service provider or is relying on its own internal implementation services.
Most of our new customers begin implementation within 30 to 60 days of signing
a license agreement. Once commenced, implementation of our products typically
ranges from 60 to 90 days. We can't, however, guarantee that customers will
begin implementation or that we will always be able to implement our software
within those time periods.

  We enter into reseller arrangements that typically provide for sublicense
fees payable to us based on a percentage of our list price. We recognize
sublicense fees as they are reported by the reseller when it relicenses our
products to users of our products.

  We believe our current revenue-recognition policies and practices are
consistent with applicable AICPA accounting pronouncements; however, the AICPA
has not issued full interpretation guidelines for its latest standards yet. We
might find it necessary to change our current revenue accounting practices once
the AICPA issues its interpretation guidance. Any changes in revenue-
recognition policies could result in substantial changes in the timing of our
future revenues and earnings. The AICPA recently issued its Statement of
Position 98-9, which provides certain amendments to its Statement of
Position 97-2 and is effective for transactions entered into beginning January
1, 2000. We do not expect implementation of this latest AICPA pronouncement to
materially impact our revenue recognition practices.

                                       18
<PAGE>

  Since 1992, we have invested heavily in product development and in building
our sales, marketing and client services organizations. From November 1997
through February 1999, we made a strategic investment in building our executive
management team to help us execute our long-term growth strategy. We have
incurred quarterly net losses since inception, and as of March 31, 1999, had an
accumulated deficit of $33.4 million. We anticipate that our operating expenses
will continue to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we
continue to expand our product development, sales and marketing and client-
services staff.

Results of Operations

  The following table presents certain financial data as a percentage of total
revenues for the periods indicated:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Three Months
                                    Year Ended December        Ended March
                                            31,                    31,
                                    ------------------------   --------------
                                     1996     1997     1998     1998    1999
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
<S>                                 <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>      <C>
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenues:
 License...........................   60.2 %   68.6 %   70.1 %   69.5 %  74.2%
 Service...........................   39.8     31.4     29.9     30.5    25.8
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
  Total revenues...................  100.0    100.0    100.0    100.0   100.0
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
Cost of revenues:
 License...........................    5.7      1.9      4.4      1.5     3.7
 Service...........................   45.0     44.4     28.2     37.9    20.2
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
  Total cost of revenues...........   50.7     46.3     32.6     39.4    23.9
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
Gross margin.......................   49.3     53.7     67.4     60.6    76.1
Operating expenses:
 Sales and marketing...............  144.5     88.9    113.2     92.9    73.5
 Research and development..........  101.5     48.9     38.2     52.2    27.2
 General and administrative........   50.7     30.5     38.0     33.7    22.5
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
  Total operating expenses.........  296.7    168.3    189.4    178.8   123.2
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
Loss from operations............... (247.4)  (114.6)  (122.0)  (118.2)  (47.1)
Interest income, net...............    4.7     (0.8)    (0.6)    (0.9)    0.2
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
Loss before income taxes........... (242.7)  (115.4)  (122.6)  (119.1)  (46.9)
Income tax provision ..............    --       --      (0.5)     --     (0.7)
                                    ------   ------   ------   ------   -----
Net loss........................... (242.7)% (115.4)% (123.1)% (119.1)% (47.6)%
                                    ======   ======   ======   ======   =====
</TABLE>

Revenues

  We derive our revenues from the sale of software products and related
services including support and maintenance contracts. Revenues were $1.4
million and $3.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999,
respectively, representing an increase in the first quarter of 1999 of $2.5
million or 187% over the comparable quarter of the prior year. Revenues were
$2.4 million, $5.2 million and $8.6 million in 1996, 1997 and 1998,
respectively, representing increases of $2.8 million or 114% from 1996 to 1997
and $3.4 million or 66% from 1997 to 1998. During 1996 and 1997, no single
customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenues. Purchases by one
customer, 3Com, represented 12% of our 1998 revenues.

  License Revenue. License revenues were $948,000 and $2.9 million for the
three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, representing an
increase in the first quarter of 1999 of

                                       19
<PAGE>

$2.0 million or 206% over the comparable quarter of the prior year. The
increase was due to increased international sales and increases in both the
size and productivity of the sales force. International license revenues were
$121,000 and $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999,
respectively. Sales personnel totaled 16 and 47 as of March 31, 1998 and 1999,
respectively. License revenues were $1.5 million, $3.6 million and $6.0 million
in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively, representing increases of $2.1 million,
or 144%, from 1996 to 1997 and $2.5 million, or 70%, from 1997 to 1998. The
increase from 1996 to 1997 was primarily a result of the introduction of
SolutionPublisher and SolutionExplorer in August 1996 and November 1997,
respectively. The increase in license revenue from these products was $653,000
during this period. The remaining license revenue increase was primarily a
result of increased SolutionBuilder sales. The increase from 1997 to 1998
primarily resulted from introduction of SolutionExplorer in November 1997, the
increased size of our sales force and increased international sales, as a
result of the opening of our U.K. sales office and sales through our Japanese
distributor. The increase in international license revenues was $1.1 million.
Sales personnel increased by 24 during this period.

  Service Revenue. Service revenues were $417,000 and $1.0 million for the
three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, representing an
increase in the first quarter of 1999 of $593,000, or 142%, over the comparable
quarter of the prior year. Maintenance and support contract revenues and
consulting fees increased $426,000 and $167,000, respectively, in the first
quarter of 1999 over the comparable quarter of the prior year. Service revenues
were $963,000, $1.6 million and $2.6 million in 1996, 1997 and 1998,
respectively, representing increases of $668,000, or 69%, from 1996 to 1997 and
$945,000, or 58%, from 1997 to 1998. Service revenues in 1996 consisted of
maintenance and support contract revenues and consulting fees of $912,000 and
$51,000, respectively. The increase in service revenue from 1996 to 1997 was a
result of a $371,000 increase in maintenance and support contract revenues and
a $297,000 increase in consulting revenues attributable to customer
implementations. The increase in service revenue from 1997 to 1998 was a result
of a $1.1 million increase in maintenance and support contract revenues offset
by a $127,000 decrease in consulting revenues. From 1996 through March 31,
1999, three customers did not renew their one-year maintenance and support
contracts. We expect the proportion of service revenues to total revenues to
fluctuate in the future, depending in part on use of third-party consulting and
implementation service providers.

Cost of Revenues

  Cost of License Revenue. Cost of license revenue includes royalties and fees
paid to third parties under license arrangements and costs related to media and
duplication for our products and manuals. Cost of license revenues were $20,000
and $145,000 for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively,
and $137,000, $97,000 and $375,000 in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. The
cost of licenses increased $125,000, or 625%, from the three months ended
March 31, 1998 to the three months ended March 31, 1999, and decreased $40,000,
or 29%, from 1996 to 1997, and increased $278,000, or 287%, from 1997 to 1998.
Cost of licenses as a percentage of license revenues were 2.1% and 5.0% for the
three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 9.4%, 2.7% and
6.2% for 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. We anticipate that our cost of
license revenue will continue to increase in absolute dollars. Our cost of
license revenue as a percent of license revenue has varied in the past due to
the volume of product sales and the type of the royalty agreements in place at
the time.

  Cost of Service Revenue. Cost of service revenue includes personnel and other
costs related to professional services and customer support. Cost of service
revenue were $518,000 and $790,000 for the three months ended March 31, 1998
and 1999, respectively, and $1.1 million, $2.3 million and

                                       20
<PAGE>

$2.4 million in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. Cost of service revenue
increased $272,000, or 53% from the three months ended March 31, 1998 to the
three months ended March 31, 1999, and $1.2 million, or 112%, from 1996 to
1997, and $128,000, or 5.6%, from 1997 to 1998. The increases in cost of
service revenue from 1996 to the first quarter of 1999 was a result of hiring
and training a consulting organization to successfully implement our
SolutionSeries products. Professional services and customer support personnel
totaled 12 and 32 as of March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 13, 14 and
25 at December 31, 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. Cost of service revenue
as a percentage of service revenues were 124% and 78% for the three months
ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 113%, 141% and 94% for 1996,
1997 and 1998, respectively. The decrease in cost of service revenues as a
percentage of services revenues from the first quarter of 1998 to the first
quarter of 1999 was primarily due to higher utilization rates as a result of
higher levels of consulting-services activity and increased experience of the
customer-support personnel.

Operating Expenses

  Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of
salaries, bonuses and commissions earned by sales and marketing personnel,
travel and costs associated with marketing programs, such as trade shows,
public relations and new product launches. Sales and marketing expenses were
$1.3 million and $2.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and
1999, respectively, and $3.5 million, $4.6 million and $9.8 million in 1996,
1997 and 1998, respectively. Sales and marketing expenses increased $1.6
million, or 127%, for the three months ended March 31, 1998 as compared to the
three months ended March 31, 1999, and $1.1 million, or 32%, from 1996 to
1997, and $5.1 million, or 111%, from 1997 to 1998. The increase from 1996 to
the first quarter of 1999 resulted primarily from the hiring of sales
management, sales representatives, sales engineers and marketing personnel, as
well as higher commissions paid as a result of revenue growth. Sales and
marketing employees totaled 30 and 58 as of March 31, 1998 and 1999,
respectively, and 23, 24 and 52 at December 31, 1996, 1997 and 1998,
respectively. The launch of our U.K. office in August 1998 contributed to the
increase of sales and marketing headcount that year. Total sales and marketing
headcount at our U.K. office was 7 as of December 31, 1998. Sales and
marketing expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 93% and 74% for the
three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 144%, 89% and
113% for 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. The increase in sales and
marketing expense as a percentage of total revenues from 1997 to 1998 was due
to headcount growth, attributable in part to the launch of our U.K. office. We
believe that a significant increase in our sales and marketing efforts is
essential for us to maintain market position and further increase market
acceptance of our products. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will continue
to invest significantly in sales and marketing for the foreseeable future, and
the dollar amount of sales and marketing expenses will increase in future
periods.

  Research and Development. Research and development expenses consist
primarily of salaries and benefits for software developers, product managers
and quality assurance personnel and payments to outside contractors. Research
and development expenses were $713,000 and $1.1 million for the three months
ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and $2.5 million, $2.5 million
and $3.3 million in 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. Research and
development expenses increased $352,000, or 49%, from the three months ended
March 31, 1998 to the three months ended March 31, 1999, $79,000, or 3%, from
1996 to 1997 and $748,000, or 30%, from 1997 to 1998. The increases from 1997
to the three months ended March 31, 1999 were primarily due to increased
hiring of software developers and quality-assurance staff to support
development of our new products and enhancements to our existing products and
to an increase in compensation levels for development and quality-assurance
personnel. Research and development personnel totaled

                                      21
<PAGE>

28 and 38 as of March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 24 and 31 for 1997
and 1998, respectively. Research and development expenses as a percentage of
total revenues were 52% and 27% for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and
1999, respectively, and 102%, 49% and 38% for 1996, 1997 and 1998,
respectively. We believe that a significant increase in our research and
development investment is essential for us to maintain our market position, to
continue to expand our product line and to develop additional applications for
our associative-based technology. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will
continue to invest significantly in product research and development for the
foreseeable future, and research and development expenses are likely to
increase in future periods. In the development of our new products and
enhancements of existing products, the technological feasibility of our
software is not established until substantially all product development is
complete. Accordingly, software development costs eligible for capitalization
were insignificant, and all costs related to internal research and development
have been expensed as incurred.

  General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses consist
primarily of salaries, benefits and related costs for executive, finance,
administrative and information services personnel. General and administrative
expenses were $460,000 and $879,000 for the three months ended March 31, 1998
and 1999, respectively, and $1.2 million, $1.6 million and $3.3 million in
1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. General and administrative expenses
increased $419,000, or 91%, from the three months ended March 31, 1998 to the
three months ended March 31, 1999, and $351,000, or 29%, from 1996 to 1997, and
$1.7 million, or 107%, from 1997 to 1998. The increase from 1996 to the first
quarter of 1999 was primarily the result of our hiring additional executive,
finance, and administrative personnel to support the growth of our business
during these periods. The increase in general and administrative expenses from
1997 to 1998 also reflects an increase in reserve accounts, such as in the
allowance for doubtful accounts related to our increase in revenues. General
and administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues were 34% and 23%
for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 51%, 31%
and 38% for 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively. The increase in general and
administrative expenses as a percentage of total revenues from 1997 to 1998 was
primarily due to growth in administrative headcount as we added to our
executive team. General and administrative employees totaled 14 and 19 as of
March 31, 1998 and 1999, respectively, and 10, 13 and 17 at December 31, 1996,
1997 and 1998, respectively. We believe that our general and administrative
expenses will continue to increase as a result of the continued expansion of
our administrative staff and the expenses associated with becoming a public
company, including, but not limited to, annual and other public-reporting
costs, directors' and officers' liability insurance, investor-relations
programs and professional-services fees.

  Income Taxes. As of December 31, 1998, we had net operating loss
carryforwards for federal and state income tax reporting purposes of
approximately $24.8 million and research and development tax credit
carryforwards of $418,000, which begin to expire in 2001, if not utilized. The
Internal Revenue Code contains provisions that limit the use in any future
period of net operating loss and credit carryforwards upon the occurrence of
certain events, including significant change in ownership interests. We had
deferred tax assets, including our net operating loss carryforwards and tax
credits, totaling approximately $10.9 million as of December 31, 1998. We have
recorded a valuation allowance for the entire deferred tax asset as a result of
uncertainties regarding the realization of the asset balance. See note 6 of the
notes to our consolidated financial statements.

                                       22
<PAGE>

Quarterly Results of Operations

  The following table presents our unaudited quarterly results of operations
for 1997, 1998 and the three months ended March 31, 1999. You should read the
following table in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and
the notes related thereto. We have prepared this unaudited information on a
basis consistent with the audited consolidated financial statements. This table
includes all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, that
we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and
operating results for the quarters presented. You should not draw any
conclusions about our future results from our quarterly results of operations.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                           Three Months Ended
                          -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                  Dec.
                          March 31, June 30,  Sept. 30,  Dec. 31,  March 31, June 30,  Sept. 30,   31,    March 31,
                            1997      1997      1997       1997      1998      1998      1998     1998      1999
                          --------- --------  ---------  --------  --------- --------  --------- -------  ---------
                                                             (In thousands)
<S>                       <C>       <C>       <C>        <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>      <C>
Statement of Operations
 Data:
Revenues:
 License................   $   295  $   899   $    927   $ 1,437    $   948  $ 1,231    $ 1,419  $ 2,436   $ 2,901
 Service................       293      474        388       476        417      592        790      777     1,010
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
 Total revenues.........       588    1,373      1,315     1,913      1,365    1,823      2,209    3,213     3,911
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
Cost of revenues:
 License................         8       23         25        41         20       36         58      261       145
 Service................       583      649        581       493        518      483        710      723       790
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
 Total cost of
  revenues..............       591      672        606       534        538      519        768      984       935
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
Gross profit............        (3)     701        709     1,379        827    1,304      1,441    2,229     2,976
Operating expenses:
 Sales and marketing....       991    1,147        896     1,579      1,268    2,056      3,069    3,357     2,876
 Research and
  development...........       697      676        583       582        713      934        885      754     1,065
 General and
  administrative........       313      334        319       614        460      569        709    1,533       879
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
 Total operating
  expenses..............     2,001    2,157      1,798     2,775      2,441    3,559      4,663    5,644     4,820
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
Loss from operations....    (2,004)  (1,456)   (1,089)    (1,396)    (1,614)  (2,255)    (3,222)  (3,415)   (1,844)
Interest income
 (expense), net.........        (6)      (7)   (20)           (7)       (12)     (41)       (26)      27         8
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
Loss before income
 taxes..................    (2,010)  (1,463)   (1,109)    (1,403)    (1,626)  (2,296)    (3,248)  (3,388)   (1,836)
Income tax provision ...       --       --     --            --         --       --         --       (45)      (27)
                           -------  -------   --------   -------    -------  -------    -------  -------   -------
Net loss................   $(2,010) $(1,463)   $(1,109)  $(1,403)   $(1,626) $(2,296)   $(3,248) $(3,433)  $(1,863)
                           =======  =======   ========   =======    =======  =======    =======  =======   =======
</TABLE>

  The following table sets forth unaudited quarterly results of operations as a
percentage of total revenues for 1997, 1998 and the three months ended March
31, 1999.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                           Three Months Ended
                          --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          March 31,  June 30,  Sept. 30, Dec. 31,  March 31,  June 30,  Sept. 30,  Dec. 31,  March 31,
                            1997       1997      1997      1997      1998       1998      1998       1998      1999
                          ---------  --------  --------- --------  ---------  --------  ---------  --------  ---------
<S>                       <C>        <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>        <C>       <C>        <C>       <C>
Statement of Operations
 Data:
Revenues:
 License................     50.2 %     65.5 %    70.5 %   75.1 %     69.5 %     67.5 %    64.2 %     75.8 %    74.2 %
 Service................     49.8       34.5      29.5     24.9       30.5       32.5      35.8       24.2      25.8
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
 Total revenues.........    100.0      100.0     100.0    100.0      100.0      100.0     100.0      100.0     100.0
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
Cost of revenues:
 License................      1.4        1.7       1.9      2.1        1.5        2.0       2.6        8.1       3.7
 Service................     99.1       47.3      44.2     25.8       37.9       26.5      32.2       22.5      20.2
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
 Total cost of
  revenues..............    100.5       48.9      46.1     27.9       39.4       28.5      34.8       30.6      23.9
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
Gross margin............     (0.5)%     51.1      53.9     72.1       60.6       71.5      65.2       69.4      76.1
Operating expenses:
 Sales and marketing....    168.5       83.5      68.1     82.5       92.9      112.8     138.9      104.5      73.5
 Research and
  development...........    118.5       49.2      44.3     30.4       52.2       51.2      40.1       23.5      27.2
 General and
  administrative........     53.2       24.3      24.3     32.1       33.7       31.2      32.1       47.7      22.5
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
 Total operating
  expenses..............    340.3      157.1     136.7    145.1      178.8      195.2     211.1      175.7     123.2
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
Loss from operations....   (340.8)    (106.0)    (82.8)   (73.0)    (118.2)    (123.7)   (145.9)    (106.3)    (47.1)
Interest income
 (expense), net.........     (1.0)      (0.5)     (1.5)    (0.4)      (0.9)      (2.2)     (1.2)       0.8       0.2
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
Loss before income
 taxes..................   (341.8)    (106.6)    (84.3)   (73.3)    (119.1)    (125.9)   (147.1)    (105.5)    (46.9)
Income tax provision ...      --         --        --       --         --         --        --        (1.4)     (0.7)
                           ------     ------     -----    -----     ------     ------    ------     ------    ------
Net loss................   (341.8)%   (106.6)%   (84.3)%  (73.3)%   (119.1)%   (125.9)%  (147.1)%   (106.9)%  (47.6)%
                           ======     ======     =====    =====     ======     ======    ======     ======    ======
</TABLE>

                                       23
<PAGE>

  The trends discussed above in the annual and quarterly comparisons of
operating results generally apply to the comparison of operating results for
the nine quarters in the 27-month period ended March 31, 1999. Cost of licenses
as a percentage of license revenue for the fourth quarter of 1998 were
significantly higher than other periods due to a $128,000 expense related to
the resale of a third party's products. General and administrative expenses for
the fourth quarter of 1998 were significantly higher than prior periods
primarily due to year-end compensation accruals and increases in reserve
accounts, such as our allowance for doubtful accounts related to our increase
in revenues. Our quarterly operating results have varied widely in the past,
and we expect that they will continue to fluctuate in the future as a result of
a number of factors, many of which are outside our control. We expect to
experience seasonality with respect to software license revenues. To date, we
believe that seasonality has been masked by other factors, such as the impact
of large transactions and personnel changes.

  We believe that our period-to-period operating results are not meaningful,
and you should not rely on them as indicative of our future performance. You
should also evaluate our prospects in light of the risks, expenses and
difficulties commonly encountered by comparable early-stage companies in new
and rapidly emerging markets. We can't assure you that we will successfully
address the risks and challenges that face us. In addition, although we have
experienced significant revenue growth recently, we can't assure you that our
revenue will continue to grow or that we will become or remain profitable in
the future. Our future operating results will depend on many factors,
including:

  . demand for our products and services

  . product and price competition

  . variability in the mix of our license and service revenues

  . variability in the mix of our direct versus indirect license revenues

  . variability in the mix of services that we perform versus those performed
    for our customers by others

  . success in expanding our direct sales force and indirect distribution
    channels

  . our ability to develop and market new and enhanced products on a timely
    basis

  . timing of our new product introductions and product enhancements or those
    of our competitors

  . continued purchases by our existing customers, including additional
    license and maintenance revenues

  . international sales and strategic acquisitions

  . the loss of any key employees and timing of our new hires

Liquidity and Capital Resources

  Since our inception, we have primarily financed our operations through the
private sale of our equity securities, resulting in net proceeds of $33.2
million through March 31, 1999. To a lesser extent, we have financed our
operations through equipment financing and traditional lending arrangements.

  As of March 31, 1999, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2.4 million, a
decrease from $2.6 million of cash and cash equivalents held as of December 31,
1998. Our working capital deficit at March 31, 1999 was $1.1 million, compared
to working capital deficit of $816,000 at December 31, 1998. The increase in
the working capital deficit is attributable primarily to a $1.4 million
decrease in cash and securities available-for-sale and accounts receivable,
offset by a

                                       24
<PAGE>


$1.3 million decrease in current liabilities during the first quarter of 1999.
As of March 31, 1999, working capital excluding deferred revenue was $5.6
million compared to $6.8 million at December 31, 1998. As of March 31, 1999,
accounts receivable of $4.8 million included $2.1 million due from one
customer, Origin. We have not experienced any delays or problems with the
collection of Origin's account.

  As of March 31, 1999, we had $1.6 million outstanding under a senior term-
loan facility with Imperial Bank that bears interest at a rate equal to the
bank's prime rate plus 1%, which equaled 8.75% as of March 31, 1999. In April
1999, we entered into a $5.0 million working-capital revolving line of credit
with Imperial Bank that is secured by our accounts receivable and bears
interest at the bank's prime rate plus .75%, which was 8.5% as of March 31,
1999. This facility allows us to borrow up to the lesser of 80% of our eligible
accounts receivable or $5 million. The facility will expire in April 2000. In
April 1999, we also obtained a $1.0 million capital-equipment line of credit
with Imperial Bank that bears interest at a rate equal to the bank's prime rate
plus 1.0%, which equaled 8.75% as of March 31, 1999. All of our lending
facilities require us to maintain certain financial covenants, including
requirements that we maintain certain financial ratios. We were in compliance
with or received waivers of all of these financial covenants at March 31, 1999.

  Our operating activities resulted in net cash outflows of $674,000 and $2.2
million for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and March 31, 1999,
respectively. The increase in operating cash outflows from the three months
ended March 31, 1998 to the three months ended March 31, 1999 was due primarily
to a decrease in deferred revenues and accounts payable. Operating activities
resulted in net cash outflows of $6.4 million in 1996, $3.1 million in 1997,
and $7.5 million in 1998. The decrease in operating cash outflows from 1996 to
1997 was attributable primarily to an increase in deferred revenues. The
increase in operating cash outflows from 1997 to 1998 resulted from further
operating losses and growth in accounts receivable, partially offset by further
increases in deferred revenues.

  Investing activities provided cash of $412,000 and $921,000 for the three
months ended March 31, 1998 and March 31, 1999, respectively. In addition,
investing activities used cash of $1.2 million in 1996, $490,000 in 1997 and
$3.3 million in 1998 primarily for the purchase of capital equipment and short-
term securities.

  Financing activities provided cash of $36,000 and $1.2 million for the three
months ended March 31, 1998 and March 31, 1999, respectively. Financing
activities provided cash of $9.4 million in 1996, $2.3 million in 1997 and
$12.7 million in 1998 primarily through the issuance of preferred stock and
proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by payments on
capital equipment lease obligations.

  In the quarter ending June 30, 1999, the Company issued 18,400 shares of
common stock and 10,000 fully vested options to acquire shares of common stock
at an exercise price of $10.50 per share to employees of Primus KK. The
aggregate fair value of the stock and stock options of $239,800 was expensed by
us in the quarter ending June 30, 1999.

  We currently anticipate that we will continue to experience significant
growth in our operating expenses for the foreseeable future as we

  . enter new markets for our products and services

  . increase research and development spending

  . increase sales and marketing activities

                                       25
<PAGE>

  . develop new distribution channels

  . improve our operational and financial systems

  . broaden our professional service capabilities

Such operating expenses will consume a material amount of our cash resources,
including a portion of the net proceeds from this offering. We believe that the
net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash
equivalents, and available bank borrowings, will be sufficient to meet our
anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures for at
least the next twelve months. Thereafter, we may require additional funds to
support our working capital requirements or for other purposes and may seek to
raise such additional funds through public or private equity financing or from
other sources. We may not be able to obtain adequate or favorable financing at
that time. Any financing we obtain may dilute your ownership interest in
Primus.

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

  We develop products in the United States and sell them in North America, Asia
and Europe. As a result, our financial results could be affected by factors
such as changes in foreign currency exchange rates or weak economic conditions
in foreign markets. Since our sales are currently priced in U.S. dollars and
translated to local currency amounts, a strengthening of the dollar could make
our products less competitive in foreign markets. Interest income and expense
are sensitive to changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates,
particularly since our investments are in short-term instruments and our long-
term debt and available line of credit require interest payments of variable
rates. However, based on the nature and current levels of our investments and
debt, we have concluded that there is no material market risk exposure.

Year 2000 Compliance

  Many currently installed computer systems are not capable of distinguishing
21st century dates from 20th century dates or have been programmed with default
dates ending in "99," the common two-digit reference for 1999. As a result, as
we transition from the 20th century to the 21st century, computer systems and
software used by many companies and organizations in a wide variety of
industries will produce erroneous results or fail unless they have been
modified or upgraded to process date information correctly. Significant
uncertainty exists in the software industry and other industries concerning the
scope and magnitude of problems associated with the century change. We
recognize the need to ensure our operations will not be adversely affected by
Year 2000 software failures.

  In September 1998, we established a Year 2000 compliance task force, composed
of high-level representatives from the product development, information systems
and legal departments. The task force is responsible for formulating and
implementing our Year 2000 readiness and has applied a phased approach to
analyzing our operations and relationships as they relate to the Year 2000
problem.

  We have completed our initial assessment of the potential overall impact of
the impending century change on our business, financial condition and operating
results. Based on our current assessment, we believe the current versions of
our software products are Year 2000 compliant. By Year 2000 compliant, we mean
that our software products, when used with accurate date data and in accordance
with their associated documentation, are capable of properly processing date
data from, into and between the 20th and 21st centuries, including the years
1999, 2000 and leap years,

                                       26
<PAGE>

provided that all other products (e.g., hardware, software and firmware) used
with our products properly exchange date data with them. However, our products
are generally integrated into enterprise systems involving sophisticated
hardware and complex software products that we cannot adequately evaluate for
Year 2000 compliance. We may face claims based on Year 2000 problems in other
companies' products, or issues arising from the integration of multiple
products within an overall system. Although we have not been a party to any
litigation or arbitration proceeding involving our products or services related
to Year 2000 compliance issues, we may in the future be required to defend our
products or services in such proceedings, or to negotiate resolutions of claims
based on Year 2000 issues. The costs of defending and resolving Year 2000-
related disputes, regardless of the merits of such disputes, and any liability
we have for Year 2000-related damages, including consequential damages, could
materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating
results. In addition, we believe that the purchasing patterns of customers and
potential customers may be affected by Year 2000 issues as companies expend
significant resources to correct or upgrade their current software systems for
Year 2000 compliance and as they delay purchase of new systems that may not be
Year 2000 compliant. These expenditures may result in reduced funds available
to purchase software products such as those we offer. To the extent Year 2000
issues cause a significant delay in, or cancellation of, decisions to purchase
our products or services, our business, financial condition and operating
results would be materially adversely affected.

  We have reviewed our internal management information and other critical
business systems to identify any Year 2000 problems. We also have communicated
with the external vendors that supply us with material software and information
systems and with our significant suppliers to determine their Year 2000
readiness. In the course of these investigations, we have not encountered any
material Year 2000 problems with these third-party products.

  In September 1998, we had a firm of independent consultants undertake an
assessment of our Year 2000 readiness, at a cost of $6,000. To date, apart from
that assessment, we have not incurred any material costs directly associated
with our Year 2000 compliance efforts, except for compensation expense
associated with our salaried employees who have devoted some of their time to
our Year 2000 assessment and remediation efforts. We do not expect the total
cost of Year 2000 problems to be material to our business, financial condition
and operating results. However, during the months prior to the century change,
we will continue to evaluate new versions of our software products, new
software and information systems provided to us by third parties and any new
infrastructure systems that we acquire to determine whether they are Year 2000
compliant. Despite our current assessment, we may not identify and correct all
significant Year 2000 problems on a timely basis. Year 2000 compliance efforts
may involve significant time and expense and unremediated problems could
materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating
results. We currently have no contingency plans to address the risks associated
with unremediated Year 2000 problems.

                                       27
<PAGE>

                                    BUSINESS

Overview

  We are a leading provider of Web-based problem-resolution software for
customer support and self-service. Our applications enable businesses to
capture problem-resolution information, solve customer problems, reuse
solutions stored in the knowledge base and share captured knowledge with our
customers, their field personnel, business partners and end users (i.e. an
extended enterprise). Our SolutionSeries family of software products enhances
an organization's problem-resolution capabilities by using our associative
problem-solving technology, as described below under "--Industry Background",
and leveraging the Internet to extend customer support to remote employees,
business partners and end-user customers.

Industry Background

  During the last several years, many businesses have found that providing
responsive and accurate answers to their customers' questions and problems has
become an important business function. As products and services have become
more standardized, customer support and problem resolution have become
increasingly important competitive differentiators. Furthermore, the growth of
Internet-based electronic commerce has facilitated the purchasing and ordering
process and enabled an efficient but less personal relationship between
merchant and customer. As a result, customer support has often become the
primary point of customer contact and can significantly influence customer
loyalty.

  Customer support is increasingly challenging

  While recognizing the importance of quality customer support, most
organizations have been challenged by increasing product and distribution-
channel complexity and by rising customer expectations.

Product complexity             Products and services are increasingly complex
                               in today's marketplace, driven primarily by:

                                   . Proliferation of technology-based
                                     products and services

                                   . Increasing integration of products and
                                     components from several manufacturers

                                   . High rates of innovation and product
                                     change

                               Each of these factors threatens an enterprise's
                               ability to provide quality customer service and
                               manage costs, since they can contribute to
                               longer time needed to resolve problems and
                               lower first-call resolution rates.

                               As product innovation continues to shorten
                               product lifecycles, as well as open new markets
                               for technology-based products, these challenges
                               will be heightened. Customers will need more
                               product education and support. Historically,
                               businesses have responded to the increased
                               demand by adding headcount to their customer
                               support organizations.

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<PAGE>

                               However, current shortages of qualified
                               customer-support personnel, high turnover in
                               customer-support departments and the increasing
                               cost of training customer-support personnel
                               have made adding headcount less effective.

Distribution-channel           As traditional wholesale-retail-consumer
 complexity                    business models expand to include resellers,
                               systems integrators, outsourcers and channel
                               partners, enterprises are facing difficult
                               challenges in enabling their business partners
                               to provide high-quality, consistent customer
                               support. Without access to a collaborative
                               system that allows them to share important
                               problem-resolution information, partners in the
                               extended business enterprise may provide
                               inconsistent solutions or redirect their
                               customers' problems to the enterprise.

Increasing customer            Many companies have found that their customers
 expectations                  increasingly want to be able to resolve
                               customer problems in a fast, convenient manner
                               at any time of the day or night. Customers also
                               expect to be able to use their choice of
                               medium: telephone, fax, email or the Internet.
                               The Aberdeen Group estimates that, by 2002,
                               companies will receive over 50% of all general
                               customer support contacts and inquiries over
                               the Web and through email messages and other
                               Web-based forms. These increasing demands have
                               led some companies to hire more customer-
                               support personnel to provide around-the-clock
                               customer support. Others have sought to meet
                               this challenge by investing in technology to
                               increase their customer-support capabilities.

  Traditional customer-support responses have been inadequate

  Many businesses have provided customer-support and problem resolution through
a call center. Software systems designed to support customer call centers
traditionally include call-routing, call-tracking and customer-relationship-
management systems. These systems are effective at directing customer calls on
a timely basis to the appropriate customer-support personnel together with the
related customer information. They do not, however, help support analysts
become more effective problem solvers or enable them to capture and share
valuable knowledge gained from understanding and solving the customer's
problems.

  To better address the need for improved problem-resolution capabilities,
businesses have considered a variety of alternatives including increasing
staffing, developing their own problem-resolution systems and buying problem-
resolution solutions from third-party software vendors. Increased hiring is an
expensive alternative that provides little leverage and limits a company's
ability to efficiently address the significant demands of very large
organizations (i.e. scalability). Development of custom solutions can detract
the business from its core competencies and prove costly to develop and
maintain. Software vendors focused on providing problem-resolution systems have
developed various approaches to enable businesses to manage problem-resolution
information.

                                       29
<PAGE>

  Traditionally, third-party systems have incorporated enhanced text-retrieval,
decision-tree or case-based-reasoning technology.

Enhanced text-retrieval        Enhanced text-retrieval systems use key-word
systems                        searches to locate words, phrases and concepts
                               within documents and files. These systems then
                               retrieve and rank the findings according to the
                               frequency with which the search terms occur.
                               Text-retrieval systems are of limited use in
                               real-time problem solving, since they generally
                               require the user to know the exact words used
                               by the systems developer to label a particular
                               concept. We believe that they return too much
                               irrelevant information and do little or nothing
                               to enable the capture of new solutions to
                               customer problems.

Case-based-reasoning and
decision tree systems
                               Case-based-reasoning and decision tree systems
                               typically require a customer-support analyst to
                               follow a fixed question-and-answer sequence to
                               arrive at a pre-engineered solution. These
                               systems work best in reasonably stable
                               environments in which problems can be
                               anticipated and their solutions pre-engineered.
                               For organizations with quickly changing
                               product-support requirements, these systems can
                               be costly and time consuming to develop.
                               Furthermore, since the solution to a problem is
                               not captured in the product's workflow, it can
                               be expensive and time consuming to maintain the
                               database. For instance, for each "new" solution
                               an analyst uncovers, a complete description
                               needs to be submitted to a knowledge engineer,
                               who then must redesign the cases or the
                               decision trees and enter this into the
                               database. In the meantime, many problems have
                               to be re-solved from the start, since the
                               system does not automatically capture the
                               solution. Finally, we believe that, since these
                               approaches are rigid by nature, the
                               methodologies generally take a long time to
                               resolve complex problems that require several
                               levels of questioning, do not provide guidance
                               toward solving subsequent problems if no
                               solution is found the first time and do not
                               effectively leverage the experience of more
                               senior personnel.

  Associative problem solving: a better problem-solving methodology

  We believe that, over the past few years, problem-resolution systems based on
associative problem-solving technology have gained increasing acceptance by
addressing the shortcomings associated with text-retrieval, decision-tree and
case-based-reasoning systems. Associative problem-solving technology uses
natural-language statements to describe the support problem, including symptoms
of the problem, facts about the environment in which the problem arose and
recent changes to that environment. These systems treat natural-language
statements as concepts and search for relevant solutions using algorithms that
leverage the associations that exist among each of the many concepts in the
knowledge database. As a result, these systems enable users to locate, evaluate
and return solutions with a high degree of relevance.

                                       30
<PAGE>

  The combination of natural-language support and the associative search
methodology helps these systems to support multiple approaches to problem
solving. For example, a more senior analyst, who may know many of the potential
solutions based on his or her experience, will be able to leverage that
experience to find the relevant solution quickly by describing only the most
relevant facts and symptoms. A less experienced junior analyst, on the other
hand, can learn how to better solve customer problems through use of the system
by seeing which problem-description elements provide key clues to the solution.
Non-technical users benefit from the natural-language interface, which allows
them to describe their problems without needing to know the technical jargon
that a software engineer may have used to describe the problem in the knowledge
database. Associative problem-solving systems are therefore well suited to
provide self-service customer support through the Internet.

  Associative problem-solving systems also enhance a customer-support
organization's ability to capture solutions without the costly and time-
consuming task of off-line development and maintenance of the knowledge
database. For example, when information returned in response to the problem
description does not solve the customer's problem, associative problem-solving
systems enable the customer-support personnel to create and capture new
solutions in their workflow. By enabling customer-support organizations to
capture solutions on a real-time basis, the need for off-line knowledge
engineering is minimized and the number of solutions that get created more than
once is reduced.

  The Internet provides an opportunity to improve support levels and reduce
support costs

  Internet technology has allowed many organizations to re-engineer their call
centers into customer-contact centers. Customer-contact centers are now being
designed to allow for multiple channels of customer contact, including
telephone, fax, email and the Web. Integrating the support capabilities of the
customer-contact center with a business's Web site presents an opportunity to
increase customer-service levels and reduce costs.

  By incorporating problem-resolution technology in its Web-site architecture,
an enterprise can provide its customers with around-the-clock access to
customer support, thereby improving customer-satisfaction levels. An enterprise
can also reduce the overall cost of customer support and increase the
scalability of its customer-support operations by inducing more customers to
first seek support from the enterprise's Web site, rather than the more costly
customer-call center. To date, many companies have handled the growing number
of support inquiries over the Web by posting static responses to a frequently
asked questions on their Web sites or through automating responses to incoming
inquiries with pre-scripted email responses. Both of these approaches are
limited in their ability to effectively handle unique incoming customer
inquiries.

  Finally, businesses can also use Internet technologies to deploy Web-based
problem-resolution applications. In contrast to client-server applications,
software applications that can be deployed over the Web (i.e. Web-based
applications) can be more rapidly and cost-effectively deployed to the extended
enterprise over the Internet. In addition, Web-based applications can be more
rapidly and cost-effectively deployed through limited-access private networks
(i.e. an intranet) and limited-access public networks (i.e. an extranet). This
enables remote employees and business partners to leverage and add to pre-
existing organizational knowledge and thereby increase an organization's
effectiveness in resolving customer issues.

                                       31
<PAGE>

  We believe that with customer support playing a critical role in overall
customer-satisfaction a significant opportunity exists for software that:

  . enhances problem resolution through associative problem-solving
    technology

  . leverages the Internet and corporate intranets and extranets to capture
    and share organizational knowledge with customers, business partners and
    remote employees

  . provides scalability to meet the demands of the extended enterprise and
    Web-based customer self-service

  . integrates with existing information technology infrastructure

  Furthermore, we think that successful problem-resolution software will give
employees outside of the customer support department access to useful
information gained in the customer-support process. For example, employees in
other functional areas, such as product development, field service, and sales
and marketing, can use this information to identify problems with existing
products, target areas for new product development and understand changes in
customer needs and preferences.

Primus Solution

  We provide Web-based problem-resolution application software for customer-
support and self-service over the Internet. Our applications enable businesses
to capture problem-resolution knowledge, solve customer problems, reuse
solutions and share captured knowledge throughout the extended enterprise. Our
SolutionSeries family of software products enhances an organization's problem-
resolution capabilities, since it is based on our associative problem-solving
technology and leverages the Internet to offer customer support to the extended
enterprise and its end-users customers. Our software:

Provides substantial
economic return on
investment
                               We believe, based in part on the studies
                               described below under "--Customers," that our
                               SolutionSeries products provide our users with
                               applications that enable them to realize
                               significant and measurable cost reductions and
                               to improve their customer-satisfaction levels
                               by:

                                   . reducing the overall time needed to
                                     resolve problems

                                   . improving first-call resolution rates

                                   . reducing escalation of problems to senior
                                     analysts

                                   . reducing analyst training times

                                   . increasing call deflections to the Web

                                   . increasing solution reuse

Enhances problem resolution
through associative problem-
solving technology
                               We developed our SolutionSeries products using
                               our proprietary associative problem-solving
                               search technology to:

                                   . improve the relevance of solutions
                                     retrieved, decreasing the costs of
                                     analyst support and customer-support call
                                     time


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<PAGE>

                                   . support and enhance diverse problem-
                                     solving approaches, enabling effective
                                     problem resolution by a full range of
                                     users, from senior analyst to non-
                                     technical end-user

                                   . effectively provide self-service customer
                                     support through the Internet

                                   . cost-effectively capture knowledge in the
                                     workflow, reducing development and
                                     maintenance costs of supporting the
                                     enterprise knowledge base and minimizing
                                     the number of solutions that are created
                                     more than once

Leverages Internet
technology to extend
problem-resolution solutions   Our Web-based SolutionSeries products were
                               designed and built to support an enterprise's
                               service and support strategies for the Internet
                               and corporate intranets and extranets. Because
                               they are Web-architected, our products can be
                               deployed to an organization's internal support
                               staff and the extended enterprise more quickly
                               and efficiently than traditional client/server
                               products. Our software also enables our users
                               to provide enhanced around-the-clock customer
                               self-service over the Internet. In addition to
                               improving customer convenience, Web-based self-
                               service can significantly lower support costs
                               by handling more customer support questions
                               through the scalable Web support site, rather
                               than the enterprise's call center. According to
                               International Data Corporation, the cost of
                               providing Web-based software support averages
                               $0.45 per incident as compared to $30.00 per
                               incident for traditional phone support.

Provides scalable solutions
for global organizations and
their partners
                               Our SolutionSeries product family is designed
                               to scale so that it can serve the extended
                               service and support communities of global
                               enterprises, including field personnel,
                               business partners, as well as customers and
                               personnel in functional areas other than
                               customer support, such as sales, marketing and
                               product development. One of our users has
                               deployed our solution to over 500 support
                               engineers globally and currently is using our
                               Web-based products to provide self-service
                               support to over 130,000 registered end-users.

Leverages investment in
existing customer-support
systems
                               Our SolutionSeries products integrate with most
                               leading customer-relationship-management
                               systems, including those from Clarify, ONYX
                               Software, Remedy, Siebel Systems and Vantive.
                               The resulting integrated systems are designed
                               to

                                       33
<PAGE>

                               provide a unified view of customer and problem-
                               resolution information, increasing analyst
                               productivity and customer satisfaction by
                               reducing the need to re-gather existing
                               customer information before proceeding to
                               problem resolution. In addition, SolutionSeries
                               users can access existing customer-support data
                               and documents either by importing the data into
                               the SolutionSeries database or by accessing the
                               data through our products' integration with
                               leading text-retrieval systems.

Strategy

  Our objective is to establish and maintain a leadership position in providing
Web-based problem-resolution software applications for the extended enterprise
and its end-user customers. Our strategy to achieve this objective is to:

Leverage the Internet          We intend to continue to leverage the Internet
                               to enable our users to capture, manage and
                               share knowledge with their extended enterprise
                               and customers. We believe that businesses will
                               increasingly adopt the Web as the means of
                               providing fast and efficient customer support
                               for the extended enterprise.

Enhance our product suite      We plan to enhance the capabilities of our
                               SolutionSeries product family by developing,
                               acquiring and licensing additional products and
                               technologies. We intend to focus on
                               applications and technologies that further
                               enable Web-based customer self-service.

Target additional vertical     Initially, we have focused our sales and
markets                        marketing efforts on serving the customer-
                               support and problem-resolution needs of
                               technology-based industries, such as software,
                               hardware and telecommunications. We intend to
                               broaden the reach of our problem-resolution
                               products to customer-service and support
                               organizations in other industries with
                               characteristics similar to technology-based
                               industries. We believe that the critical market
                               characteristics indicating a need for our
                               products include:

                                   . a dynamic, rapidly changing business
                                     environment

                                   . complex products or services

                                   . competitive differentiation based on
                                     service and support

                               We currently plan to pursue the financial-
                               services, consumer electronics and
                               pharmaceutical industries.

Build additional strategic
relationships
                               We currently have strategic marketing
                               relationships with several call-tracking and
                               customer-relationship-management

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<PAGE>

                               software vendors, including Clarify, ONYX
                               Software, Remedy, Siebel Systems and Vantive.
                               We intend to strengthen and expand our current
                               relationships and build new ones with leading
                               systems consultants and integrators. We believe
                               that strategic relationships will provide us
                               with distribution opportunities, as well as
                               leverage our implementation resources.
                               Concurrently, we intend to expand our indirect
                               distribution channels to complement our direct
                               sales force.

Extend our solutions to
other functional areas
                               Our products currently provide information and
                               reports that are used in functional areas other
                               than customer support. We intend to continue to
                               enhance the features of our solutions to
                               provide benefits to functional business areas
                               in which the product feedback and customer
                               knowledge created in customer support is
                               valuable and actionable, such as product
                               development and sales and marketing.

Products

  The SolutionSeries product family consists of the SolutionBuilder
application, which we first released in April 1995, and our more recently
introduced Web-based applications, SolutionExplorer and SolutionPublisher. We
generally license our SolutionSeries applications based on the number of users
and servers. In 1998, the typical order sizes for our products ranged from
$50,000 to $500,000, with some over $1 million. Our users generally license the
full suite of SolutionSeries products.

  Our SolutionSeries products enable businesses to capture problem-resolution
information, solve customer problems, reuse solutions and share problem-
resolution knowledge throughout the extended enterprise.

Capture problem-resolution
information
                               Our SolutionSeries products enable users to
                               efficiently capture relevant information about
                               customer problems as the information becomes
                               available. Typically, a customer-support
                               analyst will capture facts and the symptoms of
                               the customer's problem using our
                               SolutionBuilder product while on the phone with
                               the customer. Field personnel and business
                               partners that provide customer support can also
                               capture problem-resolution information through
                               our Web-based applications. Because our system
                               captures problem-resolution information in the
                               workflow, there is no need to re-enter
                               information after solving the problem. Our
                               products' features help to reduce information-
                               input and call-processing times and facilitate
                               ease of use. Our SolutionSeries software:

                                   . Captures customer information in natural
                                     language through a notepad-style data-
                                     input screen

                                   . Features easy-to-use Windows and browser
                                     interfaces

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<PAGE>

                                   . Facilitates classifying potentially
                                     relevant information

                                   . Escalates unresolved customer problems
                                     within the customer-support hierarchy
                                     without losing previously captured
                                     information

                                   . Integrates with customer-relationship-
                                     management software

Solve customer problems        The associative problem-solving technology of
                               our SolutionSeries products helps our users
                               find relevant solutions to their customers'
                               problems or, if no solution exists, creates a
                               new solution to solve the problem. Our
                               SolutionSeries software:

                                   . Combines the natural language information
                                     captured from the analyst with additional
                                     search algorithms that leverage
                                     associations among data objects in the
                                     knowledge base

                                   . Stores problem-resolution information
                                     with problem-description information to
                                     locate, evaluate and return solutions
                                     with a high degree of relevance

                                   . Integrates to legacy problem-resolution
                                     databases

                                   . Displays potential solutions ranked
                                     according to relevancy

                                   . Uses retrieved information to lead the
                                     analyst to a new solution, if none of the
                                     existing solutions solve the customer's
                                     problem

Reuse solutions                Our software is designed to enable a customer-
                               support organization to immediately reuse
                               solutions created in the ordinary workflow of
                               problem resolution. This process helps the
                               organization to improve first-call resolution
                               rates, reduce overall problem-resolution times
                               and avoid the cost and delay of off-line
                               knowledge engineering.

                                   . Once a new solution is discovered, the
                                     data upon which the solution was built is
                                     automatically captured with the new
                                     solution

                                   . Our software enables the new solution to
                                     be added to the problem-resolution
                                     database, either immediately upon its
                                     being marked as a working solution by the
                                     support analyst or after the
                                     organization's customary quality-
                                     assurance review process

Share problem-resolution
knowledge throughout the
extended enterprise            Our software enables immediate and broad
                               dissemination of information and solutions
                               captured in the customer-support workflow to
                               the extended enterprise:

                                   . Our Web-based products enable immediate
                                     access to newly developed solutions for
                                     all authorized members

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<PAGE>

                                     of an enterprise's extended customer-
                                     support organization, including remote
                                     users such as field support, external
                                     business partners and customers

                                   . Various security and administration
                                     options in our software allow the system
                                     administrators to customize users' access
                                     levels to specific portions of the
                                     problem-resolution knowledge base to
                                     improve access speeds, enhance the
                                     relevance of retrieved solutions and
                                     regulate access to solutions data

                                   . Functional areas outside of customer
                                     support can benefit from information
                                     gathered through use of our
                                     SolutionSeries software; for example, our
                                     software can provide reports and other
                                     analytical tools to facilitate faster
                                     feedback to product development and
                                     engineering personnel for enhancements,
                                     patches and fixes

  Our SolutionSeries product line consists of three user-facing products:
SolutionBuilder, SolutionExplorer and SolutionPublisher. The following table
describes these products:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                    Initial
  Product           Release       Targeted User              Description
  <C>               <C>           <C>                        <S>
  SolutionBuilder   April 1995    . Customer-support         . Desktop application for
                                    professionals              capturing, solving, reusing
                                                               and sharing problem-
                                                               resolution information;
                                                               facilitates quality-assurance
                                                               review of new solutions

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  SolutionExplorer  November 1997 . Extended enterprise      . Web-based application for
                                    customer-support           capturing, solving, reusing
                                    personnel, such as field   and sharing problem-
                                    service and business       resolution information
                                    partners                   remotely

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  SolutionPublisher August 1996   . End-user customers and   . Web-based application for
                                    the extended-support       providing customers with
                                    community                  direct access to the problem-
                                                               resolution knowledge base
                                                               through the Internet, thus
                                                               enabling customer self-
                                                               service
                                                             . If self-service proves
                                                               ineffective in resolving the
                                                               problem, SolutionPublisher
                                                               captures and escalates the
                                                               relevant information
                                                               regarding the problem for
                                                               resolution by customer-
                                                               support personnel
</TABLE>

  Our other SolutionSeries products include:

  SolutionSeries WebPack. We introduced our SolutionSeries WebPack product in
March 1999. SolutionSeries WebPack bundles SolutionExplorer and
SolutionPublisher with implementation services to enable new users of our
products to provide Web-based customer-self-service support solutions with an
accelerated deployment cycle, which we believe may be as little as five days.

  SolutionSeries Server. Our SolutionSeries Server product provides search
functionality, manages the problem-solution database interactions and controls
system administration. Our SolutionSeries Server includes our SolutionAdmin,
SolutionReports and SolutionX data-transfer utility modules, which provide
user-authority management, security services, report generation and data
exchange.

                                       37
<PAGE>

  The following diagram illustrates integration of our SolutionSeries products:


     [Diagram illustrating the integration of the SolutionSeries products]

  Our typical license agreement provides for a perpetual, nontransferable
license to use our software by the licensee.

  Product Architecture

  Our products use a multi-tiered architecture to meet the problem-resolution
needs of today's fast-paced and dynamic enterprises. We use industry-standard
platforms, components and communications interfaces to provide problem-
resolution software that is designed to be reliable, maintainable and scalable,
and provide high performance on an around-the-clock basis. Our flexible
architecture adapts to a range of needs, from a single desktop to enterprise
systems that support thousands of users.

  Our SolutionServer software runs on either Windows NT or Sun Solaris systems
in single- or multi-processor configurations. Our client software runs in a
fully customizable interface on both Web-based applications, using Microsoft or
Netscape browsers, and tailorable desktop applications for the professional
user.

  The core tier of our applications is the database server. We currently use
the Versant object-oriented database and plan to release implementations using
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 and Oracle 8 and 8i databases. Our next tier is the
application search server that contains the search logic and knowledge domain
model. Our application server tier has multiple interfaces to either the
performance tuned SolutionBuilder communications interface or to the Internet
server application logic and session management. Our Internet server uses a
communications protocol that enables it to interface seamlessly with most
Internet clients, including Microsoft and Netscape clients.

Customer Support and Professional Services

  We believe that high-quality customer support and professional services are
requirements for continued growth and increased sales of our products. We have
made significant investments to increase the size of our support and services
organization in the past and plan to continue to do so in the future. As of
March 31, 1999, our customer support and professional services organization
consisted of 32 employees.

  Consulting. Our consulting teams work closely with our customers prior to
product implementation to review a customer's business objectives and
information technology infrastructure

                                       38
<PAGE>

in order to assist the customer in determining Primus solutions that will best
suit the customer's needs. Thereafter, our consultants install, integrate and
implement our software in the user's customer-support environment.

  Training. We provide training classes in conjunction with our products,
including end-user training and advanced technical training regarding the
implementation and administration of our products. Classes are offered at
customer sites and at our Seattle office. We also provide training classes for
third-party partners, such as service providers and systems integrators.

  Customer Support. We typically provide technical support 12 hours a day, five
days a week in North America. We offer similar services in the United Kingdom
and Japan. On-call support for priority matters is also available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. We offer support via telephone, fax, email and Web-based
self-service.

Customers

  Our products solve issues and problems associated with complex products and
services. As a result, we have traditionally targeted:

  . enterprises in dynamic, technology-related industries that offer external
    customer support

  . outsourcers that provide customer-support services to technology-related
    businesses

  . organizations with significant information-technology infrastructure that
    provide internal support to their employees

  The following table lists our customers as of April 30, 1999:

<TABLE>
   <S>                           <C>                           <C>
   3Com                          Lucent                        QAD
   3M                            MAPICS                        RCN
   Amdahl                        Marcam                        Security Dynamics
   Barr Systems                  MCI/SHL Systemhouse           SGI
   Best Software                 Microsoft                     Simplex
   Compaq                        Mosaix                        Softbank
   EDS                           Motorola                      Starbucks
   EMC                           Network Associates            Sterling Commerce
   Entex                         Nortel Networks               Vanguard Cellular
   Ericsson                      Novell                        Williams
   Fujitsu                       NTT                           Wind River Systems
   Iomega                        Origin                        Xerox
</TABLE>

  The following case studies, which are based solely on information supplied by
the respective companies and which we believe to be accurate in all material
respects, illustrate how selected SolutionSeries customers are benefiting from
our products:

  3Com Corporation

  3Com develops and delivers information access products and network systems to
more than 200 million customers worldwide. Its customer base includes large,
medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; personal-
computer original equipment manufacturers; and consumers.

  3Com initially purchased SolutionSeries software in July 1997 for its call
center operation to enhance employee productivity and customer resolution
rates. In August 1998, 3Com acquired additional licenses for its call center
and SolutionPublisher licenses to enable the company to offer its customers
another avenue to obtain technical support via the Web.

                                       39
<PAGE>

  In October 1998, 3Com launched the 3Com Knowledgebase Web service, an
interactive trouble-shooting tool containing a vast repository of technical
solutions input by expert 3Com technical engineers around the world. This
service, which utilizes the SolutionSeries products, has more than 132,000
registered end-users worldwide and, as of February 1999, was adding
approximately 9,000 new end-users a week, with repeat usage growing at 40% per
month. 3Com believes that its Knowledgebase Web service is not only assisting
3Com customers in solving their network challenges more quickly and easily, but
it is also providing actionable feedback to 3Com design, manufacturing and
technical-support personnel to enhance product quality and support processes.

  QAD, Inc.

  QAD is a leading provider of enterprise and extended supply-chain management
software and services to multinational corporations. QAD acquired
SolutionSeries software to help it manage increasing product complexity, rising
employee training costs, and the need to ensure a high level of customer
satisfaction. QAD selected SolutionSeries software because of its ability to
capture knowledge in the workflow, provide fast and flexible search results,
integrate with its own MFG/PRO software and document management systems and
facilitate management oversight to improve call center productivity.

  Once it had implemented the SolutionSeries software, QAD experienced a
reduction in call resolution times of more than 58%, a decrease of
approximately 50% in the amount of time required to train new employees, and an
increase in customer satisfaction of approximately 8%. In addition, by using
the SolutionPublisher application, QAD was able to deflect approximately 10% of
its incoming calls to its Web site.

  Compaq Computer Corporation

  Compaq Services Operations Management, a customer-support outsourcing
division of Compaq Computer Corporation, is an industry leader in implementing
and supporting high performance computer systems.

  Compaq Services purchased SolutionSeries software to lower their service
delivery costs and to maintain a comprehensive knowledge base of their
customers' information systems issues and requirements. Compaq Services uses
the knowledge base to analyze causes of recurring problems and to identify new
services to help customers reduce their information systems costs.

  Over an eight-month period, customer support staff at Compaq Services who
used the SolutionSeries applications were able to close incident tickets an
average of five minutes (or 20%) faster than staff who did not use the
SolutionSeries applications. Similarly, call center support staff who used the
SolutionSeries applications were able to resolve 15% more incidents over the
eight-month period than their counterparts who did not use the SolutionSeries
applications. This represents a reduction in the number of incidents that would
have otherwise been escalated to more sophisticated and more costly support
staff.

  Novell Corporation

  Novell launched the era of computer networking and today, with products like
NetWare 5 and Novell Directory Services, continues to extend its leadership in
Internet solutions based on open standards. Novell's global channel,
consulting, developer, education and technical support programs are among the
most extensive in the network computing industry.


                                       40
<PAGE>

  Novell purchased SolutionSeries software to reduce support costs by capturing
and re-using the knowledge of its internal and extended support community.
Because Novell's partners provide a substantial portion of the call center
support available to Novell end users, Novell decided to use Primus's Web-based
applications to distribute product information among its partners and internal
engineers over the Internet.

  Novell recognized the opportunities of knowledge sharing within its customer
service model and acquired Primus's SolutionExplorer product to enable members
of its extensive Novell Certified Engineer network to share product knowledge
with Novell and with other members of the network.

Sales and Marketing

  We market and sell our products primarily through a direct sales force. We
have sales offices in Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Reston and San
Francisco and in the United Kingdom. The field sales force is complemented by
direct telesales based at our headquarters in Seattle, Washington. To date,
significantly all of our efforts have been targeted at customer-service and
support organizations in the information technology and telecommunications
industries, as well as internal helpdesk organizations for companies with large
information-technology departments. These efforts are directed at key
executives and personnel responsible for the organizations' customer service
and support strategies and operations. Technical sales support is provided by
sales engineers located in several of the field offices. We currently plan to
add a significant number of sales representatives and sales engineers in other
domestic and international locations.

  Our marketing department is focused on creating awareness of our products and
services and generating interest in our solution. We conduct comprehensive
marketing and branding programs, which may include direct mail, public
relations, Web-based lead generation, telemarketing lead generation,
advertising, trade shows, seminars, and ongoing customer communications
programs. Many of our marketing activities are done in collaboration with our
consulting and software partners. Our marketing department also coordinates our
participation in industry tradeshows and forums, secures speaking engagements
for our executives and establishes and maintains close relationships with
recognized industry analysts. As of March 31, 1999, our sales and marketing
staff consisted of 58 employees.

  Our products are marketed and distributed in Japan by Primus KK, a joint
venture owned by Trans Cosmos Inc. and Primus. Our distribution arrangements
provide Trans Cosmos with exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Kanji
version of our SolutionBuilder product and Primus KK with exclusive
distribution rights in Japan, and nonexclusive distribution rights in Korea, to
the English and Japanese versions of our SolutionExplorer and SolutionPublisher
products. The rights regarding our SolutionBuilder product expire in September
2000. The other rights are renewable for one-year terms. The agreements are
terminable by either party upon breach.

Product Development

  We have been a leader in developing innovative problem-resolution approaches
and were one of the first companies to use associative problem-solving
technology in a customer-support context. Our product development is focused on
enhancing our users' ability to implement global, Web-centric customer contact
centers using our products. We believe that a technically skilled, highly
productive software development organization will continue to be a key
component of our success. As of March 31, 1999, our product development team
consisted of 38 full-time employees.


                                       41
<PAGE>

  Our current development efforts include enhancing our software development
kits and opening our application program interfaces to enable additional
development work by third-party developers and clients on software that
integrates with our products and extends their reach in problem resolution in
enterprise environments. In addition, we are broadening the databases on which
our SolutionServer product is implemented to include Microsoft's SQL Server 7.0
and the Oracle 8 and 8i database.

Competition

  The market for our products is new and rapidly evolving, and is expected to
become increasingly competitive as current competitors expand their product
offerings and new companies enter the market. Our primary source of direct
competition comes from other problem-resolution software vendors, e-commerce
customer-management software vendors and our potential customers' internal
information technology departments, which choose to rely upon their own
proprietary problem resolution systems or develop new proprietary systems.
Competitors providing problem-resolution systems include companies such as
Advantagekbs, Inference, Molloy, ServiceSoft and ServiceWare. In addition,
companies providing e-commerce customer-management solutions that may compete
with us include Broadvision, Silknet and Smart Technologies.

  The principal competitive factors in our industry include:

  . vendor and product reputation       . the availability of products on
                                          the Internet and multiple
                                          operating platforms

  . customer referenceability           . product ease-of-use

  . measurable economic return          . the quality of customer support
                                          services, documentation and
                                          training

  . product quality, performance and    . the quality and effectiveness of
    price                                 application deployment services

  . product functionality and           . the effectiveness of sales and
    features                              marketing efforts

  . product scalability

  . product integration with other
    enterprise applications


  As the market for problem-resolution software matures, it is possible that
new and larger companies will enter the market, existing competitors will form
alliances, or current and potential competitors could acquire, be acquired by
or establish cooperative relationships with third parties. The resulting
organizations could have greater technical, marketing and other resources,
improve their products to address the needs of our existing and potential
users, thereby increasing their market share. Increased competition could
result in pricing pressures, reduced margins or failure of our products to
achieve or maintain market acceptance.

  Although we believe that our products and services currently compete
favorably with respect to such factors and that we hold a leadership position
compared to our competitors in the problem-resolution market, we can't provide
any assurance that we can maintain our competitive position against current and
potential competitors, especially those with significantly greater financial,
marketing, service, support, technical and other resources.

Proprietary Information

  Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our proprietary rights.
To protect our proprietary rights, we rely primarily on a combination of
copyright, trade secret and trademark laws, confidentiality agreements with
employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions

                                       42
<PAGE>

such as those contained in license agreements with consultants, vendors and
customers. We pursue the registration of certain of our trademarks and service
marks in the United States and in certain other countries, but we have not
secured registration of all our marks. We are a party to a license agreement
with Versant. Under the terms of the agreement, Versant granted us a license to
use Versant's database as part of our SolutionSeries products. Versant also
agreed to provide us with support and maintenance services. We pay Versant a
royalty on licenses of our products with the Versant database. We can terminate
the agreement on 120 days' prior written notice to Versant. Versant can
terminate the agreement on two years' prior written notice to us. Either party
may terminate following a material breach by the other, if the breach has not
been cured within 120 days of notice of breach.

Employees

  As of March 31, 1999, we had 147 employees, including 17 U.K.-based
employees. These included 58 in sales and marketing, 32 in client services and
support, 38 in product development and 19 in general and administration. None
of our employees is represented by a labor union. We have not experienced any
work stoppages, and we believe our relationship with our employees is good. In
addition, we regularly supplement our workforce with consultants.

  Competition for qualified personnel in our industry is intense. We believe
that our future success will depend in part on our continued ability to hire,
assimilate and retain qualified personnel.

Facilities

  Our principal administrative, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sales
facilities total approximately 28,346 square feet in an office tower in
Seattle, Washington. Our principal lease expires on October 30, 2000. We also
lease other domestic sales and services offices in offices in Atlanta, Boston,
Dallas, Reston and San Francisco. We maintain international offices in the
United Kingdom. We believe that our existing facilities are adequate to meet
current requirements and that additional or substitute space will be available
as needed to accommodate any expansion of operations.

Legal Proceedings

  Primus is not a party to any material legal proceedings.

                                       43
<PAGE>

                                   MANAGEMENT

Executive Officers and Directors

  Our executive officers and directors as of May 31, 1999 are as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Name                     Age                           Position
   ----                     ---                           --------
   <S>                      <C> <C>
   Michael A. Brochu....... 45  President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
   Elizabeth J. Huebner.... 41  Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Finance, Secretary
                                 and Treasurer
   Kim M. Nelson........... 44  Vice President of Sales
   Patricia L. Cox......... 38  Vice President of Client Services
   Edward L. Walter........ 49  Vice President of Product Development and Technology
   Antonio M. Audino(1).... 40  Director
   Promod Haque(2)......... 51  Director
   Fredric W.
    Harman(1)(2)........... 38  Director
   Yasuki Matsumoto(1)..... 45  Director
</TABLE>
- --------
(1) Member of compensation committee.

(2) Member of the audit committee.

  Michael A. Brochu has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer
since November 1997. Mr. Brochu was President and Chief Operating Officer of
Sierra On-Line, Inc., an interactive software publisher, from June 1994 until
October 1997. He was Senior Vice President of CUC International Inc. from
August 1996 to November 1997 after CUC's acquisition of Sierra On-Line. Mr.
Brochu is also a member of the board of directors of Primus KK and Integrated
Systems, a publicly traded developer of software for embedded microprocessors,
and is chairman of the board of directors of OnHealth Network Company, a
publicly-traded Internet content provider of public-health information. Mr.
Brochu received his B.B.A. in accounting and finance from the University of
Texas at El Paso.

  Elizabeth J. Huebner has served as our Vice President of Finance and Chief
Financial Officer since June 1998 and was named Secretary and Treasurer in
April 1999. From March 1996 to July 1998, Ms. Huebner was the Chief Financial
Officer of Fluke Corporation, a manufacturer of electronic test tools. From
March 1992 until March 1996, Ms. Huebner was the Vice President of Finance for
the Western region of AT&T Wireless. Ms. Huebner received her B.S. in
accounting from the University of Utah.

  Kim M. Nelson has served as our Vice President of Sales since January 1999.
From June 1993 to December 1998, Mr. Nelson held several positions at Oracle
Corporation, including Area Vice President of Sales, Vice President of Field
Operations, and Vice President of Sales for Oracle Business Online. Mr. Nelson
received his B.S. in business from the University of Colorado.

  Patricia L. Cox has served as our Vice President of Client Services since
March 1998. From January 1997 to March 1998, Ms. Cox was a Regional Services
Manager for Lawson Software. From April 1993 to December 1996, Ms. Cox was a
Regional Consulting Manager for Platinum Software Corporation. Ms. Cox received
her B.S. in computer information systems from Bentley College.

  Edward L. Walter has served as our Vice President of Product Development and
Technology since February 1999. Mr. Walter founded Simplications, LLC, a
developer of seminars on interactive product creations in June 1998 and served
as its managing partner until February 1998. From October 1995 to May 1998, Mr.
Walter was the Vice President of Engineering of Lexant, a software company.

                                       44
<PAGE>

From March 1991 to October 1994, he was the Vice President of Engineering of
Aldus Corporation, a software company. Mr. Walter currently serves as associate
professor for the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Mr. Walter holds a B.S. in psychology from Duke University.

  Antonio M. Audino has served as one of our directors since April 1995. Since
September 1996, Mr. Audino has been a managing director of Voyager Capital, a
venture capital firm. In 1994, Mr. Audino founded Ally Ventures. He also
founded and currently serves as Chairman of Centris, L.L.C. From 1987 to 1994,
Mr. Audino held various management positions at Microsoft Corporation. Mr.
Audino holds a B.S. in accounting and a B.A. in philosophy from Creighton
University. Mr. Audino is a member of the board of Captura Software and GoAhead
Software, each a privately held software company.

  Promod Haque has served as one of our directors since February 1996. Mr.
Haque became a partner of Norwest Venture Capital in November 1989. Mr. Haque
holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and an M.B.A. from Northwestern
University and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Delhi,
in India. Mr. Haque is a member of the board of directors of Information
Advantage, Extreme Networks and Transaction Systems Architects, as well as
several private companies.

  Fredric W. Harman has served as one of our directors since February 1996.
Since 1994, Mr. Harman has served as a managing member of the general partner
of venture capital funds affiliated with Oak Investment Partners. From 1991 to
1994, he served as a general partner of Morgan Stanley Venture Capital. Mr.
Harman holds a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University
and an M.B.A. from the Harvard School of Business. Mr. Harman is a director of
ILOG, S.A. and Inktomi and several privately held companies.

  Yasuki Matsumoto has served as one of our directors since October 1994. Since
March 1997, Mr. Matsumoto has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of
EnCompass Group, Inc., an information technology venture capital investment
firm. In 1991, Mr. Matsumoto formed DBC Technologies, which marketed high
technology products in the Far East. Mr. Matsumoto holds an M.S. in computer
engineering from Portland State University. Mr. Matsumoto serves on the boards
of several privately held software companies.

  Our bylaws provide for the division of our board of directors into three
classes as nearly equal in size as possible with staggered three-year terms at
our shareholders meeting in 2000. The classification of our board could make it
more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party
from acquiring, control of us.

Committees of the Board of Directors

  Our compensation committee currently consists of Messrs. Audino, Harman and
Matsumoto. The compensation committee:

  . reviews and approves the compensation and benefits for our executive
    officers
  . makes recommendations to the board of directors regarding such matters

  Our audit committee currently consists of Messrs. Haque and Harman. The audit
committee:

  . makes recommendations to the board of directors regarding the selection
    of independent auditors
  . reviews the results and scope of the audit and other services provided by
    our independent auditors

                                       45
<PAGE>

  . reviews and evaluates our audit and control functions

Director Compensation

  Our board of directors and shareholders adopted our 1999 stock incentive
compensation plan in April 1999. A total of 1,166,667 shares of our common
stock are currently available for issuance under this plan. Members of our
board of directors are eligible to participate in the 1999 plan. See
"Management--Executive Compensation."

Director and Officer Indemnification and Liability

  Our articles of incorporation limit the liability of directors to the fullest
extent permitted by the Washington Business Corporation Act as it currently
exists or as it may be amended in the future. Consequently, subject to the
Washington Business Corporation Act, no director shall be personally liable to
us or our shareholders for monetary damages resulting from his or her conduct
as one of our directors, except liability for:

  . acts or omissions involving intentional misconduct or knowing violations
    of law
  . unlawful distributions
  . transactions from which the director personally receives a benefit in
    money, property or services to which the director is not legally entitled

  Our articles of incorporation also provide that we will indemnify any
individual made a party to a proceeding because that individual is or was a
director of Primus and will advance or reimburse reasonable expenses incurred
by the individual in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding to the
full extent permitted by applicable law. Any repeal of or modification to our
articles of incorporation may not adversely affect any right of a director of
Primus who is or was a director at the time of such repeal or modification. To
the extent the provisions of our articles of incorporation provide for
indemnification of directors for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933, those provisions are, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and they
are therefore unenforceable.

  Our bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers and may
indemnify our employees and agents to the full extent permitted by law. In
addition, we intend to purchase and maintain a liability insurance policy,
pursuant to which our directors and officers may be indemnified against
liability they may incur for serving in their capacities as directors and
officers of Primus.

  We believe that the limitation of liability provision in our articles of
incorporation, the indemnification provisions in our bylaws and the liability
insurance policy will facilitate our ability to continue to attract and retain
qualified individuals to serve as our directors and officers.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

  During the year ended December 31, 1998, Messrs. Brochu, Audino, Haque and
Harman served on the compensation committee of our board of directors, as did
Kenneth L. Block, a former director of Primus. None of our executive officers
serve as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any
entity that has one or more executive officers serving as members of our board
of directors or its compensation committee.

  Mr. Haque is a partner at Norwest Venture Capital Management, the general
partner of Norwest Equity Partners V, L.L.P. Between February 12, 1996 and July
22, 1998, Norwest Equity Partners

                                       46
<PAGE>

purchased 2,845,528 shares of our Series A preferred stock for $3.5 million and
800,000 shares of our Series D preferred stock for $2.0 million. In connection
with a bridge loan financing in June 1998, we granted Norwest Equity Partners a
warrant for 23,500 shares of Series D preferred stock at an aggregate exercise
price of $59,000. The bridge loan converted into Series D preferred stock in
July 1998. The shares of preferred stock and warrants held by Norwest will
convert immediately prior to closing this offering into 1,441,166 shares of
common stock.

  Mr. Harman is a managing member of Oak Associates VI, L.L.C. and Oak VI
Affiliates, L.L.C., the general partners of Oak Investment Partners VI, L.P.
and Oak VI Affiliates Fund, L.P., respectively. On February 12, 1996 and July
22, 1998, respectively, Oak Investment Partners purchased 3,177,886 shares of
our Series A preferred stock for $3.9 million and 687,773 shares of our Series
D preferred stock for $1.7 million. On February 12, 1996 and July 22, 1998,
respectively, Oak VI Affiliates Fund, purchased 74,146 shares of our Series A
preferred stock for $91,000 and 16,047 shares of our Series D preferred stock
for $40,000. In connection with a bridge loan financing in June 1998, we
granted the Oak funds warrants for 26,499 shares of Series D preferred stock at
an aggregate exercise price of $66,000. The bridge loan converted into Series D
preferred stock in July 1998. The shares of preferred stock and warrants held
by affiliates of Mr. Harman will convert immediately prior to closing this
offering into 1,571,424 shares of common stock.

  In March 1999, Messrs. Brochu and Audino purchased 1,000 and 5,556 shares,
respectively, of our common stock at a price per share of $9.00. Block Capital
LLC, an entity controlled by Mr. Block, purchased 16,667 shares of our common
stock at a price per share of $9.00.

  Norwest Equity Partners and the Oak funds are parties to a registration
rights agreement with us. Pursuant to the terms of that agreement, the holders
of our preferred stock have certain registration rights that obligate us, under
certain circumstances, to effect a registration under the Securities Act of
shares of common stock. See "Description of Capital Stock--Registration
Rights."

                                       47
<PAGE>

Executive Compensation

  The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation
received for services rendered to us in all capacities, for our chief executive
officer, two of our former executive officers whose compensation exceeded
$100,000 in 1998 and our four other executive officers whose compensation is
expected to exceed $100,000 in 1999.

                           Summary Compensation Table
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                          Long-Term
                                                         Compensation
                            Annual Compensation             Awards
                          --------------------------     ------------
                                                           Security
Name and Principal        Fiscal                          Underlying     All Other
Position                   Year   Salary      Bonus      Options (#)  Compensation($)
- ------------------        ------ --------    -------     ------------ ---------------
<S>                       <C>    <C>         <C>         <C>          <C>
Michael A. Brochu.......   1999  $ 56,250(1) $   --         78,666       $    --
President and Chief        1998   199,995     45,833           --             --
 Executive Officer
Elizabeth J. Huebner....   1999    34,375(2)     --         36,666            --
Chief Financial Officer    1998    46,655(3)     --        106,666            --
 and Vice President
 of Finance
Kim M. Nelson...........   1999    31,249(4)     --        143,332            --
Vice President of Sales
Patricia L. Cox.........   1999    31,248(5)     --         33,333            --
Vice President of Client   1998    85,456(6)     --        100,000            --
 Services
Edward L. Walter........   1999    19,519(7)     --        143,332            --
Vice President of
 Product Development and
 Technology
Steven L. Sperry........   1998   142,006(8)  25,000           --          75,000(9)
Former Chairman of the
 Board
David Hanafee...........   1999       --       7,500(10)       --          30,000(11)
Former Vice President of   1998   118,606     20,870           --         103,236(12)
 Sales
</TABLE>
- --------
 (1) Represents salary earned as of March 31, 1999 and is based on an
     annualized salary of $225,000. Mr. Brochu is also eligible to receive a
     performance-based bonus in 1999.
 (2) Represents salary earned as of March 31, 1999 and is based on an
     annualized salary of $137,500. Ms. Huebner is also eligible to receive a
     performance-based bonus in 1999.
 (3) Ms. Huebner joined Primus in June 1998.
 (4) Mr. Nelson joined Primus in January 1999. Represents salary earned as of
     March 31, 1999 and is based on an annualized salary of $125,000. Mr.
     Nelson is also eligible to receive a performance-based bonus in 1999.
 (5) Based on an annualized salary of $125,000. Ms. Cox is also eligible to
     receive a performance-based bonus in 1999.
 (6) Ms. Cox joined Primus in March 1998.
 (7) Mr. Walter joined Primus in February 1999. Represents salary earned as of
     March 31, 1999 and is based on an annualized salary of $125,000.
     Mr. Walter is also eligible to receive a performance-based bonus in 1999.
 (8) Mr. Sperry resigned from his position as chairman of our board of
     directors on November 6, 1998.
 (9) Represents severance payments received by Mr. Sperry upon his resignation.
(10) Mr. Hanafee resigned from his position as our vice president of sales on
     December 31, 1998.
(11) Represents severance payments received by Mr. Hanafee upon his
     resignation.
(12) Represents commission payments.

                                       48
<PAGE>

Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year

  The following table sets forth certain information regarding stock options we
granted during fiscal 1998.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       Individual Grants
                         ----------------------------------------------
                                                                        Potential Realizable
                                                                          Value at Assumed
                         Number of  Percentage of                       Annual Rates of Stock
                         Securities Total Options                        Price Appreciation
                         Underlying   Granted to   Exercise              for Option Term(3)
                          Options    Employees in    Price   Expiration ---------------------
Name                     Granted(#) Fiscal Year(1) ($/Sh)(2)    Date      5%($)      10%($)
- ----                     ---------- -------------- --------- ---------- ---------- ----------
<S>                      <C>        <C>            <C>       <C>        <C>        <C>
Michael A. Brochu.......      --           --          --         --           --         --
Elizabeth J. Huebner....  106,666       16.77%      $ 4.50    6/19/08   $1,431,227 $2,563,308
Kim M. Nelson...........      --          --           --         --           --         --
Patricia L. Cox.........  100,000       15.72         3.00    4/08/08    1,491,784  2,553,117
Edward L. Walter........      --          --           --         --           --         --
Steven L. Sperry........      --          --           --         --           --         --
David Hanafee...........      --          --           --         --           --         --
</TABLE>
- --------
(1) Based on a total of 635,953 option shares granted to employees during
    fiscal 1998.
(2) Options were granted at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of
    our common stock at the time of the grant.
(3) The potential realizable value is calculated based on the term of the
    option at the time of grant (ten years) and the assumed initial public
    offering price of $11.00. The assumed rates of appreciation are prescribed
    by the Securities and Exchange Commission for illustrative purposes only
    and are not intended to forecast or predict future stock prices. The
    potential realizable value at 5% and 10% appreciation is calculated by
    assuming that the initial public offering price appreciates at the
    indicated rate for the entire term of the option and that the option is
    exercised at the exercise price and sold on the last day of its term at its
    appreciated price.

Aggregate Option Exercises in Fiscal 1998 and Year-End Option Values

  None of Messrs. Brochu, Nelson or Walter exercised any options during fiscal
1998, nor did any of Mesdames Huebner or Cox. The following table sets forth
certain information regarding unexercised stock options held by our current and
former executive officers as of December 31, 1998.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                     Number of  Securities
                                                    Underlying Unexercised     Value of Unexercised
                          Shares   Value Realized      Options at Fiscal      In-the-Money Options at
                         Acquired (Market Price at         Year-End            Fiscal Year-End($)(1)
                            on     Exercise Less   ------------------------- -------------------------
    Name                 Exercise Exercise Price)  Exercisable Unexercisable Exercisable Unexercisable
    ----                 -------- ---------------- ----------- ------------- ----------- -------------
<S>                      <C>      <C>              <C>         <C>           <C>         <C>
Michael A. Brochu.......     --       $    --        159,249      428,750    $1,273,992   $3,430,000
Elizabeth J. Huebner....     --            --            --       106,666           --       693,329
Kim M. Nelson...........     --            --            --           --            --           --
Patricia L. Cox.........     --            --            --       100,000           --       800,000
Edward L. Walter........     --            --            --           --            --           --
Steven L. Sperry........ 165,000       349,800       825,947          --      6,707,576          --
David Hanafee...........     --            --         29,164          --        233,312          --
</TABLE>
- --------
(1) Calculated on the basis of an assumed initial public offering price of
    $11.00 per share.

Change of Control Agreements

  Primus has entered into an agreement with each of Michael A. Brochu, Kim M.
Nelson, Edward L. Walter, Elizabeth J. Huebner and Patricia L. Cox, that
provides for certain compensation

                                       49
<PAGE>

arrangements upon and following a change of control of the company. The
agreements expire one year following a change of control. A change of control
occurs under the agreements when:

  . Primus completes a merger, consolidation or share exchange after which
    its prior shareholders own less than a majority of the surviving
    corporation

  .Primus sells substantially all of its assets not in the ordinary course of
  business
  .one person or entity acquires a majority of Primus's outstanding shares

  Immediately upon a change of control, 50% of the unvested options of each
executive become exercisable. Our 1995 and 1999 stock incentive compensation
plans also provide for vesting of all unvested options in certain circumstances
involving a merger, sale or liquidation of Primus.

  If one of our executives is terminated by us without cause or terminates his
or her employment due to a substantial change in his or her position or
responsibilities during the year following a change of control, then he or she
will be entitled to his or her accrued annual base salary, bonus and
commissions through the date of termination plus severance pay equal to one-
half of annual base salary. Further, all of his or her outstanding options will
become immediately exercisable. To the extent the employee regularly receives
commissions as part of his or her compensation, we will also pay commissions to
the terminated employee for sales to his or her former accounts that occur
during the six months following termination.

Separation Agreement

  On November 6, 1998, we entered into a separation agreement with Mr. Sperry
in connection with his resignation as one of our officers and a member of our
board of directors. Under this agreement, we paid Mr. Sperry a lump sum
separation payment of $75,000.

Employment Arrangement

  In connection with hiring Ms. Huebner, we agreed to grant her, during the
first three years of her employment, options to purchase 200,000 shares of
common stock at an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the date of
grant. As of March 31, 1999 we had granted all but 56,668 options.

Employee Benefit Plans

  1999 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan

  Our board of directors and shareholders have adopted our 1999 incentive
compensation plan. The purpose of this plan is to enhance long-term shareholder
value by offering opportunities to selected persons to participate in our
growth and success, and to encourage them to remain in the service of Primus
and its subsidiaries and to acquire and maintain ownership in our company. Upon
effectiveness of this offering, the 1999 incentive compensation plan will
replace our current stock option plans for purposes of all future stock
incentive awards. The 1999 incentive compensation plan provides for awards of
stock options, shares of common stock or units denominated in common stock, all
of which may be subject to restrictions. The board has reserved a total of
1,166,667 shares of common stock under the plan, plus an automatic annual
increase, to be added on the first day of our fiscal year beginning in 2001,
equal to the lesser of 666,666 shares and 5% of the average common shares
outstanding as used to calculate fully diluted earnings per share as reported
in our annual report to shareholders for the preceding year. Shares formerly
available for issuance under our 1995 option plan will become available under
the 1999 incentive compensation plan, as will shares that become available when
options granted under our 1993 and 1995 plans expire or are otherwise cancelled
without exercise.

                                       50
<PAGE>

  Stock Option Grants. The board of directors or a committee appointed by the
board will serve as the plan administrator of the 1999 incentive compensation
plan. The plan administrator will have the authority to select individuals to
receive options under the 1999 incentive compensation plan and to specify the
terms and conditions of each option granted (incentive or nonqualified), the
exercise price (which, for incentive stock options, must be at least equal to
the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant), the vesting
provisions and the option term. For purposes of the 1999 incentive compensation
plan, fair market value means the average of the high and low per share sales
price as reported on the Nasdaq National Market on the date of grant. Unless
the plan administrator decides otherwise, and to the extent required for
incentive stock options by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, an
option granted under the 1999 incentive compensation plan will expire 10 years
from the date of grant.

  Stock Awards. The plan administrator is authorized under the 1999 incentive
compensation plan to award shares of common stock or awards denominated in
units of common stock on such terms and conditions and subject to restrictions
established by the plan administrator in its sole discretion. The terms,
conditions and restrictions may be based, without limitation, on the manner in
which shares subject to stock awards held while restricted and the
circumstances under which a holder's service with us is terminated. Holders of
restricted stock are shareholders of Primus and have, subject to certain
restrictions, all the rights of shareholders with respect to their shares.

  Adjustments. The plan administrator will make proportional adjustments to the
number of shares issuable under the 1999 incentive compensation plan and to
outstanding awards in the event of stock splits or other capital adjustments.

  Corporate transactions. In the event of certain corporate transactions, such
as a merger or sale of Primus, each outstanding option will be assumed or
replaced with a comparable award by Primus' successor corporation or parent
thereof. If the successor will not assume or replace the options, they will
automatically accelerate and become 100% vested and exercisable immediately
before the corporate transaction. To the extent that options accelerate due to
a corporate transaction, the restrictions on restricted stock awards also will
lapse.

  1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

  Our board of directors and shareholders have adopted our 1999 employee stock
purchase plan. We will implement the stock purchase plan upon the effectiveness
of this offering to encourage employees to remain employed by Primus or its
subsidiaries. We intend for this plan to qualify under Section 423 of the
Internal Revenue Code.

  This plan permits eligible employees of Primus and its subsidiaries to
purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 10% of their
compensation. Under this plan, no employee may purchase common stock worth more
than $25,000 in any calendar year, valued as of the first day of each offering
period. Further, no employee may purchase more than 500 shares in any six-month
purchase period.

  We will implement the stock purchase plan with twenty-four-month offering
periods, each of which will consist of four six-month purchase periods, except
that the first offering period will begin on the effectiveness of this offering
and end on December 31, 1999. Subsequent offering periods will begin on each
January 1 and July 1. The price of the common stock purchased under this plan
will be the lesser of 85% of the fair market value on the first day of an
offering period and 85% of the fair market value on the last day of a purchase
period, except that the purchase price for the first offering period will be
equal to the lesser of 100% of the initial public offering price of the common
stock and

                                       51
<PAGE>

85% of the fair market value on the last day of each purchase period. Under the
circumstances specified in the plan, we may change the purchase date during an
offering period and terminate the plan at the end of any purchase period to
avoid our incurring adverse accounting charges. This plan terminates ten years
after the date of adoption by our board of directors, but the board may
terminate it at any earlier time. We have not yet issued any shares of common
stock under this plan.

  Employees generally will be eligible to participate in the plan if they are
customarily employed by Primus for more than 20 hours per week and more than
five months in a calendar year, and are not (and would not become as a result
of being granted an option under the plan) 5% shareholders of Primus or its
subsidiaries.

  We authorized the issuance under this plan of a total of 600,000 shares of
common stock, plus an automatic annual increase, to be added on the first day
of our fiscal year beginning in 2000, equal to the lesser of 200,000 shares and
1.7% of the average common shares outstanding as used to calculate fully
diluted earnings per share as reported in Primus's annual report to
shareholders for the preceding year, or a lesser amount determined by our board
of directors. Any shares from increases in previous years that are not actually
issued will be added to the aggregate number of shares available for issuance
in future periods.

  In the event of a merger, consolidation or acquisition by another corporation
of all or substantially all of our assets, each outstanding option to purchase
shares under the stock purchase plan will be assumed or an equivalent option
substituted by the successor corporation. If the successor corporation refuses
to assume or substitute for the option, the offering period during which a
participant may purchase stock will be shortened to a specified date before the
proposed transaction. Similarly, in the event of a proposed liquidation or
dissolution of Primus, the offering period during which a participant may
purchase stock will be shortened to a specified date before the date of the
proposed liquidation or dissolution.

  1995 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan

  Our board of directors and shareholders approved a stock incentive
compensation plan in 1995. In April 1999, we increased the shares available for
issuance under the 1995 plan by 500,000 shares. The 1995 plan provides for
grants of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock awards
and stock appreciation rights. We will not grant further options under our 1995
plan after effectiveness of this offering. As of March 31, 1999, options to
purchase 2,671,881 shares of our common stock were outstanding under the 1995
plan and 24,641 shares remained available for grant.

  Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan

  Our board of directors and shareholders approved a non-employee director plan
in 1994. Our board discontinued further grants under our 1994 plan upon
adoption of our 1995 plan. As of March 31, 1999, options to purchase 8,332
shares of our common stock were outstanding under the 1994 plan.

  Employee Stock Option and Restricted Stock Award Plan

  Our board of directors and shareholders approved an employee stock option and
restricted stock award plan in 1993. Our board discontinued further grants
under the 1993 plan upon adoption of our 1995 plan. As of March 31, 1999,
options to purchase 235,214 shares of our common stock were outstanding under
our 1993 plan.

                                       52
<PAGE>

                              CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

  In November 1995 we entered into a joint venture agreement with Trans Cosmos,
to establish Primus KK, a Japanese company. We hold a 14.3% interest in Primus
KK and have one of the six board seats.

  In November 1995, we issued 60,606 shares of common stock to Yuriko
Matsumoto, the wife of Mr. Matsumoto, at a per share price of $1.65. In
September 1996, Trans Cosmos USA, Inc. purchased 313,008 shares and EnCompass
Group purchased 500,000 shares of our Series A preferred stock for a total of
$1.0 million. Mr. Matsumoto is the president and chief executive officer of
EnCompass Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Trans Cosmos. In July 1998,
EnCompass Group purchased 108,204 shares of our Series D preferred stock for
$271,000 and Trans Cosmos purchased 600,000 shares of our Series D preferred
stock for $1.5 million. In September 1996 and March 1997, Trans Cosmos USA, an
affiliate of Trans Cosmos, bought 500,000 shares of our Series B preferred
stock and 1,000,000 shares of our Series C preferred stock, respectively, for
an aggregate price of $3.0 million. In connection with a bridge loan financing
in June 1998, we granted EnCompass Group warrants for 6,000 shares of Series D
preferred stock at an aggregate exercise price of $15,000. The bridge loan
converted into Series D preferred stock in July 1998. The shares of preferred
stock and warrants held by affiliates of Mr. Matsumoto will convert immediately
prior to closing this offering into 1,071,401 shares of common stock.

  In September 1997, we entered into an exclusive, worldwide distribution
agreement with Trans Cosmos for Kanji versions of our SolutionBuilder product.
Trans Cosmos bought $2.0 million of SolutionBuilder licenses and related
upgrade rights. Trans Cosmos pays us a portion of its technical support income
related to our SolutionBuilder product. Trans Cosmos's distribution rights
terminate on the earlier of September 26, 2000 or upon Trans Cosmos's sale of
all of its SolutionBuilder licenses.

  In September 1997, we granted Primus KK a first right of refusal with respect
to distribution of Asian-language versions of our products. In March 1999, we
entered into a one-year software marketing and distribution agreement with
Primus KK. The agreement provides Primus KK with exclusive distribution rights
in Japan, and nonexclusive distribution rights in Korea, to English and
Japanese versions of our SolutionExplorer and SolutionPublisher products.
Primus KK pays us royalty on license and maintenance fees for those products.
Unless either party terminates, the agreement automatically renews for
additional one-year periods. The agreement has customary termination provisions
for breach and for failure by Primus KK to meet certain revenue and staffing
goals.

  In February 1998, we entered into a service agreement with EnCompass
Globalization, Inc., an affiliate of Trans Cosmos, under which EnCompass
Globalization agreed to provide us with localization, translation and testing
services for Japanese versions of our SolutionSeries products. EnCompass
Globalization provides its services on a time and materials basis. The term of
the agreement is not fixed, but specific projects are described in mutually
agreed statements of work that establish time frames in which the projects are
to be completed.

  In April 1999, we agreed to issue an aggregate of 18,400 shares of common
stock to Primus KK for issuance to an employee and granted fully vested options
to purchase an aggregate of 10,000 shares of common stock to Primus KK
employees.

                                       53
<PAGE>

                       PRINCIPAL AND SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

  The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial
ownership of our common stock as of May 31, 1999 by:

  . each person or group that we know owns more than 5% of our common stock
  . our chief executive officer, two of our former executive officers whose
    compensation exceeded $100,000 in 1998 and our four other executive
    officers whose compensation is expected to exceed $100,000 in 1999
  . each selling shareholder
  . each of our directors
  . all of our directors and executive officers as a group
  Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with rules of the Securities
and Exchange Commission and includes shares over which the indicated beneficial
owner exercises voting and/or investment power. Shares of our common stock
subject to options currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of
May 31, 1999 are deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of
the person holding the options but are not deemed outstanding for computing the
percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise indicated, we
believe the beneficial owners of the common stock listed below, based on
information furnished by them, have sole voting and investment power with
respect to the number of shares listed opposite their names.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                Percentage of
                                                                   Shares
                                                                 Outstanding
                           Number of Shares                   -----------------
                          Beneficially Owned Number of Shares Prior to  After
    Name and Address      Prior to Offering   Being Offered   Offering Offering
    ----------------      ------------------ ---------------- -------- --------
<S>                       <C>                <C>              <C>      <C>
Entities affiliated with
 Trans Cosmos, Inc.(1)
 777-108th Avenue, N.E.,
 Suite 2300
 Bellevue, WA 98004......     1,810,291              --         19.0%    13.4%

Entities affiliated with
 Oak Investment Partners
 VI,
 Limited Partnership(2)
 Suite 1300
 525 University Avenue
 Palo Alto, CA 94301.....     1,576,773              --         16.6%    11.7%

Norwest Equity Partners,
 V, L.L.P.(3)
 Suite 250
 245 Lytton Avenue
 Palo Alto, CA 94301.....     1,441,166              --         15.2%    10.7%

Snowdon, L.P.(4)
 1119 St. Paul Street
 Baltimore, MD 21117.....       862,659              --          9.1%     6.4%

Steven L. Sperry(5)
 2305 East Harrison
 Seattle, WA 98112.......       828,448          100,000         8.1%     5.1%

J.Z. Knight
 14507 Yelm Highway
 Southeast
 Yelm, WA 98597..........       582,036              --          6.1%     4.3%

Michael A. Brochu(6).....       225,584              --          2.3%     1.6%


Patricia L. Cox(7).......        33,333              --           *        *
</TABLE>

                                       54
<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Percentage of
                                                                  Shares
                                                                Outstanding
                          Number of Shares                   -----------------
                         Beneficially Owned Number of Shares Prior to  After
    Name and Address     Prior to Offering   Being Offered   Offering Offering
    ----------------     ------------------ ---------------- -------- --------
<S>                      <C>                <C>              <C>      <C>
Kim M. Nelson...........           --               --           --       --

David M. Hadley.........       268,675           50,000         2.8%     1.6%

David Hanafee...........        29,167              --           *        *

Elizabeth J.
 Huebner(7).............        28,888              --           *        *

Edward L. Walter........           --               --           --       --

Antonio M. Audino(8)....        97,221              --          1.0%      *

Promod Haque(9).........     1,449,499              --         15.2%    10.7%

Fredric W. Harman(10)...     1,585,106              --         16.6%    11.7%

Yasuki Matsumoto(11)....     1,171,004              --         12.3%     8.7%

Directors and executive
 officers as a group (9
 persons)..............      4,590,635              --         46.7%    33.2%
</TABLE>
- --------
  *  less than one percent

 (1) Represents the following: (a) 200,000 shares issuable upon conversion of
     preferred stock held by Trans Cosmos; (b) 493,225 shares issuable upon
     conversion of the preferred stock held by Trans Cosmos USA, a wholly-owned
     subsidiary of Trans Cosmos; (c) 2,000 shares issuable on exercise of
     warrants and 241,068 shares issuable upon conversion of the preferred
     stock held by EnCompass Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trans Cosmos;
     (d) 16,667 shares of common stock owned by TCI Club, Inc., an affiliate of
     Trans Cosmos, Inc. and (e) 857,331 shares of common stock and shares
     issuable upon conversion of preferred stock held by U.S. Information
     Technology Financing, L.P., an affiliate of EnCompass Group.

 (2) Represents the following: (a) 8,632 shares issuable on exercise of
     warrants and 1,532,191 shares issuable upon conversion of the preferred
     stock held by Oak Investment Partners VI, Limited Partnership; and (b) 201
     shares issuable on exercise of warrants and 35,749 shares issuable upon
     conversion of the preferred stock held by Oak VI Affiliates Fund, L.P. Oak
     Associates VI, L.L.C. and Oak VI Affiliates, L.L.C. are general partners
     of Oak Investment Partners VI and Oak VI Affiliates, respectively, and
     thus are each deemed to beneficially own the respective shares.

 (3) Represents the following: (a) 7,833 shares issuable on exercise of
     warrants and 1,433,333 shares issuable upon conversion of preferred stock
     held by Norwest Equity Partners.

 (4) Represents shares issuable upon conversion of preferred stock. Snowdon
     L.P. is a limited partnership, the managing general partner of which is
     Nevis Capital Management, Inc. Nevis Capital Management, Inc. is owned and
     controlled by Jon Baker and David Wilmerding.

 (5) Represents 169,167 shares held directly by Mr. Sperry and 659,281 shares
     subject to options held by Mr. Sperry that are exercisable currently or
     within 60 days of May 31, 1999.

 (6) Represents 1,000 shares held directly by Mr. Brochu and 224,584 shares
     subject to options that are exercisable currently or within 60 days of May
     31, 1999. Excludes 20,416 shares subject to options, that are exercisable
     currently or within 60 days of May 31, 1999, held by Delialah D. Brochu,
     Mr. Brochu's former spouse.

 (7) Represents shares subject to options that are exercisable currently or
     within 60 days of May 31, 1999.


                                       55
<PAGE>

 (8) Includes 9,999 shares subject to options that are exercisable currently or
     within 60 days of May 31, 1999.

 (9) Represents the following: (a) 8,333 shares subject to options that are
     exercisable currently or within 60 days of May 31, 1999; and (b) 1,441,166
     shares issuable upon exercise of warrants and conversion of preferred
     stock held by Norwest Equity Partners, V. L.L.P. Mr. Haque is a partner in
     Norwest Venture Partners, an affiliate of Norwest Equity Partners V.
     L.L.P. Mr. Haque disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by
     Norwest Equity Partners, V, L.L.P. except to the extent of his pecuniary
     interest arising from his interest in Norwest Venture Capital.

(10) Represents the following: (a) 8,333 shares subject to options that are
     exercisable currently or within 60 days of May 31, 1999; and (b) 1,576,773
     shares issuable upon exercise of warrants and conversion of preferred
     stock held by Oak Investment Partners VI and Oak VI Affiliates Fund, L.P.
     Mr. Harman is Managing Member of Oak Associates VI, L.L.C., the general
     partner of Oak Investment Partners VI, and Managing Member of Oak VI
     Affiliates, L.L.C., the general partner of Oak VI Affiliates Fund, L.P.
     Mr. Harman disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Oak
     Investment Partners VI and Oak VI affiliates, except to the extent of his
     pecuniary interest arising from his interest in Oak Associates VI, L.L.C.

(11) Represents the following: (a) 243,068 shares issuable upon exercise of
     warrants and conversion of preferred stock held by EnCompass Group; (b)
     857,331 shares of common stock, including shares issuable upon conversion
     of preferred stock held by U.S. Information Technology Financing, L.P.;
     (c) 9,999 shares subject to options that are exercisable currently or
     within 60 days of May 31, 1999; and (d) 60,606 shares held by his wife,
     Yuriko Matsumoto. Mr. Matsumoto disclaims beneficial ownership of the
     shares beneficially held by U.S. Information Technology Financing, L.P.,
     EnCompass Group and Yuriko Matsumoto.


                                       56
<PAGE>

                          DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

  We are authorized to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $.025 par
value per share, and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $.001 par value per
share. The following summary of certain provisions of the common stock and
preferred stock is not complete and may not contain all the information you
should consider before investing in the common stock. You should read carefully
our articles of incorporation, which are included as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement, of which this prospectus is a part.

Common Stock

  As of March 31, 1999, assuming conversion of all outstanding shares of
preferred stock and exercise of warrants that expire on closing of this
offering, there were 9,501,796 shares of common stock outstanding held of
record by 188 shareholders. Following this offering, there will be 13,501,796
shares of common stock outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters'
over-allotment option and no exercise of options or warrants outstanding as of
March 31, 1999 other than the warrants that expire upon the effectiveness of
this registration statement). The holders of common stock are entitled to one
vote per share on all matters to be voted on by the shareholders. Subject to
preferences of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, the holders of common
stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends the board of directors
declares out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. If Primus
is liquidated, dissolved or wound up, the holders of common stock are entitled
to share pro rata all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and
liquidation preferences of any outstanding shares of preferred stock. Holders
of common stock have no preemptive rights or rights to convert their common
stock into any other securities. There are no redemption or sinking fund
provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of common
stock are fully paid and nonassessable, and the shares of common stock to be
issued following this offering will be fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

  Upon the closing of this offering, each outstanding share of Series A
convertible preferred stock will convert into 0.41 shares of common stock. Each
outstanding share of Series B preferred stock, Series C preferred stock and
Series D preferred stock will convert into 0.333 shares of Common Stock.
Thereafter, pursuant to our articles of incorporation, the board of directors
will have the authority, without further action by the shareholders, to issue
up to 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series. The board
also has the authority to fix the designations, powers, preferences, privileges
and relative, participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications,
limitations or restrictions of any preferred stock issues, including dividend
rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation
preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common
stock. The board of directors, without shareholder approval, can issue
preferred stock with voting, conversion or other rights that could adversely
affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock.
Preferred stock could thus be issued quickly with terms that could delay or
prevent a change in control of Primus or make removal of management more
difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may decrease the
market price of the common stock and may adversely affect the voting and other
rights of the holders of common stock. We have no plans to issue any preferred
stock.

Registration Rights

  After this offering, the holders of 4,985,326 shares of common stock will be
entitled to certain rights with respect to the registration of such shares
under the Securities Act, pursuant to a

                                       57
<PAGE>

registration rights agreement. Under the terms of the registration rights
agreement, if we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities
Act, either for our own account or for the account of other security holders
exercising registration rights, such holders are entitled to notice of the
registration and to include shares of common stock in the registration at our
expense. Additionally, such holders are entitled to certain demand registration
rights pursuant to which they may require us to file a registration statement
under the Securities Act at our expense with respect to their shares of common
stock. Further, such holders may require us to file additional registration
statements on Form S-3 at our expense. All of these registration rights are
subject to certain conditions and limitations, among them the right of the
underwriters of an offering to limit the number of shares included in such
registration and our right to decline to effect such a registration before the
earlier of February 2000 and six months after the closing of this offering.

Antitakeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws
and Washington Law

  As noted above, our board of directors, without shareholder approval, has the
authority under our articles of incorporation to issue preferred stock with
rights superior to the rights of the holders of common stock. As a result,
preferred stock could be issued quickly and easily, could adversely affect the
rights of holders of common stock and could be issued with terms calculated to
delay or prevent a change in control of Primus or make removal of management
more difficult.

  Election and Removal of Directors. Effective with the first annual meeting of
shareholders following this offering, our articles of incorporation provide for
the division of our board of directors into three classes, as nearly as equal
in number as possible, with the directors in each class serving for a three-
year term, and one class being elected each year by our shareholders. Directors
may be removed only for cause. Because this system of electing and removing
directors generally makes it more difficult for shareholders to replace a
majority of the board of directors, it may tend to discourage a third party
from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to gain control of Primus
and may maintain the incumbency of the board of directors.

  Approval for Certain Business Combinations. Our articles of incorporation
require that certain business combinations (including a merger, share exchange
and the sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition
or encumbrance of a substantial part of our assets other than in the usual and
regular course of business) be approved by the holders of not less than two-
thirds of the outstanding shares, unless such business combination has been
approved by a majority of the board of directors, in which case the affirmative
vote required shall be a majority of the outstanding shares.

  Shareholder Meetings. Under our articles of incorporation and bylaws, our
shareholders may call a special meeting only upon the request of holders of at
least 25% of the outstanding shares. Additionally, the board of directors, the
chairman of the board and the president may call special meetings of
shareholders.

  Requirements for Advance Notification of Shareholder Nominations and
Proposals. Our bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to
shareholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as
directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the board of
directors or a committee thereof.

  Washington law imposes restrictions on certain transactions between a
corporation and certain significant shareholders. Chapter 23B.19 of the
Washington Business Corporation Act prohibits a

                                       58
<PAGE>

"target corporation," with certain exceptions, from engaging in certain
significant business transactions with an "acquiring person," which is defined
as a person or group of persons that beneficially owns 10% or more of the
voting securities of the target corporation, for a period of five years after
such acquisition, unless the transaction or acquisition of shares is approved
by a majority of the members of the target corporation's board of directors
prior to the time of acquisition. Such prohibited transactions include, among
other things,

  . a merger or consolidation with, disposition of assets to, or issuance or
    redemption of stock to or from, the acquiring person
  . termination of 5% or more of the employees of the target corporation as a
    result of the acquiring person's acquisition of 10% or more of the shares
  . allowing the acquiring person to receive any disproportionate benefit as
    a shareholder

  After the five-year period, a "significant business transaction" may occur,
as long as it complies with certain "fair price" provisions of the statute. A
corporation may not "opt out" of this statute. This provision may have the
effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of Primus.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

  The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, L.L.C.

                                       59
<PAGE>

                        SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

  Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock
and a significant public market for the common stock may not develop or be
sustained after this offering. Future sales of substantial amounts of common
stock in the public market, including shares issued upon exercise of
outstanding options and warrants, could harm market prices and could impair our
ability to raise capital through the sale of our equity securities.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                    Approximate
                      shares
  Days after the     eligible
       date         for future
of this prospectus     sale                         Comment
- ------------------  ----------- ------------------------------------------------
<S>                 <C>         <C>
Upon
 effectiveness....    224,829   Freely tradeable shares and shares eligible for
                                sale under Rule 144(k) that are not subject to
                                180-day lockup.
90 days...........    18,150    Shares eligible for sale under Rule 144, 144(k)
                                or 701 that are not subject to 180-day lockup.
180 days..........   8,863,297  Lockup released; shares eligible for sale under
                                Rule 144, 144(k) or 701.
Over 180 days.....    245,520   Restricted securities held for one year or less.
</TABLE>

  After this offering, we will have outstanding 13,501,796 shares of common
stock (14,124,296 shares if the underwriters' over-allotment option is
exercised in full). Of these shares, the 4,150,000 shares that we expect to
sell in this offering (including the 150,000 shares sold by the selling
shareholders) (4,772,500 shares if the underwriters' over-allotment option is
exercised in full) will be freely tradeable without restriction under the
Securities Act, except for shares purchased by our "affiliates" as that term is
defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

  The remaining 9,351,796 shares of common stock that will be outstanding after
this offering will be restricted shares. We issued and sold the restricted
shares in private transactions in reliance on exemptions from registration
under the Securities Act. Restricted shares may be sold in the public market
only if they are registered or if they qualify for an exemption from
registration under Rule 144 or Rule 701 under the Securities Act, as summarized
below.

  An aggregate of 9,092,150 restricted shares are subject to lock-up agreements
or other contractual restrictions providing that the shareholder will not
offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of the shares for 180 days
after the date of this prospectus. We also have entered into an agreement with
the underwriters that we will not offer, sell or otherwise dispose of common
stock for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus.

  Ninety days after the date of this prospectus, 18,150 shares that are not
subject to lock-up agreements will be eligible for sale in the public market
under Rules 144 and 701. When the lock-up agreements expire, an additional
8,863,297 restricted shares will be eligible for immediate sale (of which
6,099,897 shares will be subject to certain volume, manner of sale and other
limitations under Rule 144). The remaining 245,520 restricted shares will be
eligible for sale pursuant to Rule 144 on the expiration of various one-year
holding periods over six months after the lock-up period expires.

  Following the expiration of the lock-up periods, shares issued upon exercise
of options that we granted before the date of this prospectus will be available
for sale in the public market under Rule 701. Rule 701 permits resales of these
shares in reliance upon Rule 144 under the Securities Act but without
compliance with certain restrictions, including the holding-period requirement,
imposed under Rule 144.

                                       60
<PAGE>

  In general under Rule 144 as currently in effect, beginning 90 days after the
date of this prospectus, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares
for at least one year including the holding period of any prior owner except an
affiliate of Primus would be entitled to sell in any three-month period up to
the greater of

  . 1% of the then-outstanding shares of common stock (approximately 135,000
    shares immediately after this offering) and
  . the average weekly trading volume of the common stock during the four
    calendar weeks preceding the filing of a Form 144 in connection with the
    sale.

  Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to certain manner of sale and notice
requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Under Rule 144(k), a person who has not been an affiliate of ours at any time
during the three months before a sale, and who has beneficially owned the
restricted shares for at least two years is entitled to sell them without
complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume limitation or
notice provisions of Rule 144.

  Within 90 days, after the effectiveness of this offering, we will file a
registration statement on Form S-8 to register shares of common stock subject
to outstanding options or reserved for issuance under our stock plans.
Approximately 4,602,094 shares will be registered on the Form S-8. Common stock
issued upon exercise of outstanding vested options is available for immediate
resale in the open market after the filing of a registration statement on
Form S-8, except where the Rule 144 limitations, the lock-up agreements and the
vesting restrictions we imposed apply.

  Also, six months following this offering, the holders of 4,985,326 shares of
outstanding common stock will be entitled to require us to register their
shares for sale in the public market. See "Description of Capital Stock--
Registration Rights."

                                       61
<PAGE>

                                  UNDERWRITING

  The underwriters named below, acting through their representatives,
BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc., Hambrecht & Quist LLC, U.S. Bancorp Piper
Jaffray Inc. and FAC/Equities, a division of First Albany Corporation, have
severally agreed with us and the selling shareholders, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, to purchase from us and the
selling shareholders the number of shares of common stock set forth opposite
their respective names below. The underwriters are committed to purchase and
pay for all such shares if any are purchased.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                        Number
                                Underwriter                            of shares
                                -----------                            ---------
     <S>                                                               <C>
     BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc................................
     Hambrecht & Quist LLC............................................
     U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc...................................
     First Albany Corporation ........................................
                                                                       ---------
       Total.......................................................... 4,150,000
                                                                       =========
</TABLE>

  The representatives have advised us and the selling shareholders that the
underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock to the public at the
public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to
certain dealers at such price less a concession of not in excess of $      per
share, of which $      may be reallowed to other dealers. After the initial
public offering, the public offering price, concession and reallowance to
dealers may be reduced by the representatives. No such reduction shall change
the amount of proceeds to be received by us and the selling shareholders as set
forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The common stock is offered by the
underwriters as stated herein, subject to receipt and acceptance by them and
subject to their right to reject any order in whole or in part.

  The underwriters do not intend to confirm sales to any accounts over which
they exercise discretionary authority.

  Over-allotment Option. We have granted to the underwriters an option,
exercisable during the 30-day period after the date of this prospectus, to
purchase up to 622,500 additional shares of common stock at the same price per
share as we will receive for the 4,000,000 shares that the underwriters have
agreed to purchase. To the extent that the underwriters exercise this option,
each of the underwriters will have a firm commitment, subject to certain
conditions, to purchase approximately the same percentage of such additional
shares that the number of shares of common stock to be purchased by it shown in
the above table represents as a percentage of the 4,150,000 shares offered
hereby. If purchased, such additional shares will be sold by the underwriters
on the same terms as those on which the 4,150,000 shares are being sold. We
will be obligated, pursuant to the option, to sell shares to the extent the
option is exercised. The underwriters may exercise such option only to cover
over-allotments made in connection with the sale of the shares of common stock
offered hereby. If such option is exercised in full, the total public offering
price of the 4,622,500 shares we sell to the underwriters, underwriting
discounts and commissions on such shares and total proceeds to us from the sale
of such shares will be $      , $        and $       , respectively.

                                       62
<PAGE>

  Indemnity. The underwriting agreement contains covenants of indemnity among
the underwriters, the selling shareholders and us against certain civil
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and liabilities
arising from breaches of representations and warranties contained in the
underwriting agreement.

  Lock-up Agreements. Under the terms of lock-up agreements, each of our
officers and directors and certain of our shareholders have agreed with the
representatives, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus,
subject to certain exceptions, not to offer to sell, contract to sell, or
otherwise sell, dispose of, loan, pledge or grant any rights with respect to,
any shares of common stock, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable
for shares of common stock, now owned directly by such holders or with respect
to which they have the power of disposition, without the prior written consent
of BancBoston Robertson Stephens. However, BancBoston Robertson Stephens may,
in its sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any
portion of the securities subject to the lock-up agreements. There are no
agreements between the representatives and any of our shareholders providing
consent by the representatives to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of
the period 180 days after the date of this prospectus.

  Future Sales. In addition, we have agreed that during the 180 days after the
date of this prospectus, we will not, subject to certain exceptions, without
the prior written consent of BancBoston Robertson Stephens:

  . Consent to the disposition of any shares held by shareholders prior to
    the expiration of the period of 180 days after the date of this
    prospectus; or

  . Issue, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of
    common stock or any securities convertible into, exercisable for or
    exchangeable for shares of common stock, other than the sale of shares in
    this offering, the issuance of common stock upon the exercise of
    outstanding options or warrants or our issuance of options or shares
    under our 1999 stock incentive compensation plan and our 1999 employee
    stock purchase plan.

  Listing. The common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq
National Market under the symbol "PKSI."

  No Prior Public Market. Prior to this offering, there has been no public
market for our common stock. Consequently, the initial public offering price
for the common stock offered hereby will be determined through negotiations
between us and the representatives. Among the factors to be considered in such
negotiations are prevailing market conditions, certain of our financial
information, market valuations of other companies that we and the
representatives believe to be comparable to us, estimates of our business
potential, the present state of our development and other factors deemed
relevant.

  Stabilization. The representatives have advised us that, pursuant to
Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act, certain persons participating
in this offering may engage in transactions, including stabilizing bids,
syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids, that may
have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the common
stock at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. A
"stabilizing bid" is a bid for or the purchase of the common stock on behalf of
the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the
common stock. A "syndicate covering transaction" is the bid for or the purchase
of the common stock on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position
incurred by the underwriters in connection with this offering. A "penalty bid"
is an arrangement permitting the

                                       63
<PAGE>

representatives to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to an
underwriter or syndicate member in connection with this offering if the common
stock originally sold by such underwriter or syndicate member is purchased by
the representatives in a syndicate covering transaction and has therefore not
been effectively placed by such underwriter or syndicate member. The
representatives have advised us that such transactions may be effected on the
Nasdaq National Market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at
any time.

  Directed Share Program. At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to
207,500 shares of common stock to be issued by us and offered hereby for sale,
at the initial public offering price, to our directors, officers, employees,
business associates and other related persons. The number of shares of common
stock available for sale to the general public will be reduced to the extent
such individuals purchase such reserved shares. Any reserved shares which are
not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on
the same basis as the other shares offered hereby.

                                 LEGAL MATTERS

  Certain legal matters will be passed on for Primus by Perkins Coie LLP,
Seattle, Washington. As of March 31, 1999, an investment partnership comprised
of certain members of Perkins Coie beneficially owned 4,833 shares of our
common stock. Certain legal matters will be passed on for the underwriters by
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto,
California.

                                    EXPERTS

  Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, have audited our consolidated
financial statements and schedule included in this prospectus and Registration
Statement for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1997 and 1998, as set forth in
their reports, which are included in this prospectus and Registration
Statement. Our consolidated financial statements are included herein in
reliance on their reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting
and auditing.

                             ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration
Statement on Form S-1. This prospectus, which forms a part of the Registration
Statement, does not contain all the information included in the Registration
Statement. Certain information is omitted and you should refer to the
Registration Statement and its exhibits. With respect to references made in
this prospectus to any contract or other document of Primus, such references
are not necessarily complete and you should refer to the exhibits attached to
the Registration Statement for copies of the actual contract or document. You
may review a copy of the Registration Statement, including exhibits and
schedule filed therewith, at the Securities and Exchange Commission's public
reference facilities in Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the regional offices of the Securities and
Exchange Commission located at 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New
York 10048, and Citicorp Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400,
Chicago, Illinois 60661. You may also obtain copies of such materials from the
Public Reference Section of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Room 1024,
Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed
rates. The Securities and Exchange Commission maintains a Web site
(http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements
and other information regarding registrants, such as Primus, that file
electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

                                       64
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                   INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                          <C>
Report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors........................... F-2

Consolidated Balance Sheets................................................. F-3

Consolidated Statements of Operations....................................... F-4

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Deficit............................ F-5

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows....................................... F-6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.................................. F-7
</TABLE>

                                      F-1
<PAGE>

               Report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors

The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

  We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Primus
Knowledge Solutions, Inc. as of December 31, 1997 and 1998, and the related
consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' deficit, and cash flows
for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 1998. These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on
our audits.

  We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of
material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit
also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial
statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis
for our opinion.

  In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Primus
Knowledge Solutions, Inc. at December 31, 1997 and 1998, and the consolidated
results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in
the period ended December 31, 1998, in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles.

                                          Ernst & Young LLP

Seattle, Washington
March 12, 1999,
except for Note 14, as to which the date is
May 3, 1999.


                                      F-2
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                          CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                (In thousands, except share and per share data)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                     Pro Forma
                                                                   Shareholders'
                                      December 31                    Equity at
                                   ------------------   March 31,    March 31,
                                     1997      1998       1999         1999
                                   --------  --------  ----------- -------------
                                                       (Unaudited)  (Unaudited)
<S>                                <C>       <C>       <C>         <C>
             ASSETS
Current assets:
  Cash and cash equivalents......  $    711  $  2,583   $  2,423
  Securities available-for-sale..       610     2,833      1,773
  Accounts receivable, (including
   amounts due from related
   parties of $1,065 at March 31,
   1999), net of reserves of $70,
   $371, and $371 at December 31,
   1997 and 1998 and at March 31,
   1999, respectively............     2,555     4,999      4,777
  Prepaid royalties..............        73       166         65
  Other current assets...........        70       307        300
                                   --------  --------   --------
       Total current assets......     4,019    10,888      9,338
Property and equipment, net......     1,208     1,914      1,922
Accounts receivable, long term...        --       600         --
Deposits and other assets........        47       285        286
                                   --------  --------   --------
       Total assets..............  $  5,274  $ 13,687   $ 11,546
                                   ========  ========   ========
  LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS'
         EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Current liabilities:
  Line of credit.................  $    500  $     --   $     --
  Accounts payable and accrued
   liabilities...................       757     2,239      2,059
  Compensation-related accruals..       646     1,388      1,028
  Long-term debt, current
   portion.......................       417       444        616
  Obligations under capital
   leases, current...............        86        28         25
  Deferred revenue, including
   related-party amounts of
   $1,969, $1,395, and $1,395 at
   December 31, 1997 and 1998 and
   March 31, 1999, respectively..     3,570     7,605      6,709
                                   --------  --------   --------
       Total current
        liabilities..............     5,976    11,704     10,437
Obligations under capital leases,
 net of current..................        --        54         47
Long-term debt, net of current...       386     1,019      1,007
Redeemable convertible preferred
 stock: Issued and outstanding
 shares--7,910,568, 12,810,568
 and 12,810,568 at December 31,
 1997 and 1998, and March 31,
 1999, respectively (none
 pro forma), liquidation value of
 $22,750.........................    10,399    23,157     23,373
Commitments (Note 10)

Shareholders' equity (deficit):
  Preferred stock, $.001 par
   value:
   Authorized shares--
    15,000,000...................
   Convertible, issued and
    outstanding shares--500,000
    at December 31, 1997 and
    1998 and March 31, 1999,
    liquidation value of $1,000
    (none pro forma).............         1         1          1     $     --
   Common stock, $.025 par
    value:
     Authorized shares--
      50,000,000.................
     Issued and outstanding
      shares--3,894,277,
      4,283,141 and 4,468,747 at
      December 31, 1997 and
      1998, and March 31, 1999,
      respectively (9,435,407
      pro forma).................        97       107        112          236
  Additional paid-in capital.....     9,350     9,184      9,975       33,225
  Accumulated deficit............   (20,935)  (31,538)   (33,401)     (33,401)
  Accumulated other comprehensive
   loss..........................        --        (1)        (5)          (5)
                                   --------  --------   --------     --------
       Total shareholders' equity
        (deficit)................   (11,487)  (22,247)   (23,318)    $     55
                                   --------  --------   --------     ========
       Total liabilities and
        shareholders' equity.....  $  5,274  $ 13,687   $ 11,546
                                   ========  ========   ========
</TABLE>

                            See accompanying notes.

                                      F-3
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                (In thousands, except share and per share data)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Three Months Ended
                              Year Ended December 31,               March 31,
                          ----------------------------------  ----------------------
                             1996        1997        1998        1998        1999
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
                                                                   (Unaudited)
<S>                       <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>
Revenues:
  License (including
   amounts from related
   parties of $30 and
   $575 in 1997 and
   1998,
   respectively.).......  $    1,459  $    3,558  $    6,034  $      948  $    2,901
  Services..............         963       1,631       2,576         417       1,010
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
                               2,422       5,189       8,610       1,365       3,911
Cost of revenues:
  License...............         137          97         375          20         145
  Services..............       1,090       2,306       2,434         518         790
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
                               1,227       2,403       2,809         538         935
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Gross profit............       1,195       2,786       5,801         827       2,976
Operating expenses:
  Sales and marketing...       3,499       4,613       9,750       1,268       2,876
  Research and
   development..........       2,459       2,538       3,286         713       1,065
  General and
   administrative.......       1,229       1,580       3,271         460         879
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Total operating
 expenses...............       7,187       8,731      16,307       2,441       4,820
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Loss from operations....      (5,992)     (5,945)    (10,506)     (1,614)     (1,844)
Interest income.........         223         103         187          29          58
Interest expense........        (109)       (143)       (239)        (41)        (50)
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Loss before income
 taxes..................      (5,878)     (5,985)    (10,558)     (1,626)     (1,836)
Income tax provision....          --          --          45          --          27
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Net loss................      (5,878)     (5,985)    (10,603)     (1,626)     (1,863)
Preferred stock
 accretion..............        (208)       (301)       (545)        (80)       (215)
                          ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ----------
Loss available to common
 shareholders...........  $   (6,086) $   (6,286) $  (11,148) $   (1,706) $   (2,078)
                          ==========  ==========  ==========  ==========  ==========
Loss per share:
  Basic and diluted.....  $    (1.58) $    (1.62) $    (2.82) $    (0.44) $    (0.48)
  Pro forma basic and
   diluted..............          --          --  $    (1.32)         --  $    (0.20)
Shares used in the
 calculation of loss per
 share:
  Basic and diluted.....   3,857,448   3,883,514   3,957,310   3,903,007   4,313,329
  Pro forma basic and
   diluted..............          --          --   8,020,050          --   9,279,996
</TABLE>

                            See accompanying notes.

                                      F-4
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

           CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
                      (In thousands, except share amounts)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            Accumulated                 Total
                           Preferred Stock     Common Stock      Additional    Other                Shareholders'
                          ----------------- --------------------  Paid-in   Comprehen-  Accumulated    Equity
                          Shares  Par Value  Shares    Par Value  Capital   sive Income   Deficit     (Deficit)
                          ------- --------- ---------  --------- ---------- ----------- ----------- -------------
<S>                       <C>     <C>       <C>        <C>       <C>        <C>         <C>         <C>
Balance at January 1,
 1996...................       --    $--    3,848,414    $ 96      $8,754      $ --      $ (9,072)    $   (222)
Issuance of Series B
 convertible preferred
 stock, net of issuance
 costs of $19...........  500,000      1           --      --         980        --            --          981
Exercise of stock
 warrants...............       --     --          340      --           1        --            --            1
Exercise of stock
 options................       --     --       19,263      --          24        --            --           24
Stock options and
 warrants issued in
 exchange for services..       --     --           --      --          20        --            --           20
Repurchase of common
 stock..................       --     --       (4,458)     --          (9)       --            --           (9)
Preferred stock
 accretion..............       --     --           --      --        (208)       --            --         (208)
Net loss................       --     --           --      --          --        --        (5,878)      (5,878)
                          -------    ---    ---------    ----      ------      ----      --------     --------
Balance at December 31,
 1996...................  500,000      1    3,863,559      96       9,562        --       (14,950)      (5,291)
Exercise of stock
 options................       --     --       30,718       1          80        --            --           81
Stock options and
 warrants issued in
 exchange for services..       --     --           --      --           9        --            --            9
Preferred stock
 accretion..............       --     --           --      --        (301)       --            --         (301)
Net loss................       --     --           --      --          --        --        (5,985)      (5,985)
                          -------    ---    ---------    ----      ------      ----      --------     --------
Balance at December 31,
 1997...................  500,000      1    3,894,277      97       9,350        --       (20,935)     (11,487)
Exercise of stock
 options and warrants...       --     --      467,753      12         821        --            --          833
Repurchase of common
 stock..................       --     --      (78,889)     (2)       (471)       --            --         (473)
Stock options and
 warrants issued in
 exchange for services..       --     --           --      --          29        --            --           29
Preferred stock
 accretion..............       --     --           --      --        (545)       --            --         (545)
Comprehensive loss:
 Foreign currency
  translation loss......       --     --           --      --          --       (1)            --
 Net loss...............       --     --           --      --          --        --       (10,603)
Total comprehensive
 loss...................       --     --           --      --          --        --            --      (10,604)
                          -------    ---    ---------    ----      ------      ----      --------     --------
Balance at December 31,
 1998...................  500,000      1    4,283,141     107       9,184        (1)      (31,538)     (22,247)
Exercise of stock
 options (unaudited)....       --     --      105,378       3         833        --            --          836
Repurchase of common
 stock (unaudited)......       --     --      (12,500)     --        (103)       --            --         (103)
Sale of common stock
 (unaudited)............       --     --       92,728       2         276        --            --          278
Preferred stock
 accretion (unaudited)..       --     --           --      --        (215)       --            --         (215)
Comprehensive loss
 (unaudited):
 Foreign currency
  translation loss
  (unaudited)...........       --     --           --      --          --       (4)            --
 Net loss (unaudited)...       --     --           --      --          --        --        (1,863)
Total comprehensive loss
 (unaudited)............       --     --           --      --          --        --            --       (1,867)
                          -------    ---    ---------    ----      ------      ----      --------     --------
Balance at March 31,
 1999 (unaudited).......  500,000    $ 1    4,468,747    $112      $9,975      $ (5)     $(33,401)    $(23,318)
                          =======    ===    =========    ====      ======      ====      ========     ========
</TABLE>

                            See accompanying notes.

                                      F-5
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                (In thousands, except share and per share data)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Three Months
                                  Year Ended December 31,     Ended March 31,
                                  --------------------------  ----------------
                                   1996     1997      1998     1998     1999
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
                                                                (Unaudited)
<S>                               <C>      <C>      <C>       <C>      <C>
Operating activities
  Net loss....................... $(5,878) $(5,985) $(10,603) $(1,626) $(1,863)
  Adjustments to reconcile net
   loss to net cash used in
   operating activities:
    Option and warrant
     compensation expense........      20        9        29       --       --
    Depreciation and
     amortization................     317      403       434      115      132
    Equity in loss of joint
     venture.....................      --       50        --       --       --
    Changes in assets and
     liabilities:
      Accounts receivable........  (1,337)    (975)   (3,044)     837      822
      Prepaid royalties..........     (97)     238       (93)    (255)     101
      Other current assets.......     (30)      72      (237)     (72)       7
      Deposits and other assets..      --        2      (238)      --       (1)
      Accounts payable and
       accrued liabilities.......     178      234     1,482      410     (180)
      Compensation-related
       accruals..................     (49)     355       742     (176)    (360)
      Deferred revenue...........     432    2,498     4,035       93     (896)
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
        Net cash used in
         operating activities....  (6,444)  (3,099)   (7,493)    (674)  (2,238)
Investing activities
  Purchases of securities
   available-for-sale............  (2,307)  (1,311)   (2,833)      --   (1,773)
  Proceeds from maturity of
   securities available-for-
   sale..........................   2,007    1,000       610      610    2,833
  Equipment purchases............    (907)    (179)   (1,059)    (198)    (139)
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
        Net cash provided by
         (used in) investing
         activities..............  (1,207)    (490)   (3,282)     412      921
Financing activities
  Proceeds from issuance of long-
   term debt.....................   1,827      201     1,715    1,318      222
  Repayments on long-term debt...  (1,143)    (306)   (1,055)  (1,383)     (62)
  Proceeds from (payments on)
   line of credit................      --      500      (500)      94       --
  Principal payments on capital
   lease obligations.............    (164)    (160)      (85)     (36)     (10)
  Proceeds from issuance of
   common stock, net.............      15       82       833       43    1,114
  Proceeds from issuance of
   preferred stock, net..........   8,902    1,969    12,213       --       --
  Repurchase of common stock.....      --       --      (473)      --     (103)
  Proceeds from exercise of stock
   warrants......................       1       --        --       --       --
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Net cash provided by financing
 activities......................   9,438    2,286    12,648       36    1,161
Translation adjustment...........      --                 (1)      --       (4)
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Increase (decrease) in cash and
 cash equivalents................   1,787   (1,303)    1,872     (226)    (160)
Cash and cash equivalents at
 beginning of year...............     227    2,014       711      711    2,583
                                  -------  -------  --------  -------  -------
Cash and cash equivalents at end
 of year......................... $ 2,014  $   711  $  2,583  $   485  $ 2,423
                                  =======  =======  ========  =======  =======
Supplemental disclosure of cash
 flow information
  Interest paid.................. $   109  $   143  $    179  $    34  $    35
                                  =======  =======  ========  =======  =======
</TABLE>

                            See accompanying notes.

                                      F-6
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                   NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND LIQUIDITY

Description of Business

  Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. (Primus or the Company) is a leading
provider of Web-based problem-resolution software for customer support and
self-service, which enables businesses to capture problem-resolution
information, solve customer problems, reuse solutions stored in the knowledge
base and share captured knowledge throughout the extended enterprise.

  The Company's primary market is comprised largely of technology companies.
Sales are primarily generated through a domestic and European field sales
organization. Products sold domestically and internationally are developed by
the Company at its Seattle headquarters.

  The Company is subject to certain business risks that could affect future
operations and financial performance. These risks include changing computing
environments, rapid technological change, development of new products, limited
protection of proprietary technology, and competitive pricing.

Liquidity

  The Company continues to incur losses from operating results and had a
shareholders' deficit of $22.2 million at December 31, 1998. The Company had
shareholders' equity of approximately $910,000 at December 31, 1998 on a pro
forma basis, assuming conversion of preferred stock to common stock. As a
result of its significant research and development, customer support, and
selling and marketing efforts, the Company has required substantial working
capital to fund its operations. To date, the Company has financed its
operations principally through its equity offerings. Management believes that
under its current business plans, its current working capital, cash flows from
operating activities and funds available from borrowing arrangements are
sufficient to fund its operations and capital requirements through at least
December 31, 1999. Any substantial inability to achieve the current business
plan could have a material adverse impact on the Company's financial position,
liquidity, or results of operations and may require the Company to reduce
expenditures to enable it to continue operations through December 1999.

Principles of Consolidation

  The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and
its wholly owned foreign subsidiary, Primus UK. All significant intercompany
balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Interim Financial Information

  The financial information at March 31, 1999 and for the three months ended
March 31, 1999 and 1998 is unaudited, but includes all adjustments (consisting
only of normal recurring adjustments) that Primus considers necessary for a
fair presentation of the financial position at such date and the operating
results and cash flows for those periods. Operating results for the three
months ended March 31, 1999 are not necessarily indicative of the results that
may be expected for the entire year.

Investment in Primus KK

  In December 1995, Primus invested $50,000 for a 50% interest in Primus KK, a
Japanese distributor, with Trans Cosmos Inc., a Japanese company (TCI), a
significant shareholder of the

                                      F-7
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(Continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. Significant Accounting Policies and Liquidity--(continued)

Company. Primus accounted for its investment using the equity method and, wrote
down its investment to zero in March 1997 as a result of recognizing the
Company's portion of the investee's losses to date. In September 1997, Primus
and TCI renegotiated their agreement, reducing Primus' ownership to 14.3%. The
investment is accounted for using the cost method.

Estimates

  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that affect amounts reported in the financial statements. Changes in these
estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on the financial
statements. The Company has used estimates in determining certain provisions,
including uncollectible trade accounts receivable, useful lives for fixed
assets and intangibles, and tax liabilities.

Revenue Recognition

  Statement of Position 97-2, "Software Revenue Recognition" ("SOP 97-2"), was
issued in October 1997 by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants and was later amended by Statement of Position 98-4 ("SOP 98-4").
The Company adopted SOP 97-2 effective January 1, 1998. The Company believes
its current revenue recognition policies and practices are consistent with SOP
97-2 and SOP 98-4. However, full implementation guidelines for these standards
have not yet been issued. Once available, such implementation guidance could
lead to unanticipated changes in current revenue accounting practices, and such
changes could materially adversely affect the timing of the Company's future
revenues and earnings. Additionally, the AICPA recently issued SOP 98-9, which
provides certain amendments to SOP 97-2, which is effective for transactions
entered into beginning January 1, 2000. This pronouncement is not expected to
materially impact the Company's revenue recognition practices.

  The Company generates revenues through two sources: (1) software license
revenues and (2) service revenues. Software license revenues are generated from
licensing the rights to use the Company's products directly to end-users and
indirectly through resellers. Service revenues are generated from sales of
maintenance services, consulting services, and training services performed for
customers that license the Company's products.

  Revenues from software license agreements are recognized over the software
implementation period (if sold with initial implementation services) or upon
delivery of software (if sold without implementation services) if persuasive
evidence of an arrangement exists, collection is probable, the fee is fixed or
determinable, and vendor-specific objective evidence exists to allocate the
total fee to elements of the arrangement. At the current stage of the Company's
development, due to the relatively recent introduction of the Company's product
line, in an attempt to ensure customer satisfaction while building market
share, the limited number of installations of the Company's products to date
and the limited number of third-party vendors that currently provide
implementation services to the Company's users, the Company has concluded that
the implementation services are, as a practical matter, essential to the
software in initial software arrangements where we provide implementation
services. As such the Company recognizes revenue for these arrangements
following

                                      F-8
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(Continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. Significant Accounting Policies and Liquidity--(continued)

the percentage-of-completion method over the implementation period. Percentage-
of-completion is measured by the percentage of implementation hours incurred to
date to estimated total implementation hours. This method is used because
management considers expended hours to be the best measure of progress on these
engagements.

  Vendor-specific objective evidence is typically based on the price charged
when an element is sold separately, or, in the case of an element not yet sold
separately, the price established by authorized management, if it is probable
that the price, once established, will not change before market introduction.
Elements included in multiple element arrangements could consist of software
products, upgrades, enhancements, customer support services, or consulting
services. If an acceptance period is required, revenues are recognized upon the
earlier of customer acceptance or the expiration of the acceptance period. The
Company enters into reseller arrangements that typically provide for sublicense
fees based on a percentage of list price. Sublicense fees are recognized when
reported by the reseller upon relicensing of the Company's product to end
users. The Company's agreements with its customers and resellers do not contain
product return rights.

  Revenues from maintenance services are recognized ratably over the term of
the contract, typically one year. Consulting revenues are primarily related to
implementation services performed on a time-and-material basis under separate
service arrangements. Revenues from consulting and training services are
recognized as services are performed. In cases where license fee payments are
contingent on the acceptance of services, the Company defers recognition of
revenues from both the license and the service elements until the acceptance
criteria are met.

Cash Equivalents

  The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an
original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company's
cash equivalents consist of money market funds and commercial paper.

Securities Available-for-Sale

  Securities available-for-sale consist primarily of investment-grade corporate
obligations, all of which mature within 12 months from purchase.

  Investments classified as available-for-sale are stated at amortized cost,
which approximates fair market value, and mature within one year. Interest
earned on securities available-for-sale is included in interest income. The
cost of debt securities in this category is adjusted for amortization of
premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. Such amortization and
accretion are included in interest income. Realized gains and losses and
declines in value judged to be other than temporary on securities available-
for-sale are also included in interest income. The cost of securities sold is
calculated using the specific identification method.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Major Customers

  Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration
of credit risk consist principally of accounts receivable. The Company's
customer base is dispersed across different

                                      F-9
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(Continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. Significant Accounting Policies and Liquidity--(continued)

geographic areas throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. During 1996 and
1997, no single customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenues. One
customer's purchases represented 12% of 1998 revenues. The Company does not
require collateral or other security to support credit sales, but provides an
allowance for bad debts based on historical experience and specifically
identified risks.

Property and Equipment

  Property and equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation.
Depreciation and amortization is provided on a straight-line basis over the
estimated useful lives of the assets (three to seven years) or over the lease
term if it is shorter for leasehold improvements.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

  At December 31, 1998, the recorded amounts of cash and cash equivalents,
accounts receivable and payable, prepaid royalties, and accrued liabilities
reflected in the financial statements approximate fair value due to the short-
term nature of the instruments.

  The fair value of the Company's long-term debt and obligations under capital
leases approximates the carrying value of these obligations.

Development Costs

  Costs incurred in the research and development of new software products and
enhancements to existing software products are expensed as incurred until
technological feasibility has been established. The Company believes its
current process for developing software is essentially completed concurrently
with the establishment of technological feasibility; accordingly, software
costs incurred after the establishment of technological feasibility have not
been material and, therefore, have been expensed.

Federal Income Taxes

  The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes," which
utilizes the liability method of accounting for income taxes. A deferred tax
asset or liability is recorded for all temporary differences between financial
and tax reporting. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to
reduce deferred tax assets to amounts expected to be realized.

Foreign Currency Translation

  The functional currency of the Company's foreign subsidiary is the local
currency in the country in which the subsidiary is located. Assets and
liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars at
the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses
are translated at the average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. The
translation adjustment resulting from this process is shown within accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of shareholders' deficit.
Gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are

                                      F-10
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. Significant Accounting Policies and Liquidity--(continued)

included in the consolidated statement of operations as incurred. To date,
gains and losses on foreign currency transactions have not been significant.

Stock-Based Compensation

  The Company has elected to follow Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25,
"Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" (APB No. 25), and related
interpretations, in accounting for its employee stock options rather than the
alternative fair value accounting allowed by Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" (SFAS No. 123).
APB No. 25 provides that the compensation expense relative to the Company's
employee stock options is measured based on the intrinsic value of the stock
option. SFAS No. 123 requires companies that continue to follow APB No. 25 to
provide a pro forma disclosure of the impact of applying the fair value method
of SFAS No. 123 (refer to Note 8).

Supplemental Disclosure on Noncash Investing and Financial Information

  During 1998, the Company acquired 78,889 shares of common stock, that had
been issued for more than six months, valued at $473,332 in exchange for
amounts due in the exercise of 230,214 common stock options.

  During 1998, the Company acquired $81,400 of equipment through a capital
lease.

  During 1996, the Company issued 12,208 shares of common stock in a cashless
exercise of common stock options. Compensation expense of $9,797 was recorded
in connection with the net issuance.

Advertising

  Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense was $76,000,
$218,000, and $394,000 during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1997, and
1998, respectively.

Loss Per Share and Pro Forma Loss Per Share

  Basic and diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing loss available
to common shareholders by the average number of common shares outstanding for
the period. Other common stock equivalents, including stock options, warrants,
and convertible preferred stock, are excluded from the calculation because
their effect is antidilutive.

  Upon the completion of the Company's proposed initial public offering, all
preferred stock will automatically convert into common stock. Accordingly, pro
forma basic and diluted loss per share is computed using the weighted average
number of shares of common stock outstanding and the weighted average preferred
stock outstanding as if such shares were converted to common stock at the time
of issuance.

                                      F-11
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

1. Significant Accounting Policies and Liquidity--(continued)


Other Comprehensive Income

  In June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS No. 130, "Reporting Comprehensive Income"
(SFAS 130), which establishes standards for reporting and display of
comprehensive income and its components in the financial statements. The
Company adopted SFAS 130 in 1998. The only item of other comprehensive income
(loss) which the Company currently reports is foreign currency translation
adjustments. The comprehensive loss for the periods ended March 31, 1998 and
1999 was $1,626,000 and $1,867,000, respectively.

Business Segments

  In June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS No. 131, "Disclosures about Segments of an
Enterprise and Related Information" (SFAS 131), which establishes standards for
reporting information about operating segments in annual financial statements.
As the Company operates only in one segment, the adoption of SFAS 131 did not
impact the Company's disclosures.

Reclassifications

  Certain prior year balances have been reclassified to conform to the current
year presentation.

2. Marketable Securities

  The following tables summarize the Company's marketable securities by type of
securities. All securities mature within 12 months of the purchase date. The
fair value of the securities approximates their cost.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                  December 31,
                                                                  -------------
                                                                  1997   1998
                                                                  ----- -------
     <S>                                                          <C>   <C>
                                                                       (In
                                                                   thousands)
     Commercial paper and short-term obligations................  $ --  $ 2,432
     Corporate notes and bonds..................................    610     401
                                                                  ----- -------
                                                                  $ 610 $ 2,833
                                                                  ===== =======
</TABLE>

  The gross realized gains and losses on sales of available-for-sale securities
were not material for the years ended December 31, 1998 and 1997.

3. Property and Equipment

  Property and equipment consists of the following:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                December 31,
                                                               ----------------
                                                                1997     1998
                                                               -------  -------
     <S>                                                       <C>      <C>
                                                               (In thousands)
     Computer and computer equipment.......................... $ 1,751  $ 2,625
     Furniture, fixtures, and equipment.......................     450      715
                                                               -------  -------
                                                                 2,201    3,340
     Less accumulated depreciation............................    (993)  (1,426)
                                                               -------  -------
                                                               $ 1,208  $ 1,914
                                                               =======  =======
</TABLE>


                                      F-12
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

3. Property and Equipment--(continued)

  Property and equipment includes assets under financing agreements with an
original cost of $692,000. Accumulated amortization on these assets
approximated $606,000 and $481,000 at December 31, 1998 and 1997, respectively.
Amortization expense related to these assets is included in depreciation
expense.

4. License Agreements

  The Company has entered into various agreements that allow the Company to
incorporate licensed technology into its products. The Company incurs royalty
fees under these agreements that are based on a predetermined fee per license
sold. Royalty costs incurred under these agreements are recognized as products
are licensed and are included in cost of revenues. These amounts totaled
$118,000, $287,000, and $166,000 for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1997,
and 1998, respectively.

5. Borrowings

  In March 1998, the Company entered into a financing arrangement with a bank,
which provided up to $3,000,000 under a line of credit to support working
capital and up to $2,000,000 under a term loan to purchase capital equipment.
The Company had no amounts outstanding at December 31, 1998 under the line of
credit, which expired in March 1999. The Company had $1,463,000 outstanding
under the term loan at December 31, 1998. The term loan bears interest at prime
plus 1.00% (8.75% at December 31, 1998), matures March 2002, and is secured by
all assets of the Company. The debt agreements contain certain financial
covenants, which the Company was in compliance with or received waivers for at
December 31, 1998. The agreement also included the issuance of stock warrants
(see Note 8). The financing arrangement was renewed in April 1999 (see Note
14).

  Maturities of long-term debt are as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                (In thousands)
                                                                --------------
     <S>                                                        <C>
     Year ending December 31:
     1999......................................................     $  444
     2000......................................................        542
     2001......................................................        378
     2002......................................................         99
                                                                    ------
                                                                    $1,463
                                                                    ======
</TABLE>

6. Federal Income Tax

  At December 31, 1998, the Company had net operating loss and research and
development tax credit carryforwards (before potential limitations resulting
from changes in ownership) of approximately $24.8 million and $418,000,
respectively, which begin to expire in 2001, if not utilized. The tax
provisions for the year ended December 31, 1998 and the three months ended
March 31, 1999 consist entirely of foreign tax expense.

                                      F-13
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

6. Federal Income Tax--(continued)


  Significant components of the net deferred tax assets and liabilities are as
follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                December 31,
                                                               ----------------
                                                                1997     1998
                                                               ------  --------
                                                               (In thousands)
   <S>                                                         <C>     <C>
   Deferred tax assets:
     Net operating loss carryforwards......................... $5,917  $  8,418
     Research and development tax credits.....................    256       418
     Deferred revenue.........................................    952     1,590
     Accrued expenses not currently deductible................    172       482
     Stock options............................................    220       220
                                                               ------  --------
   Total deferred tax assets..................................  7,517    11,128
   Deferred tax liability accrual to cash adjustments.........   (349)     (283)
                                                               ------  --------
   Net deferred tax assets....................................  7,168    10,845
   Valuation allowance........................................ (7,168)  (10,845)
                                                               ------  --------
                                                               $  --   $    --
                                                               ======  ========
</TABLE>

  The effective rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                   Year Ended December 31,
                                                   -------------------------
                                                    1996     1997     1998
                                                   -------  -------  -------
                                                       (In thousands)
   <S>                                             <C>      <C>      <C>
   Income tax (benefit) at U.S. statutory rate of
    34%........................................... $(1,999) $(2,035) $(3,590)
   Losses producing no current tax benefit........   1,999    2,035    3,590
   Foreign taxes..................................     --       --        45
                                                   -------  -------  -------
   Income tax provision........................... $   --   $   --   $    45
                                                   =======  =======  =======
</TABLE>

  The Tax Reform Act of 1986 limits the use of net operating loss and tax
credit carryforwards in certain situations where changes occur in the stock
ownership of a company. The Company may have experienced such ownership changes
as a result of the various stock offerings and the utilization of the
carryforwards could be limited.

  Due to the Company's history of net operating losses, the Company has
established a valuation allowance equal to its net deferred tax assets on the
basis that realization of such assets is not assured. The valuation allowance
increased $2,070,000, $2,197,000 and $3,677,000 during 1996, 1997, and 1998,
respectively.

7. Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock

  In February 1996, Primus completed a private offering of 6,910,568 shares of
Series A redeemable and convertible preferred stock (Series A) for $7,920,000,
net of offering costs of $580,000. In March 1997, Primus completed a private
offering of 1,000,000 shares of Series C preferred stock (Series C) for
$1,969,000, net of offering costs of $31,000. In July 1998, Primus completed a
private offering of 4,900,000 shares of Series D redeemable and convertible
preferred stock (Series D) for $12,213,000, net of offering costs of $37,000.

                                      F-14
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

7. Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock--(continued)


  Holders of Series A, C, and D have preferential rights to dividends when and
if declared by the Board of Directors. The holders are entitled to the number
of votes equal to the number of shares of common stock into which the preferred
stock could be converted. In the event of liquidation, the holders of Series A,
C, and D have preferential right to liquidation payments of $1.23, $2.00, and
$2.50 per share, respectively, plus any accrued but unpaid dividends. The
preferred stock is convertible into common stock as provided by the Articles of
Incorporation (Articles) (all preferred stock is currently convertible into
0.333 shares of common stock, except Series A, which is convertible into .410
shares of common stock), at the option of the holder, or automatically upon the
vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of
applicable Series then outstanding, or upon the closing of an initial public
offering of the Company's common stock from which the net proceeds are at least
$10 million and at a price per share of at least $10.50, $15.00, and $30.00
with regard to Series A, C, and D, respectively.

  The holders of a majority of the outstanding Series A, C, and D shares may
request redemption on or after January 31, 2003 at $1.48, $2.40, and $3.00 per
share, respectively, subject to adjustment, plus any declared but unpaid
dividends thereon. The redemption amount is payable in equal quarterly
installments over three years.

  Following is a summary of terms and conditions for each series of redeemable
convertible preferred stock as of December 31, 1998 (in thousands, except share
data):

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                            Aggregate   Aggregate
                                         Shares      Net    Redemption Liquidation
                            Designated Outstanding Proceeds   Value       Value
                            ---------- ----------- -------- ---------- -----------
   <S>                      <C>        <C>         <C>      <C>        <C>
   Issued and outstanding:
    Series A, par value
     $0.001................  6,910,568  6,910,568  $ 7,920   $10,228     $ 8,500
    Series C, par value
     $0.001................  1,000,000  1,000,000    1,969     2,400       2,000
    Series D, par value
     $0.001................  4,900,000  4,900,000   12,213    14,700      12,250
                            ---------- ----------  -------   -------     -------
                            12,810,568 12,810,568  $22,102   $27,328     $22,750
                            ========== ==========  =======   =======     =======
</TABLE>

  The difference between the original net proceeds and the redemption value of
the preferred stock is being accreted against earnings over the period ending
on the January 31, 2003 redemption date.

  In addition, the Company has granted registration rights and rights of first
offer to the Series A, C, and D holders, and is precluded from carrying out
certain actions without the approval of the majority of the Series A, C, and D
holders voting as a group.

8. Shareholders' Equity

Convertible Preferred Stock

  In September 1996, Primus completed a private offering of 500,000 shares of
Series B convertible preferred stock (Series B) for $981,000, net of offering
costs of $19,000. Holders of

                                      F-15
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

8. Shareholders' Equity--(continued)

Series B have preferential rights to dividends when and if declared by the
Board of Directors. The holders are entitled to the number of votes equal to
the number of shares of common stock into which the preferred stock could be
converted. In the event of liquidation, the holders of Series B have
preferential rights to liquidation payments of $2.00 per share, plus any
accrued but unpaid dividends. The preferred stock is convertible into common
stock as provided by the Articles of Incorporation (Articles) (currently
convertible into 0.333 shares of common stock), at the option of the holder, or
automatically upon the vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of
the shares of applicable Series then outstanding, or upon the closing of an
initial public offering of the Company's common stock from which the net
proceeds are at least $10 million and at a price per share of at least $10.50.
The Company has granted rights of first offer to the Series B holders.

  The approval of holders of a majority of shares of each of the Series A,
Series B, Series C and Series D Preferred Stock is required before the Company
can carry out any action required to be presented to holders of Common Stock.

  The approval of holders of a majority of shares of each of the Series A,
Series C and Series D Preferred Stock affected by a proposed action is required
before the Company can (i) authorize or issue any security senior to, or on a
parity with the affected series; (ii) change any of the terms of the affected
series; (iii) proceed with any sale, merger or similar act of the Company
(other than a merger where the Company is the survivor and in which no senior
security is issued); (iv) declare any dividend or distribution with respect to
the affected series; (v) amend the Articles of Incorporation in any way that
would have a material adverse effect on the holders of the affected series
(including any increase in authorized shares of the affected series); and (vi)
proceed with any voluntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up.

  The approval of holders of a majority of shares of the Series B Preferred
Stock is required before the Company can: (i) so long as at least 250,000
shares of Series B Preferred Stock are outstanding; (a) authorize or issue any
security senior to Series B, with respect to dividends or liquidation, or (b)
change any of the Series B terms (including any increase in authorized shares
of Series B Preferred Stock); and (ii) voting with the Series A Preferred Stock
as a single class; (a) proceed with any sale, merger or similar act of the
Company (other than a merger where the Company is the survivor and in which no
senior security is issued); (b) declare any dividend or distribution with
respect to the Common Stock or Series A or Series B Preferred Stock; (c)
proceed with any voluntary dissolution, liquidation or winding up; or (d)
redeem any stock, other than pursuant to the terms of the Series A Preferred
Stock, or the terms of any repurchase agreements with employees or consultants.

Stock Options

  The Company's stock option plans include the Employee Stock Option and
Restricted Stock Purchase Plan, the Nonemployee Director Stock Option Plan, and
the 1995 Stock Incentive Option Plan (the Plans). The Plans provide for the
granting of incentive stock options to employees and nonqualified stock options
to employees, directors, and consultants. Options granted under the Plans

                                      F-16
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

8. Shareholders' Equity--(continued)

typically vest at variable rates, up to four years, determined by the Board of
Directors, and remain exercisable for a period not to exceed ten years. During
1998, the shareholders increased the number of shares available under the plans
by 666,667.

  A summary of the Company's stock option activity and related weighted-average
exercise prices for the years ended December 31 follow:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                            Outstanding Options
                                                            --------------------
                                                  Shares               Weighted-
                                                Available    Number     Average
                                                   for         of      Exercise
                                                  Grant      Shares     Prices
                                                ----------  ---------  ---------
     <S>                                        <C>         <C>        <C>
     Balance at January 1, 1996................    833,333  1,751,838   $1.7843
       Options granted.........................   (482,448)   482,448    3.0000
       Options canceled........................     23,540   (192,598)   2.4563
       Options exercised.......................         --    (19,263)   0.9569
                                                ----------  ---------   -------
     Balance at December 31, 1996
      (exercisable--1,286,914).................    374,425  2,022,425    2.0182
       Additional shares authorized............  1,333,333         --
       Options granted......................... (1,742,005) 1,742,005    3.0000
       Options canceled........................    251,168   (939,672)   1.9263
       Options exercised.......................         --    (30,718)   2.6570
                                                ----------  ---------   -------
     Balance at December 31, 1997
      (exercisable--1,504,136).................    216,921  2,794,040    2.6592
       Additional shares authorized............    666,667         --
       Options granted.........................   (635,953)   635,953    3.8536
       Options canceled........................    377,163   (420,760)   3.1601
       Options exercised.......................         --   (451,086)   1.7347
                                                ----------  ---------   -------
     Balance at December 31, 1998
      (exercisable--1,413,005).................    624,798  2,558,147    3.0363
       Options granted.........................   (637,420)   637,420    7.8036
       Options canceled........................     37,263   (174,762)   2.5151
       Options exercised.......................         --   (105,378)   2.6738
                                                ----------  ---------   -------
     Balance at March 31, 1999
      (exercisable--1,289,804).................     24,641  2,915,427   $4.1229
                                                ==========  =========   =======
</TABLE>

                                      F-17
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)

8. Shareholders' Equity--(continued)

  Information regarding the weighted-average remaining contractual life and
weighted average exercise price of options outstanding and options exercisable
at December 31, 1998 for selected exercise price ranges is as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                               Outstanding                      Exercisable
                        -------------------------------    ----------------------------
                                         Weighted-                         Weighted-
         Range of                         Average                           Average
         Exercise       Number of       Contractual        Number of       Exercise
          Prices         Options        Life (Years)        Options          Price
         --------       ---------       ------------       ---------       ---------
       <S>              <C>             <C>                <C>             <C>
          $0.03            49,999           5.49              49,999         $0.03
           0.80             1,000           4.90               1,000          0.80
           1.65            17,295           5.29              17,295          1.65
           2.25           277,638           6.12             276,283          2.25
           3.00         1,966,814           8.76           1,068,428          3.00
           4.50           174,083           9.48                 --            --
           6.00            71,318           9.78                 --            --
                        ---------                          ---------
       $0.03--$6.00     2,558,147           8.46           1,413,005         $2.73
                        =========                          =========
</TABLE>

  The Company recognized $4,452, $1,969, and $706 during 1996, 1997, and 1998,
respectively, of consulting expense equal to the estimated fair value of
options granted to consultants.

  Pro forma information regarding net loss is required by SFAS 123 and has been
determined as if the Company had accounted for its employee stock options under
the fair market value method of SFAS 123. The fair value of these options was
estimated at the date of grant using a minimum value option pricing model using
the multiple-option approach with the following weighted-average assumptions:
risk-free interest rates range from 4.45% to 5.61% in 1998, 5.71% to 6.75% in
1997; and 6.09% to 6.46% in 1996; an expected life of the options of five
years, and a dividend yield rate of 0% for all years.

  For purposes of pro forma disclosures, the estimated fair value of the
options is amortized to expense over the options' vesting period. The Company's
pro forma information follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                        Year Ended December 31,
                                                        -----------------------
                                                         1996    1997    1998
                                                        ------- ------- -------
                                                            (In thousands,
                                                        Except Per Share Data)
     <S>                                                <C>     <C>     <C>
     Loss available to common shareholders:
       As reported..................................... $ 6,086 $ 6,286 $11,148
       SFAS No. 123 pro forma net loss................. $ 6,292 $ 6,938 $11,403
     Basic and diluted loss per share:
       As reported..................................... $  1.58 $  1.62 $  2.82
       SFAS No. 123 pro forma.......................... $  1.63 $  1.79 $  2.88
     Weighted-average fair value of options
      granted during the year.......................... $0.7965 $0.7353 $0.8595
</TABLE>

                                      F-18
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)


  Under SFAS 123, compensation expense representing the fair value of the
option grant is recognized over the vesting period. The initial impact on pro
forma net loss may not be representative of compensation expense in future
years, when the effect of amortization of multiple awards would be reflected in
pro forma earnings.

Stock Warrants

  In March of 1999, the Company issued warrants to acquire 5,000 shares of
common stock at an exercise price of $9.00 per share to a consultant. The value
of the warrants will be recognized over the related service period with final
valuation at the completion of the service period.

  In 1998, the Company issued warrants to acquire 22,500 shares of common stock
at an exercise price of $6.00 per share to a bank in conjunction with the
financing arrangement. The fair value of the warrants was immaterial. The
warrants expire in the year 2005. In 1998, the Company also issued warrants to
acquire 55,999 shares of Series D preferred stock at exercise prices of $2.50
per share as part of the Series D financing. The Company recorded expense of
$28,000 related to the preferred stock warrants. The warrants expire in 2003 or
upon closing of an initial public offering.

  In 1997, the Company issued warrants to acquire 21,667 shares of common stock
at an exercise price of $3.00 per share to consultants. The warrants expire in
the years 2005 and 2007 with regard to 8,333 and 6,667 warrants, respectively,
or upon the closing of an initial public offering, and in 2006 with regard to
6,667 warrants. The fair value of the warrants was immaterial.

  In February 1996, the Company issued warrants to acquire 25,000 shares of
common stock at an exercise price of $3.00 per share in exchange for a loan
guarantee of which 16,667 have been subsequently exercised. In addition, the
Company issued warrants to acquire 8,000 shares of common stock at an exercise
price of $3.00 per share in exchange for consulting services. The fair value of
all of the warrants was immaterial. The warrants expire upon the closing of an
initial public offering of the Company's common stock. In years preceding 1996,
the Company issued warrants to acquire shares of common stock at prices of
$2.25 and $3.00 per share, of which 16,390 remain outstanding at December 31,
1998.

  The Company valued all warrants using the Black-Scholes pricing model with
the following weighted-average assumptions: risk-free interest rates of 4.45%
to 5.61% in 1998, 5.71% to 6.75% in 1997, and 6.09% to 6.40% in 1996, an
expected life of three years, a dividend yield rate of 0% for all years, and
volatility of .6 for all years.

  As of March 31, 1999, outstanding warrants were as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                              Number
                 ------------------------------------         Exercise
                 Common                    Preferred           Price
                 ------                    ---------          --------
                 <S>                       <C>                <C>
                 14,840                        --               $2.25
                 39,550                        --               3.00
                 22,500                        --               6.00
                  5,000                        --               9.00
                    --                      55,999              2.50
                 ------                     ------
                 81,890                     55,999
                 ======                     ======
</TABLE>

                                      F-19
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)


Common Stock Reserved

  Common stock reserved for future issuance at December 31, 1998 is as follows:

<TABLE>
         <S>                                             <C>
         Common stock warrants..........................    76,890
         Preferred stock warrants.......................    18,666
         Common stock options........................... 3,182,945
         Series A preferred stock....................... 2,833,333
         Series B preferred stock.......................   166,666
         Series C preferred stock.......................   333,333
         Series D preferred stock....................... 1,633,333
                                                         ---------
                                                         8,245,166
                                                         =========
</TABLE>

9. Employee Benefit Plan

  The Company maintains a deferred contribution retirement plan for eligible
employees under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k).
Participants may defer up to 15% of their annual compensation on a pretax
basis, subject to maximum limits on contributions. Contributions by the Company
are at the discretion of the Board of Directors. No discretionary contributions
have been made by the Company to date.

10. Commitments

  The Company leases office space under an operating lease expiring in October
2000. The Company also leases office equipment under capital leases.

  Future minimum rental payments under noncancelable capital and operating
leases with initial terms in excess of one year are as follows as of December
31, 1998:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               Capital Operating
                                                               Leases   Leases
                                                               ------- ---------
                                                                (In thousands)
                                                               -----------------
       <S>                                                     <C>     <C>
       1999...................................................  $ 34    $  687
       2000...................................................    34       473
       2001...................................................    25       --
                                                                ----    ------
                                                                  93    $1,160
                                                                        ======
       Less amounts representing interest.....................   (11)
                                                                ----
       Present value of minimum payments......................    82
       Less current portion...................................    28
                                                                ----
       Total long-term obligations............................  $ 54
                                                                ====
</TABLE>

  Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1997, and 1998 was
$365,000, $520,000, and $662,000, respectively.

                                      F-20
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)


11. Related-Party Transactions

  TCI, a significant shareholder, became a reseller of the SolutionBuilder
product in Japan during 1997. The agreement provided for the sale to TCI of the
SolutionBuilder product and support services aggregating $2 million, of which
$1,395,427 has been deferred as of December 31, 1998. Revenue recognized in
1997 and 1998 and the three months ended March 31, 1999 was $30,000, $575,000,
and $0, respectively. The revenue is recognized as TCI and its distributor,
Primus KK, sell product to end-users.

12. Earnings Per Share

  The following represents the calculations for earnings per share:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                           Three Months Ended
                             Year Ended December 31,            March 31,
                          -------------------------------  --------------------
                            1996       1997       1998       1998       1999
                          ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
                                (In thousands, except per share data)
<S>                       <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>
Net loss (A)............  $  (5,878) $  (5,985) $ (10,603) $  (1,626) $  (1,863)
Preferred stock
 accretion..............       (208)      (301)      (545)       (80)      (215)
                          ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
Loss available to common
 shareholders (B).......  $  (6,086) $  (6,286) $ (11,148) $  (1,706) $  (2,078)
                          =========  =========  =========  =========  =========
Weighted-average number
 of common shares (C)...  3,857,448  3,883,514  3,957,310  3,903,007  4,313,329
                          =========  =========             =========
Pro forma adjustment for
 convertible preferred
 stock..................                        4,062,740             4,966,667
                                                ---------             ---------
Pro forma weighted-
 average shares (D).....                        8,020,050             9,279,996
                                                =========             =========
Loss per share:
  Basic and diluted
   (B)/(C)..............     $(1.58)   $(1.62)     $(2.82)   $(0.44)     $(0.48)
  Pro forma basic and
   diluted (A)/(D)......                            (1.32)                (0.20)
</TABLE>

  Outstanding warrant and stock options to purchase shares of common stock were
excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because their
effect was antidilutive (see Note 8 for additional stock option information) as
follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                       December 31,               March 31,
                               ----------------------------- -------------------
                                 1996      1997      1998      1998      1999
                               --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
     <S>                       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>       <C>
     Options.................. 2,022,425 2,794,040 2,558,147 2,966,471 2,915,427
     Warrants.................    49,390    71,057    95,556    76,890   100,556
</TABLE>

                                      F-21
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)


13. International Operations

  Information regarding revenues by geographic regions is as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                   Three Months
                                              Year Ended December      Ended
                                                      31,            March 31,
                                              -------------------- -------------
                                               1996   1997   1998   1998   1999
                                              ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
                                                        (In thousands)
     <S>                                      <C>    <C>    <C>    <C>    <C>
     North America........................... $2,422 $5,158 $7,180 $1,334 $2,490
     International...........................    --      31  1,430     31  1,421
                                              ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
       Total revenues........................ $2,422 $5,189 $8,610 $1,365 $3,911
                                              ====== ====== ====== ====== ======
</TABLE>

  Information regarding long lived assets by geographic region is as follows:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                    Three Months
                                                       Year Ended      Ended
                                                      December 31,   March 31,
                                                      ------------- ------------
                                                       1997   1998      1999
                                                      ------ ------ ------------
                                                            (in thousands)
     <S>                                              <C>    <C>    <C>
     North America................................... $1,208 $1,827    $1,818
     International...................................    --      87       104
                                                      ------ ------    ------
       Total long lived assets....................... $1,208 $1,914    $1,922
                                                      ====== ======    ======
</TABLE>

14. Subsequent Events

Initial Public Offering

  In April 1999, the Board of Directors authorized management to file a
Registration Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to permit
the Company to offer its common stock to the public. If the offering is
consummated under terms presently anticipated, each outstanding share of Series
A redeemable convertible preferred stock will convert into 0.410 shares of
common stock, and all other preferred stock will convert into 0.333 shares of
common stock. Unaudited pro forma shareholders' equity reflects the assumed
conversion of the preferred stock into common stock and the assumed conversion
of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrants into common stock warrants
as of March 31, 1999.

Employee Stock Purchase and Incentive Plans

  In April 1999, the Board increased the shares reserved under the 1995 Stock
Incentive Compensation Plan by 500,000 and adopted the 1999 Stock Incentive
Compensation Plan and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. These actions were
subsequently approved by the Company's shareholders. A total of 1,166,667
shares of common is reserved under the Stock Incentive Compensation Plan, plus
annual increases as defined in the plan document. The Employee Stock Purchase
Plan authorizes the issuance of 600,000 shares of common stock, plus annual
increases as defined by the plan document.

                                      F-22
<PAGE>

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

            NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(continued)
  (Information as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1998 and 1999 is
                                   unaudited)


Reverse Stock Split and Capitalization Change

  In April 1999, the Board of Directors authorized a 1-for-3 reverse stock
split of the Company's common stock. The reverse split was subsequently
approved by the Company's shareholders and became effective on May 3, 1999. The
related common stock and per-share data in the accompanying financial
statements has been retroactively stated to reflect the reverse stock split.

Bank Financing

  In April 1999, the Company renewed its financing arrangement with the bank,
which provides a $5 million line of credit and a $1 million term loan. The line
of credit matures in April 2000, and bears interest at rates of Prime plus
0.75%. The term loan is available for advances for 1 year during which time
interest only is payable at prime plus 1% after which principal and interest
payments are due in equal monthly payments over 3 years beginning April 2000.
The arrangement is secured by all assets of the Company. The agreement includes
certain financial covenants including those requiring the Company to maintain
minimum levels of working capital, liquidity and minimum levels of
profitability. In connection with the arrangement the Company issued warrants
to purchase 23,333 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $10.50. The
fair value of the warrants of $108,700 will be expensed over the term of the
loan. The warrants were valued using the Black-Scholes pricing model with the
following assumptions: risk-free interest rate of 5.3%, expected life of three
years, volatility of .6 and no expected dividends.

Issuance of Stock and Stock Options

  In the quarter ending June 30, 1999, the Company issued 18,400 shares of
common stock and 10,000 fully vested options to acquire shares of common stock
at an exercise price of $10.50 per share to employees of Primus KK. The
aggregate fair value of the stock and stock options of $239,800 was expensed by
the Company in the quarter ending June 30, 1999.

                                      F-23
<PAGE>

BACK COVER

[SAMPLE SOLUTIONBUILDER, SOLUTIONEXPLORER, AND SOLUTIONPUBLISHER SCREENS
ACCOMPANIED BY THE LOGOS FOR EACH PRODUCT.]

<PAGE>





                                 [PRIMUS LOGO]
<PAGE>

                                    PART II
                     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

  Since April 1, 1996, the registrant has issued and sold unregistered
securities as follows. The numbers below reflect a 1-for-3 reverse stock split
of the registrant's common stock effected in May 1999.
 1. On May 8, 1996, the registrant issued a warrant to purchase 3,833 shares of
    common stock, with an exercise price of $3.00 per share, to a member of the
    registrant's board of directors for consulting services.
 2. On September 27, 1996, the registrant issued 500,000 shares of Series B
    preferred stock, which are convertible into 166,667 shares of common stock,
    to an affiliate of a current shareholder for an aggregate consideration of
    $1,000,000.
 3. On March 27, 1997 and March 31, 1997, the registrant issued an aggregate of
    1,000,000 shares of Series C preferred stock, which are convertible into
    333,333 shares of common stock, to one current shareholder for an aggregate
    consideration of $2,000,000.
 4. On September 30, 1997, the registrant issued a warrant to purchase 8,333
    shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $1.00 per share, to a
    consultant in exchange for services.
 5. On November 4, 1997, the registrant issued a warrant to purchase 6,667
    shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $3.00 per share, to a
    consultant in exchange for services.
 6. On March 20, 1998, the registrant issued a warrant for the purchase of
    22,500 shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $6.00 per share,
    to a bank in connection with a debt financing.
 7. On June 29, 1998, the registrant issued warrants for the purchase of an
    aggregate of 56,000 shares of Series D preferred stock, convertible into an
    aggregate of 18,667 shares of common stock, with an aggregate exercise
    price of $140,000, to four current shareholders in connection with a bridge
    loan.
 8. On July 22, 1998, the registrant issued an aggregate of 4,900,000 shares of
    Series D preferred stock, which are convertible into 1,633,333 shares of
    common stock, to five current shareholders and two accredited investors for
    an aggregate consideration of $12,250,000.
 9. On March 18, 1999, the registrant issued 1,333 shares of common stock,
    valued at $6.00 per share, to an accredited investor in conjunction with a
    donation for a charitable auction.
10. On March 31, 1999, the registrant issued 91,389 shares of common stock to
    five current shareholders and five new accredited investors for $9.00 per
    share or an aggregate price of $822,498.
11. From April 1, 1996 through April 1, 1999, the registrant granted stock
    options to purchase an aggregate of 3,329,244 shares of common stock with
    exercise prices ranging from $3.00 to $9.00 per share, under the
    registrant's three stock option plans. Of these options, options for
    1,728,324 shares have been cancelled without being exercised, options for
    606,428 shares have been exercised and options 2,611,443 shares remained
    outstanding as of April 1, 1999.
12. In April 1999, we agreed to issue 18,400 shares of common stock to a Primus
    KK employee.

  The sales and issuances of these securities were exempt from registration
under the Securities Act pursuant to Rule 701 promulgated thereunder on the
basis that these options were offered and sold either pursuant to a written
compensatory benefit plan or pursuant to written contracts relating to
consideration, as provided by Rule 701, or pursuant to Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act on the basis that the transactions did not involve a public
offering.

                                      II-1
<PAGE>

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

  (a) Exhibits

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Number                               Description
   ------                               -----------
 <C>       <S>
   1.1++   Form of Underwriting Agreement.

   3.1+    Form of Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the
           registrant.

   3.2+    Form of Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the registrant.

   5.1+    Opinion of Perkins Coie LLP as to the legality of the shares.

  10.1+    Registration Rights Agreement, as amended July 22, 1998, by and
           among the registrant, TransCosmos USA Inc., TransCosmos Inc.,
           Encompass Group, Inc., Oak Investment Partners VI L.P., Oak VI
           Affiliates LLC, Northwest Equity Partners V, Piper Jaffray, Inc.,
           and Snowden L.P.

  10.2+    Separation Agreement, dated as of November 6, 1998, by and between
           the registrant and Steven L. Sperry.

  10.3+    Joint Venture Agreement, dated November 16, 1995, by and between the
           registrant and Trans Cosmos, Inc.

  10.4+    First Amendment to Joint Venture Agreement, dated September 26,
           1997, by and among the registrant, Trans Cosmos, Inc., and Best
           Career Company.

  10.5**+  Exclusive Distribution License Agreement, dated September 26, 1997,
           by and between the registrant and Trans Cosmos Inc.

  10.6+    First Right of Refusal, dated September 26, 1997, by and between the
           registrant and Primus KK.

  10.7**+  Software Marketing and Distribution Agreement, dated March 31, 1998,
           by and between the registrant and Primus Knowledge Solutions KK.

  10.8**+  Amended and Restated Value Added Reseller License Agreement, dated
           December 31, 1997, by and between the registrant and Versant Object
           Technology Corporation.

  10.9**+  Software License Agreement dated June 27, 1997, by and between the
           registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.10**+ Amendment No. 1 to Software License Agreement, dated June 25, 1997,
           by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.11+   Amendment No. 2 to Software License Agreement, dated September 26,
           1997, by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.12**+ Third Amendment to Software License Agreement and Second Amendment
           to Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated August 27, 1998, by and
           between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.13**+ Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated June 27, 1997, by and
           between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.14+   Amendment No. 1 to Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated June 25,
           1997, by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.15+   Form of Change of Control Agreement, to be entered into by the
           registrant, Michael A. Brochu, Elizabeth J. Huebner, Kim M. Nelson,
           Patricia L. Cox and Edward L. Walter.

  10.16+   Employment Agreement, dated June 19, 1998, by and between the
           registrant and Elizabeth J. Huebner.

  10.17+   Employee Stock Option and Restricted Stock Award Plan, as adopted by
           registrant's board of directors on November 29, 1993.

  10.18+   Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan, as adopted by registrant's
           board of directors on November 1, 1994.

</TABLE>


                                      II-2
<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Number                              Description
   ------                              -----------
 <C>       <S>
  10.19+   1995 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated on
           March 12, 1996 and amended on February 10, 1998.

  10.20+   1999 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan.

  10.21++  1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

  10.22+   Office Lease Agreement, dated July 25, 1995, by and between the
           registrant and Westlake Center Associates Limited Partnership.

  10.23+   Lease Amendment 1, dated February 1, 1999, by and between the
           registrant and Westlake Center Associates Limited Partnership.

  10.24**+ Services Agreement, dated February 13, 1998, by and between the
           registrant and Encompass Globalization, Inc.

  21.1+    Subsidiaries of the registrant.

  23.1++   Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

  23.2+    Consent of Perkins Coie LLP (contained in the opinion filed as
           Exhibit 5.1).

  23.3+    Consent of International Data Corporation.

  23.4+    Consent of The Aberdeen Group.

  24.1+    Power of Attorney.

  27.1+    Financial Data Schedule.

  99.1+    Report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors, on Financial
           Statement Schedule.
</TABLE>
- --------

** Registrant has sought confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 406 for
   portions of the referenced exhibit.
 + Previously filed.
++ Filed herewith.

  (b) Financial Statement Schedules

  Schedule II--Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

  All other schedules are omitted because they are inapplicable or the
requested information is shown in the consolidated financial statements of the
registrant or related notes thereto.


                                      II-3
<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURES

  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the
registrant has duly caused this Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City
of Seattle, State of Washington, on the 18th day of June, 1999.

                                          Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

                                                  /s/ Michael A. Brochu
                                           ___________________________________
                                              Michael A. Brochu, President

  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this
Amendment No. 2 Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons
in the capacities indicated below on the 18th day of June, 1999.

<TABLE>
 <S>                                       <C>
          /s/ Michael A. Brochu            President, Chief Executive Officer and
 ________________________________________  Chairman of the Board (Principal Executive
             Michael A. Brochu             Officer)

        /s/ Elizabeth J. Huebner           Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
 ________________________________________  Secretary and Treasurer (Principal
           Elizabeth J. Huebner            Financial and Accounting Officer)

           * Antonio M. Audino             Director
 ________________________________________
             Antonio M. Audino

             * Promod Haque                Director
 ________________________________________
               Promod Haque

          * Fredric W. Harman              Director
 ________________________________________
             Fredric W. Harman

           * Yasuki Matsumoto              Director
 ________________________________________
</TABLE>     Yasuki Matsumoto


*By     /s/ Elizabeth J. Huebner
  -------------------------------
        Elizabeth J. Huebner
          Attorney-in-Fact

                                      II-4
<PAGE>

                 SCHEDULE II--VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

                        PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
                                 March 31, 1999
                                 (In thousands)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
         Column A          Column B       Column C         Column D   Column E
         --------          ---------      --------       ------------ ---------
                                          Additions
                                     -------------------
                            Balance  Charged  Charged to
                              of     to Costs   Other                  Balance
                           Beginning   and    Accounts-- Deduction --  at End
       Description         of Period Expenses  Describe   Describe(1) of Period
       -----------         --------- -------- ---------- ------------ ---------
<S>                        <C>       <C>      <C>        <C>          <C>
Year ended December 31,
 1996
  Deducted from asset
   accounts:
    Allowance for doubtful
     accounts.............   $--       $70       $--         $--        $ 70
Year ended December 31,
 1997
  Deducted from asset
   accounts:
    Allowance for doubtful
     accounts.............   $ 70       --        --          --        $ 70
Year ended December 31,
 1998
  Deducted from asset
   accounts:
    Allowance for doubtful
     accounts.............   $ 70      $301       --          --        $371
Three months ended March
 31, 1999
  Deducted from asset
   accounts:
    Allowance for doubtful
     accounts.............   $371       --        --          --        $371
</TABLE>
- --------
(1) Uncollectible accounts written off, net of recoveries.
<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Number                               Description
   ------                               -----------
 <C>       <S>
   1.1++   Form of Underwriting Agreement.
   3.1+    Form of Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the
           registrant.

   3.2+    Form of Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the registrant.

   5.1+    Opinion of Perkins Coie LLP as to the legality of the shares.

  10.1+    Registration Rights Agreement, as amended July 22, 1998, by and
           among the registrant, TransCosmos USA Inc., TransCosmos Inc.,
           Encompass Group, Inc., Oak Investment Partners VI L.P., Oak VI
           Affiliates LLC, Northwest Equity Partners V, Piper Jaffray, Inc.,
           and Snowden L.P.

  10.2+    Separation Agreement, dated as of November 6, 1998, by and between
           the registrant and Steven L. Sperry.

  10.3+    Joint Venture Agreement, dated November 16, 1995, by and between the
           registrant and Trans Cosmos, Inc.

  10.4+    First Amendment to Joint Venture Agreement, dated September 26,
           1997, by and among the registrant, Trans Cosmos, Inc., and Best
           Career Company.

  10.5**+  Exclusive Distribution License Agreement, dated September 26, 1997,
           by and between the registrant and Trans Cosmos Inc.

  10.6+    First Right of Refusal, dated September 26, 1997, by and between the
           registrant and Primus K.K.

  10.7**+  Software Marketing and Distribution Agreement, dated March 31, 1998,
           by and between the registrant and Primus Knowledge Solutions K.K.

  10.8**+  Amended and Restated Value Added Reseller License Agreement, dated
           December 31, 1997, by and between the registrant and Versant Object
           Technology Corporation.

  10.9**+  Software License Agreement dated June 27, 1997, by and between the
           registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.10**+ Amendment No. 1 to Software License Agreement, dated June 25, 1997,
           by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.11+   Amendment No. 2 to Software License Agreement, dated September 26,
           1997, by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.12**+ Third Amendment to Software License Agreement and Second Amendment
           to Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated August 27, 1998, by and
           between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.13**+ Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated June 27, 1997, by and
           between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.14+   Amendment No. 1 to Support and Maintenance Agreement, dated June 25,
           1997, by and between the registrant and 3Com Corporation.

  10.15+   Form of Change of Control Agreement, to be entered into by the
           registrant, Michael A. Brochu, Elizabeth J. Huebner, Kim M. Nelson,
           Patricia L. Cox and Edward L. Walter.

  10.16+   Employment Agreement, dated June 19, 1998, by and between the
           registrant and Elizabeth J. Huebner.

  10.17+   Employee Stock Option and Restricted Stock Award Plan, as adopted by
           registrant's board of directors on November 29, 1993.

  10.18+   Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan, as adopted by registrant's
           board of directors on November 1, 1994.

  10.19+   1995 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated on
           March 12, 1996 and amended on February 10, 1998.
</TABLE>
<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Number                            Description
   ------                            -----------
 <C>       <S>
  10.20+   1999 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan.

  10.21++  1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

  10.22+   Office Lease Agreement, dated July 25, 1995, by and between the
           registrant and Westlake Center Associates Limited Partnership.

  10.23+   Lease Amendment 1, dated February 1, 1999, by and between the
           registrant and Westlake Center Associates Limited Partnership.

  10.24**+ Services Agreement, dated February 13, 1998, by and between the
           registrant and Encompass Globalization, Inc.

  21.1+    Subsidiaries of the registrant.

  23.1++   Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

  23.2+    Consent of Perkins Coie LLP (contained in the opinion filed as
           Exhibit 5.1)

  23.3+    Consent of International Data Corporation

  23.4+    Consent of The Aberdeen Group

  24.1+    Power of Attorney (contained on signature page).

  27.1+    Financial Data Schedule.

  99.1+    Report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors, on Financial
           Statement Schedule.
</TABLE>
- --------

** Registrant has sought confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 406 for
   portions of the referenced exhibit.

+  Previously filed

++  Filed Herewith

<PAGE>

                                                                     EXHIBIT 1.1

                            Underwriting Agreement



                                 June __, 1999


BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
Hambrecht & Quist LLC
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.
First Albany Corporation
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
555 California Street, Suite 2600
San Francisco, CA  94104

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     Introductory.  Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc., a Washington corporation
(the "Company"), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in
Schedule A (the "Underwriters") an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of its Common
- ----------
Stock, par value $.025 per share (the "Common Shares"); and the shareholders of
the Company named in Schedule B (collectively, the "Selling Shareholders")
                     ----------
severally propose to sell to the Underwriters an aggregate of 150,000 Common
Shares. The 4,000,000 Common Shares to be sold by the Company and the 150,000
shares of Common Shares to be sold by the Selling Shareholders are collectively
called the "Firm Shares". In addition, the Company has granted to the
Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 622,500 Common Shares
(the "Option Shares"), as provided in Section 2. The Firm Shares and, if and to
the extent such option is exercised, the Option Shares are collectively called
the "Shares." BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc., Hambrecht & Quist LLC, U.S.
Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc. and First Albany Corporation have agreed to act as
representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the
"Representatives") in connection with the offering and sale of the Common
Shares.

     The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No.
333-77477), which contains a form of prospectus to be used in connection with
the public offering and sale of the Shares. Such registration statement, as
amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in
the form in which it was declared effective by the Commission under the
Securities Act of 1933 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder
(collectively, the "Securities Act"), including any information deemed to be a
part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or
<PAGE>

Rule 434 under the Securities Act, is called the "Registration Statement". Any
registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act is called the "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement", and from and
after the date and time of filing of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the
term "Registration Statement" shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement. Such prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to
confirm sales of the Shares, is called the "Prospectus"; provided, however, if
the Company has, with the consent of BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc., elected
to rely upon Rule 434 under the Securities Act, the term "Prospectus" shall mean
the Company's prospectus subject to completion (each, a "preliminary
prospectus") dated June 7, 1999 (such preliminary prospectus is called the "Rule
434 preliminary prospectus"), together with the applicable term sheet (the "Term
Sheet") prepared and filed by the Company with the Commission under Rules 434
and 424(b) under the Securities Act and all references in this Agreement to the
date of the Prospectus shall mean the date of the Term Sheet. All references in
this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, a preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the Term Sheet, or any
amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall include any copy
thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering,
Analysis and Retrieval System ("EDGAR").

     The Company and each of the Selling Shareholders hereby confirm their
respective agreements with the Underwriters as follows:

     Section 1.  Representations and Warranties

     A.   Representations and Warranties of the Company and the Selling
Shareholders. The Company and the Selling Shareholders hereby represent and
warrant to each Underwriter as follows:

     (a)  Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement
and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement have been declared effective by the
Commission under the Securities Act. The Company has complied to the
Commission's satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or
supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is in
effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending
or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the
Commission.

     Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied in all
material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic
transmission pursuant to EDGAR (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T
under the Securities Act), was identical to the copy thereof delivered to the
Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares. Each
of the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any
post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective and at all
subsequent times, complied and will comply in all material respects with the
Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, as
amended or supplemented, as of its date and at all subsequent times, did not and
will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the

                                      -2-
<PAGE>

circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations
and warranties set forth in the two immediately preceding sentences do not apply
to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the
Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and
in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the
Company in writing by the Representatives expressly for use therein. There are
no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Prospectus or to
be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been described
or filed as required.

     (b)  Offering Materials Furnished to Underwriters. The Company has
delivered to each of the Representatives one complete conformed copy of the
Registration Statement and of each consent and certificate of experts filed as a
part thereof, and conformed copies of the Registration Statement (without
exhibits) and preliminary prospectuses and the Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, in such quantities and at such places as the Representatives have
reasonably requested.

     (c)  Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. The Company has not
distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of thirty (30) days from
the date of this Agreement and the completion of the Underwriters' distribution
of the Shares, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of
the Shares other than a preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement.

     (d)  The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized,
executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company,
enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification
hereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement hereof
may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other
similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by
general equitable principles. (e) Authorization of the Shares To Be Sold by the
Company. The Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have
been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when
issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

     (f)  Authorization of the Shares To Be Sold by the Selling Shareholders.
The Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Shareholders,
when issued, were validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

     (g)  No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no
persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt
securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in
the offering contemplated by this Agreement, other than the Selling Shareholders
with respect to the Shares included in the Registration Statement, except for
such rights as have been duly waived.

                                      -3-
<PAGE>

     (h)  No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the respective dates as of
which information is given in the Prospectus and except for specific changes and
developments specifically discussed in the Prospectus: (i) there has been no
material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to
result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise,
or in the earnings, business, operations or prospects, whether or not arising
from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its
subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change or effect, where the
context so requires, is called a "Material Adverse Change" or a "Material
Adverse Effect"); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one
entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct
or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business nor entered into any
material transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business; and
(iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or
made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other
subsidiaries, any of its subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or
repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class
of capital stock.

  (i)  Independent Accountants. Ernst & Young LLP, who have expressed their
opinion with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this
Agreement includes the related notes thereto) and supporting schedules filed
with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the
Prospectus, are independent public or certified public accountants as required
by the Securities Act, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who prepared audited
financial statements for the Company for its fiscal years ended December 31,
1995 and 1996 were, at the time of preparation of such financial statements,
independent public or certified public accountants as required by the Securities
Act.

     (j)  Preparation of the Financial Statements. The financial statements
filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included
in the Prospectus present fairly the consolidated financial position of the
Company and its subsidiaries as of and at the dates indicated and the results of
their operations and cash flows for the periods specified. The supporting
schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly the information
required to be stated therein. Such financial statements and supporting
schedules have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis
throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the
related notes thereto. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are
required to be included in the Registration Statement. The financial data set
forth in the Prospectus under the captions "Prospectus Summary--Summary
Consolidated Financial Data", "Capitalization," "Selected Consolidated Financial
Data," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations" and elsewhere in the Prospectus and in the Registration Statement
fairly present the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that
of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement.

     (k)  Company's Accounting System. The Company and each of its subsidiaries
maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide
reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with
management's general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded
as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity

                                      -4-
<PAGE>

with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States
and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted
only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv)
the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences.

     (l)  Subsidiaries of the Company. The Company does not own or control,
directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than
Primus Knowledge Solutions (UK) Limited.

     (m)  Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly
existing as a corporation or limited liability company, as the case may be, in
good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is organized with
full corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its
business as described in the prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as
a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each
jurisdiction which requires such qualification.

     (n)  Capitalization of the Subsidiaries. All the outstanding shares of
capital stock of each subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and
issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, except as otherwise set forth
in the Prospectus, all outstanding shares of capital stock of the subsidiaries
are owned by the Company either directly or through wholly owned subsidiaries
free and clear of any security interests, claims, liens or encumbrances.

     (o)  No Prohibition on Subsidiaries from Paying Dividends or Making Other
Distributions. No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or
indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other
distribution on such subsidiary's capital stock, from repaying to the Company
any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring
any of such subsidiary's property or assets to the Company or any other
subsidiary of the Company, except as described in or contemplated by the
Prospectus.

     (p)  Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued
and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus
under the caption "Capitalization" (other than for subsequent issuances, if any,
pursuant to employee benefit plans described in the Prospectus or upon exercise
of outstanding options or warrants described in the Prospectus). The Common
Shares (including the Shares) conform in all material respects to the
description thereof contained in the Prospectus. All of the issued and
outstanding Common Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are
fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with federal and
state securities laws. None of the outstanding Common Shares were issued in
violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar
rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no
authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first
refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible
into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any
of its subsidiaries other than those accurately described in the Prospectus. The
description of the Company's stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or
arrangements, and the options or other

                                      -5-
<PAGE>

rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Prospectus accurately and fairly
presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans,
arrangements, options and rights.

     (q)  Stock Exchange Listing.  The Shares have been approved for inclusion
on the Nasdaq National Market, subject only to official notice of issuance.

     (r)  No Consents, Approvals or Authorizations Required. No consent,
approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental
agency or regulatory body is required in connection with the transactions
contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained or made under the
Securities Act and such as may be required (i) under the blue sky laws of any
jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by
the Underwriters in the manner contemplated here and in the Prospectus, (ii) by
the National Association of Securities Dealers, LLC and (iii) by the federal and
provincial laws of Canada.

     (s)  Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments Agreements. Neither the
issue and sale of the Shares nor the consummation of any other of the
transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will
conflict with, result in a breach or violation or imposition of any lien, charge
or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries pursuant to, (i) the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage,
deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation,
condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its or their property is subject or
(iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable
to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body,
administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having
jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their
properties.

     (t)  No Defaults or Violations. Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is
in violation or default of (i) any provision of its charter or by-laws, (ii) the
terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note
agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or
instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject
or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any
court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or
other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such subsidiary or any
of its properties, as applicable, except any such violation or default which
would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change
except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus.

     (u)  No Actions, Suits or Proceedings. No action, suit or proceeding by or
before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator
involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its or their property is
pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the performance of
this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated
hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.

     (v)  All Necessary Permits, Etc. The Company and each subsidiary possess
such valid and current certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the
appropriate state, federal or foreign

                                      -6-
<PAGE>

regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct their respective businesses,
and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has received any notice of
proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance
with, any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the
aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could
result in a Material Adverse Change.

     (w)  Title to Properties. The Company and each of its subsidiaries has good
and marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected as owned in the
financial statements referred to in Section 1(A)(j) above (or elsewhere in the
Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages,
liens, encumbrances, equities, claims and other defects other than those
specifically disclosed in the Prospectus, except such as do not materially and
adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with
the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company or such
subsidiary. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property
held under lease by the Company or any subsidiary are held under valid and
enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not
materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real
property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such
subsidiary.

     (x)  Tax Law Compliance.  The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries
have filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax
returns or have properly requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes
required to be paid by it and, if due and payable, any related or similar
assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them. The Company has made
adequate charges, accruals and reserves in the applicable financial statements
referred to in Section 1(A)(i) above in respect of all federal, state and
foreign income and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability
of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined. The
Company is not aware of any tax deficiency that has been or might be asserted or
threatened against the Company that could result in a Material Adverse Change.

     (y)  Intellectual Property Rights. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries
owns or possesses adequate rights to use all patents, patent rights or licenses,
inventions, collaborative research agreements, trade secrets, know-how,
trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights which are necessary to
conduct its businesses as described in the Registration Statement and
Prospectus; the expiration of any patents, patent rights, trade secrets,
trademarks, service marks, trade names or copyrights would not result in a
Material Adverse Change that is not otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus; the
Company has not received any notice of, and has no knowledge of, any
infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of the Company by others with
respect to any patent, patent rights, inventions, trade secrets, know-how,
trademarks, service marks, trade names or copyrights; and the Company has not
received any notice of, and has no knowledge of, any infringement of or conflict
with asserted rights of others with respect to any patent, patent rights,
inventions, trade secrets, know-how, trademarks, service marks, trade names or
copyrights which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding, might have a Material Adverse Change. There is no
claim being made against the Company regarding patents, patent rights or
licenses, inventions, collaborative research, trade secrets, know-how,
trademarks, service marks, trade names or copyrights. The Company and its
subsidiaries do not in the conduct of

                                      -7-
<PAGE>

their business as now or proposed to be conducted as described in the Prospectus
infringe or conflict with any right or patent of any third party, or any
discovery, invention, product or process which is the subject of a patent
application filed by any third party, known to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, which such infringement or conflict is reasonably likely to result
in a Material Adverse Change.

     (z)  Year 2000 Preparedness. There are no issues related to the Company's,
or any of its subsidiaries', preparedness for the Year 2000 that (i) are of a
character required to be described or referred to in the Registration Statement
or Prospectus by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder which have not been accurately described in the
Registration Statement or Prospectus or (ii) might reasonably be expected to
result in any Material Adverse Change or that might materially affect their
properties, assets or rights. All internal computer systems and each Constituent
Component (as defined below) of those systems and all computer-related products
and each Constituent Component (as defined below) of those products of the
Company and each of its subsidiaries fully comply with Year 2000 Qualification
Requirements. "Year 2000 Qualifications Requirements" means that the internal
computer systems and each Constituent Component (as defined below) of those
systems and all computer-related products and each Constituent Component (as
defined below) of those products of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries (i)
have been reviewed to confirm that they store, process (including sorting and
performing mathematical operations, calculations and computations), input and
output data containing date and time information correctly regardless of whether
the date contains dates and times before, on or after January 1, 2000, (ii) have
been designated to ensure date and time entry recognition and calculations, and
date data interface values that reflect the century, (iii) accurately manage and
manipulate data involving dates and times, including single century formulas and
multi-century formulas, and will not cause an abnormal ending scenario within
the application or generate incorrect values or invalid results involving such
dates, (iv) accurately process any date rollover, and (v) accept and respond to
two-digit year date input in a manner that resolves any ambiguities as to the
century. "Constituent Component" means all software (including operating
systems, programs, packages and utilities), firmware, hardware, networking
components, and peripherals provided as part of the configuration. The Company
has inquired of material vendors as to their preparedness for the Year 2000 and
has disclosed in the Registration Statement or Prospectus any issues that might
reasonably be expected to result in any Material Adverse Change.

     (aa) No Transfer Taxes or Other Fees. There are no transfer taxes or other
similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any
political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the
execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance and sale by the Company
of the shares.

     (bb) Company Not an "Investment Company". The Company has been advised of
the rules and requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the "Investment Company Act"). The Company is not, and after receipt of payment
for the Shares will not be, an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by
an "investment company" within the meaning of the Investment Company Act and
will conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the
Investment Company Act.

                                      -8-
<PAGE>

     (cc) Insurance.  The Company and its subsidiaries maintain insurance of the
types and in the amounts generally deemed adequate for their businesses,
including, but not limited to, directors' and officers' insurance, insurance
covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its
subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and all other
risks customarily insured against, all of which insurance is in full force and
effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any subsidiary will not
be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies
expire or (ii) to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be
necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not result in a Material
Adverse Change.

     (dd) Labor Matters. To the best of Company's knowledge, no labor
disturbance by the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or
is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor
disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, value added
resellers, subcontractors, original equipment manufacturers, authorized dealers
or international distributors that might be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Change.

     (ee) No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. The Company has not taken and
will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be
reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the
price of the Common Stock to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.

     (ff) Lock-Up Agreements. Each officer and director of the company, each
Selling Shareholder and each beneficial owner of one or more percent of the
outstanding issued share capital of the Company has agreed to sign an agreement
substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Lock-up
                                             ---------
Agreements"). The Company has provided to counsel for the Underwriters a
complete and accurate list of all securityholders of the Company and the number
and type of securities held by each securityholder. The Company has provided to
counsel for the Underwriters true, accurate and complete copies of all of the
Lock-up Agreements presently in effect or effected hereby. The Company hereby
represents and warrants that it will not release any of its officers, directors
or other shareholders from any Lock-up Agreements currently existing or
hereafter effected without the prior written consent of BancBoston Robertson
Stephens Inc.

     (gg) Related Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or
related-party transactions involving the Company or any subsidiary or any other
person required to be described in the Prospectus which have not been described
as required.

          Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to
the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the
Closing or Second Closing shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by
the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters set forth therein.

     (hh) No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor,
to the best of the Company's knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or
any subsidiary, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of,
or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law
or of the character required to be disclosed in the Prospectus.

                                      -9-
<PAGE>

     (ii) Environmental Laws. (i) the Company is in compliance with all rules,
laws and regulations relating to the use, treatment, storage and disposal of
toxic substances and protection of health or the environment ("Environmental
Laws") which are applicable to its business, except where the failure to comply
would not result in a Material Adverse Change, (ii) the Company has received no
notice from any governmental authority or third party of an asserted claim under
Environmental Laws, which claim is required to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) to its knowledge, the Company will not be
required to make future material capital expenditures to comply with
Environmental Laws and (iv) no property which is owned, leased or occupied by
the Company has, to the knowledge of the Company, been designated as a Superfund
site pursuant to the Comprehensive Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of
1980, as amended (42 U.S.C. (S) 9601, et seq.), or otherwise designated as a
                                      -- ---
contaminated site under applicable state or local law.

     (jj) ERISA Compliance.  The Company and its subsidiaries and any "employee
benefit plan" (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder
(collectively, "ERISA")) established or maintained by the Company, its
subsidiaries or their "ERISA Affiliates" (as defined below) are in compliance in
all material respects with ERISA. "ERISA Affiliate" means, with respect to the
Company or a subsidiary, any member of any group of organizations described in
Sections 414(b),(c),(m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the "Code") of
which the Company or such subsidiary is a member. No "reportable event" (as
defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with
respect to any "employee benefit plan" established or maintained by the Company,
its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No "employee benefit plan"
established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA
Affiliates, if such "employee benefit plan" were terminated, would have any
"amount of unfounded benefit liabilities" (as defined under ERISA). Neither the
Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or
reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with
respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any "employee benefit plan" or
(ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each "employee benefit plan"
established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA
Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is
so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act,
which would cause the loss of such qualification.

     B.   Representations and Warranties of the Selling Shareholders. Each
Selling Shareholder represents, warrants and covenants to each Underwriter and
the Company as follows:

     (a)  The Underwriting Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized,
executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder and is a
valid and binding agreement of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable in
accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification hereunder may be
limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement hereof may be limited by
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws
relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general
equitable principles.

                                      -10-
<PAGE>

     (b)  The Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney. Each of the (i) Custody
Agreement signed by such Selling Shareholder and ChaseMellon Shareholder
Services, L.L.C., as custodian (the "Custodian"), relating to the deposit of the
Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder (the "Custody Agreement") and (ii)
Power of Attorney appointing certain individuals named therein as such Selling
Shareholder's attorneys-in-fact (each, an "Attorney-in-Fact") to the extent set
forth therein relating to the transactions contemplated hereby and by the
Prospectus (the "Power of Attorney"), of such Selling Shareholder has been duly
authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholder and is a valid
and binding agreement of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable in accordance
with its terms, except as rights to indemnification thereunder may be limited by
applicable law and except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws
relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general
equitable principles. Each Selling Shareholder agrees that the Shares to be sold
by such Selling Shareholder on deposit with the Custodian are subject to the
interests of the Underwriters, that the arrangements made for such custody are
to that extent irrevocable, and that the obligations of such Selling Shareholder
hereunder shall not be terminated, except as provided in this Agreement or in
the Custody Agreement, by any act of the Selling Shareholder, by operation of
law, by death or incapacity of such Selling Shareholder or by the occurrence of
any other event. If such Selling Shareholder should die or become incapacitated,
or in any other event should occur, before the delivery of the Shares to be sold
by such Selling Shareholder hereunder, the documents evidencing the Shares to be
sold by such Selling Shareholder then on deposit with the Custodian shall be
delivered by the Custodian in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
Agreement as if such death, incapacity or other event had not occurred,
regardless of whether or not the Custodian shall have received notice thereof.

     (c)  Title to Shares to be Sold. Such Selling Shareholder is the lawful
owner of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder and upon
sale and delivery of, and payment for, such Shares, as provided herein, such
Selling Shareholder will convey good and marketable title to such Shares, free
and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities and claims whatsoever.

     (d)  All Authorizations Obtained.  Such Selling Shareholder has, and on the
First Closing Date will have, good and valid title to all of the Company Shares
which may be sold by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement on such
date and the legal right and power, and all authorizations and approvals
required by law to enter into this Agreement and its Custody Agreement and Power
of Attorney, to sell, transfer and deliver all of the Shares which may be sold
by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement and to comply with its
other obligations hereunder and thereunder.

     (e)  No Further Consents, Authorization or Approvals. No consent, approval,
authorization or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required
for the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of the transactions
contemplated herein, except such as may have been obtained under the Securities
Act and such as may be required under the federal and provincial securities laws
of Canada or the blue sky laws or any jurisdiction in connection with the
purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters and such other
approvals as have been obtained.

                                      -11-
<PAGE>

     (f)  Non-Contravention. Neither the sale of the Securities being sold by
such Selling Shareholder nor the consummation of any other of the transactions
herein contemplated by such Selling Shareholder or the fulfillment of the terms
hereof by such Selling Shareholder will conflict with, result in a breach or
violation of, or constitute a default under any law or the terms of any
indenture or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholder is
party or bound, any judgment, order or decree applicable to such Selling
Shareholder or any court or regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental
body or arbitrator having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder.

     (g)  No Registration or Other Similar Rights. Such Selling Shareholder does
not have any registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt
securities registered for sale by the Company under the Registration Statement
or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such
rights as are described in the Prospectus under "Shares Eligible for Future
Sale".

     (h)  No Preemptive, Co-sale or other Rights. Such Selling Shareholder does
not have, or has waived prior to the date hereof, any preemptive right, co-sale
right or right of first refusal or other similar right to purchase any of the
Shares that are to be sold by the Company or any of the other Selling
Shareholders to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement; and such Selling
Shareholder does not own any warrants, options or similar rights to acquire, and
does not have any right or arrangement to acquire, any capital stock, right,
warrants, options or other securities from the Company, other than those
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

     (i)  Disclosure Made by Such Selling Shareholder in the Prospectus. All
information furnished by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder in writing
expressly for use in the Registration Statement and Prospectus is, and on the
First Closing Date and the Second Closing Date (as defined below) will be, true,
correct, and complete in all material respects, and does not, and on the First
Closing Date and the Second Closing Date will not, contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make such
information not misleading. Such Selling Shareholder confirms as accurate the
number of shares of Company Shares set forth opposite such Selling Shareholder's
name in the Prospectus under the caption "Principal and Selling Shareholders"
(both prior to and after giving effect to the sale of the Shares).

     (j)  No Price Stabilization or Manipulation. Such Selling Shareholder has
not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or
that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or
manipulation of the price of the Common Stock to facilitate the sale or resale
of the Shares.

     (k)  No Transfer Taxes or Other Fees. There are no transfer taxes or other
similar fees or charges under Federal law or the laws of any state, or any
political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the
execution and delivery of this Agreement or the sale by the Selling Shareholders
of the Shares.

     (l)  Distribution of Offering Materials by the Selling Shareholders. The
Selling Shareholders have not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the
later of the Second Closing

                                      -12-
<PAGE>

Date (as defined below) and the completion of the Underwriters' distribution of
the Shares, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of
the Shares by such Selling Shareholder other than a preliminary prospectus, the
Prospectus or the Registration Statement.

     (m)  Confirmation of Company Representations and Warranties.  Such Selling
Shareholder has no reason to believe that the representations and warranties of
the Company contained in Section 1(A) hereof are not true and correct, is
familiar with the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and has no knowledge
of any material fact, condition or information not disclosed in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus which has had or may result in a Material Adverse
Change on the condition, financial or otherwise, or on the earnings, business,
operation or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary
course of business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one
entity, and is not prompted to sell the Shares to be sold by such Selling
Shareholder by any information concerning the Company which is not set forth in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

     Any certificate signed by or on behalf of any Selling Shareholder and
delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be
deemed to be a representation and warranty by such Selling Shareholder to each
Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

     Section 2.    Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Shares

     (a)  The Firm Shares. On the basis of the representations, warranties and
agreements herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, (i) the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters an
aggregate of 4,000,000 Firm Shares and (ii) the Selling Shareholders agree to
sell to the several Underwriters an aggregate of 150,000 Firm Shares, each
Selling Shareholder selling the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite such
Selling Shareholder's name on Schedule B. On the basis of the representations,
                              ----------
warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to
the conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters agree, severally and not
jointly, to purchase from the Company and the Selling Shareholders the
respective number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their names on Schedule A.
                                                                   ----------
The purchase price per Firm Share to be paid by the several Underwriters to the
Company and the Selling Shareholders shall be $[___] per share.

     (b)  The First Closing Date. Delivery of the Firm Shares to be purchased by
the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made by the Company and the
Representatives at 6:00 a.m. San Francisco time, at the offices of Perkins Coie
LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, 48th Floor, Seattle, Washington 98101-3099 (or at such
other place as may be agreed upon among the Representatives and the Company),
(i) on the third (3rd) full business day following the first day that Shares are
traded, (ii) if this Agreement is executed and delivered after 1:30 P.M., San
Francisco time, the fourth (4th) full business day following the day that this
Agreement is executed and delivered or (iii) at such other time and date not
later that seven (7) full business days following the first day that Shares are
traded as the Representatives and the Company may determine (or at such time and
date to which payment and delivery shall have been postponed pursuant to Section
8 hereof), such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the
"Closing Date;"

                                      -13-
<PAGE>

provided, however, that if the Company has not made available to the
Representatives copies of the Prospectus within the time provided in Section
4(d) hereof, the Representatives may, in its sole discretion, postpone the
Closing Date until no later that two (2) full business days following delivery
of copies of the Prospectus to the Representatives.

     (c)  The Option Shares; the Second Closing Date. In addition, on the basis
of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the
terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants
an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up
to an aggregate of 622,500 Option Shares from the Company at the purchase price
per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm Shares. The option granted
hereunder is for use by the Underwriters solely in covering any over-allotments
in connection with the sale and distribution of the Firm Shares. The option
granted hereunder may be exercised at any time upon notice by the
Representatives to the Company which notice may be given at any time within 30
days from the date of this Agreement. The time and date of delivery of the
Option Shares, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called the "Second
Closing Date" and shall be determined by the Representatives and shall not be
earlier than three nor later than five full business days after delivery of such
notice of exercise. If any Option Shares are to be purchased, each Underwriter
agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Option Shares
(subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the
Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total
number of Option Shares to be purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth
on Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the
   ----------
total number of Firm Shares and the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter
the number of Option Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional
shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to
the total number of Option Shares to be sold as the number of Firm Shares set
forth on Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total
         ----------
number of Firm Shares. The Representatives may cancel the option at any time
prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the
Company.

     (d)  Public Offering of the Shares. The Representatives hereby advise the
Company and the Selling Shareholders that the Underwriters intend to offer for
sale to the public, as described in the Prospectus, their respective portions of
the Shares as soon after this Agreement has been executed and the Registration
Statement has been declared effective as the Representatives, in their sole
judgment, have determined is advisable and practicable.

     (e)  Payment for the Shares.  Payment for the Shares to be sold by the
Company shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, at the
Second Closing Date) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the
order of the Company.  Payment for the Shares to be sold by the Selling
Shareholders shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, at the
Second Closing Date) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the
order of the Custodian.

          It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for
their own account and the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept
delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the
Firm Shares and any Option Shares the Underwriters have agreed to purchase.
BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc., individually and not as the

                                      -14-
<PAGE>

Representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make
payment for any Shares to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not
have been received by the Representatives by the First Closing Date or the
Second Closing Date, as the case may be, for the account of such Underwriter,
but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its
obligations under this Agreement.

          Each Selling Shareholder hereby agrees that (i) it will pay all stock
transfer taxes, stamp duties and other similar taxes, if any, payable upon the
sale or delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder to the
several Underwriters, or otherwise in connection with the performance of such
Selling Shareholder's obligations hereunder and (ii) the Custodian is authorized
to deduct for such payment any such amounts from the proceeds to such Selling
Shareholder hereunder and to hold such amounts for the account of such Selling
Shareholder with the Custodian under the Custody Agreement.

     (f)  Delivery of the Shares. The Company and the Selling Shareholders shall
deliver, or cause to be delivered a credit representing the Firm Shares to an
account or accounts at The Depository Trust Company as designated by the
Representatives for the accounts of the Representatives and the several
Underwriters at the First Closing Date, against the irrevocable release of a
wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase
price therefor. The Company [and the Selling Shareholders] shall also deliver,
or cause to be delivered a credit representing the Option Shares to an account
or accounts at The Depository Trust Company as designated by the Representatives
for the accounts of the Representatives and the several Underwriters, at the
First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, against the
irrevocable release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the
amount of the purchase price therefor. Time shall be of the essence, and
delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further
condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.

     (g)  Delivery of Prospectus to the Underwriters.  Not later than 12:00 noon
on the second business day following the date the Shares are released by the
Underwriters for sale to the public, the Company shall deliver or cause to be
delivered copies of the Prospectus in such quantities and at such places as the
Representatives shall request.

     Section 3.  Covenants of the Company and the Selling Shareholders.

     A.   Covenants of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees
with each Underwriter as follows:

     (a)  Registration Statement Matters. The Company will (i) use its best
efforts to cause a registration statement on Form 8-A (the "Form 8-A
Registration Statement") as required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
"Exchange Act") to become effective simultaneously with the Registration
Statement, (ii) use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to
become effective or, if the procedure in Rule 430A of the Securities Act is
followed, to prepare and timely file with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under
the Securities Act a Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives
containing information previously omitted at the time of effectiveness of the
Registration Statement in reliance on Rule 430A of the Securities Act and

                                      -15-
<PAGE>

(iii) not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the
Prospectus of which the Representatives shall not previously have been advised
and furnished with a copy or to which the Representatives shall have reasonably
objected in writing or which is not in compliance with the Securities Act. If
the Company elects to rely on Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company
shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in
compliance with Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act prior to the time
confirmations are sent or given, as specified by Rule 462(b)(2) under the
Securities Act, and shall pay the applicable fees in accordance with Rule 111
under the Securities Act.

     (b)  Securities Act Compliance. The Company will advise the Representatives
promptly (i) when the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment
thereto shall have become effective, (ii) of receipt of any comments from the
Commission, (iii) of any request of the Commission for amendment of the
Registration Statement or for supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional
information and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the use of the
Prospectus or of the institution of any proceedings for that purpose. The
Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order
preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus and to obtain as soon as
possible the lifting thereof, if issued.

     (c)  Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will cooperate with the
Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters in endeavoring to qualify the
Shares for sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions (both national
and foreign) as the Representatives may reasonably have designated in writing
and will make such applications, file such documents, and furnish such
information as may be reasonably required for that purpose, provided the Company
shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general
consent to service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so
qualified or required to file such a consent. The Company will, from time to
time, prepare and file such statements, reports and other documents, as are or
may be required to continue such qualifications in effect for so long a period
as the Representatives may reasonably request for distribution of the Shares.

     (d)  Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act
Matters. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act,
and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, so as to permit the
completion of the distribution of the Shares as contemplated in this Agreement
and the Prospectus. If during the period in which a prospectus is required by
law to be delivered by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur as a
result of which, in the judgment of the Company or in the reasonable opinion of
the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters, it becomes necessary to
amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances existing at the time the Prospectus is delivered
to a purchaser, not misleading, or, if it is necessary at any time to amend or
supplement the Prospectus to comply with any law, the Company promptly will
prepare and file with the Commission, and furnish at its own expense to the
Underwriters and to dealers, an appropriate amendment to the Registration
Statement or supplement to the Prospectus so that the Prospectus as so amended
or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when it is so
delivered, be misleading, or so that the Prospectus will comply with the law.

                                      -16-
<PAGE>

     (e)  Copies of any Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus. The
Company agrees to furnish the Representatives, without charge, during the period
beginning on the date hereof and ending on the later of the First Closing Date
or such date, as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, the Prospectus
is no longer required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an
Underwriter or dealer (the "Prospectus Delivery Period"), as many copies of the
Prospectus and any amendments and supplements thereto as the Representatives may
request.

     (f)  Insurance.  The Company shall (i) obtain Directors and Officers
liability insurance in the minimum amount of $10 million which shall apply to
the offering contemplated hereby and (ii) shall cause BancBoston Robertson
Stephens Inc. to be added as an additional insured to such policy in respect of
the offering contemplated hereby.

     (g)  Notice of Subsequent Events.  If at any time during the ninety (90)
day period after the Registration Statement becomes effective, any rumor,
publication or event relating to or affecting the Company shall occur as a
result of which in your opinion the market price of the Company Shares has been
or is likely to be materially affected (regardless of whether such rumor,
publication or event necessitates a supplement to or amendment of the
Prospectus), the Company will, after written notice from you advising the
Company to the effect set forth above, forthwith prepare, consult with you
concerning the substance of and disseminate a press release or other public
statement, reasonably satisfactory to you, responding to or commenting on such
rumor, publication or event.

     (h)  Use of Proceeds.  The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the
sale of the Shares sold by it in the manner described under the caption "Use of
Proceeds" in the Prospectus.

     (i)  Transfer Agent.  The Company shall engage and maintain, at its
expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Company Shares.

     (j)  Earnings Statement.  As soon as practicable, the Company will make
generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an
earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering the twelve-month period
ending December 31, 2000 that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the
Securities Act.

     (k)  Periodic Reporting Obligations.  During the Prospectus Delivery Period
the Company shall file, on a timely basis, with the Commission and the Nasdaq
National Market all reports and documents required to be filed under the
Exchange Act.

     (l)  Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Securities.  The Company
will not, without the prior written consent of BancBoston Robertson Stephens
Inc., for a period of 180 days following the date of the Prospectus, offer, sell
or contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of or enter into any transaction which
is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by
actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or
otherwise by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or any person in
privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company) directly or
indirectly, or announce the offering of, any other Common Shares or any
securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, Common Shares; provided,
however, that the Company may (i) issue and sell Common Shares pursuant to any
director or employee stock option

                                      -17-
<PAGE>

plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company in
effect at the date of the Prospectus and described in the Prospectus so long as
none of those shares may be transferred on during the period of 180 days from
the date of the Prospectus (the "Lock-Up Period") and the Company shall enter
stop transfer instructions with its transfer agent and registrar against the
transfer of any such Common Shares and (ii) the Company may issue Common Shares
issuable upon the conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants
outstanding at the date of the Prospectus and described in the Prospectus.

     (m)  Future Reports to the Representatives.  During the period of five
years hereafter the Company will furnish to the Representatives (i) as soon as
practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of
the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such
fiscal year and statements of income, shareholders' equity and cash flows for
the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company's independent public
or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing
thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K or other report filed by the
Company with the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, LLC
or any securities exchange; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report
or communication of the Company mailed generally to holders of its capital
stock.

     (n)  Exchange Act Compliance.  During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the
Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission
pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15 of the Exchange Act in the manner and within
the time periods required by the Exchange Act.

     B.   Covenants of the Selling Shareholders. Each Selling Shareholder
further covenants and agrees with each Underwriter:

     (a)  Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Securities.  Such Selling
Shareholder will not, during the Lock-Up Period, make a disposition of
Securities (as defined in Exhibit A hereto) now owned or hereafter acquired
directly by such person or with respect to which such person has or hereafter
acquires the power of disposition, otherwise than (i) as a bona fide gift or
gifts, provided the donee or donees thereof agree in writing to be bound by this
restriction, (ii) as a distribution to partners or shareholders of such person,
provided that the distributees thereof agree in writing to be bound by the terms
of this restriction, (iii) with respect to dispositions of Common Shares
acquired on the open market or (iv) with the prior written consent of BancBoston
Robertson Stephens Inc. The foregoing restriction has been expressly agreed to
preclude the holder of the Securities from engaging in any hedging or other
transaction which is designed to or reasonably expected to lead to or result in
a disposition of Securities during the Lock-Up Period, even if such Securities
would be disposed of by someone other than such holder. Such prohibited hedging
or other transactions would include, without limitation, any short sale (whether
or not against the box) or any purchase, sale or grant of any right (including,
without limitation, any put or call option) with respect to any Securities or
with respect to any security (other than a broad-based market basket or index)
that includes, relates to or derives any significant part of its value from
Securities. Furthermore, such person has also agreed and consented to the entry
of stop transfer instructions with the Company's

                                      -18-
<PAGE>

transfer agent against the transfer of the Securities held by such person except
in compliance with this restriction.

     (b)  Delivery of Forms W-8 and W-9.  To deliver to the Representatives
prior to the First Closing Date a properly completed and executed United States
Treasury Department Form W-8 (if the Selling Shareholder is a non-United States
person) or Form W-9 (if the Selling Shareholder is a United States Person).

     (c)  Notification of Untrue Statements, etc.  If, at any time prior to the
date on which the distribution of the Common Shares as contemplated herein and
in the Prospectus has been completed, as determined by the Representatives, such
Selling Shareholder has knowledge of the occurrence of any event as a result of
which the Prospectus or the Registration Statement, in each case as then amended
or supplemented, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, such Selling
Shareholder will promptly notify the Company and the Representatives.

     Section 4.    Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters.  The
obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares as
provided herein on the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Option
Shares, the Second Closing Date, shall be subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties on the part of the Company and the Selling
Shareholders set forth in Sections 1(A) and 1(B) hereof as of the date hereof
and as of the First Closing Date as though then made and, with respect to the
Option Shares, as of the Second Closing Date as though then made, to the timely
performance by the Company and the Selling Shareholders of their respective
covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following
additional conditions:

     (a)  Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection
from the National Association of Securities Dealers, LLC. The Registration
Statement shall have become effective prior to the execution of this Agreement,
or at such later date as shall be consented to in writing by you; and no stop
order suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose shall have been initiated or, to the knowledge of
the Company, any Selling Shareholder or any Underwriter, threatened by the
Commission, and any request of the Commission for additional information (to be
included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise) shall
have been complied with to the satisfaction of Underwriters' Counsel; and the
National Association of Securities Dealers, LLC shall have raised no objection
to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

     (b)  Corporate Proceedings.  All corporate proceedings and other legal
matters in connection with this Agreement, the form of Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, and the registration, authorization, issue, sale and
delivery of the Shares, shall have been reasonably satisfactory to Underwriters'
Counsel, and such counsel shall have been furnished with such papers and
information as they may reasonably have requested to enable them to pass upon
the matters referred to in this Section.

                                      -19-
<PAGE>

     (c)  No Material Adverse Change.  Subsequent to the execution and delivery
of this Agreement and prior to the First Closing Date, or the Second Closing
Date, as the case may be, there shall not have been any Material Adverse Change
in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, operations, business or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise from that set forth in the Registration Statement or Prospectus,
which, in your sole judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your
sole judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering
of the Shares as contemplated by the Prospectus.

     (d)  Opinion of Counsel for the Company. You shall have received on the
First Closing Date, or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion
of Perkins Coie LLP, counsel for the Company substantially in the form of
Exhibit B attached hereto, dated the First Closing Date, or the Second Closing
Date, addressed to the Underwriters and with reproduced copies or signed
counterparts thereof for each of the Underwriters.

     Counsel rendering the opinion contained in Exhibit B may rely as to
questions of law not involving the laws of the United States or the State of
Washington upon opinions of local counsel, and as to questions of fact upon
representations or certificates of officers of the Company, the Selling
Shareholders or officers of the Selling Shareholders (when the Selling
Shareholder is not a natural person), and of government officials, in which case
their opinion is to state that they are so relying and that they have no
knowledge of any material misstatement or inaccuracy in any such opinion,
representation or certificate.  Copies of any opinion, representation or
certificate so relied upon shall be delivered to you, as Representatives of the
Underwriters, and to Underwriters' Counsel.

     (e)  Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters.  You shall have received on
the First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, an
opinion of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation,
substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto. The Company shall have furnished
to such counsel such documents as they may have requested for the purpose of
enabling them to pass upon such matters.

     (f)  Accountants' Comfort Letter.  You shall have received on the First
Closing Date and on the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, a letter from
Ernst & Young LLP addressed to the Underwriters, dated the First Closing Date or
the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, confirming that they are
independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company within the
meaning of the Act and the applicable published Rules and Regulations and based
upon the procedures described in such letter delivered to you concurrently with
the execution of this Agreement (herein called the "Original Letter"), but
carried out to a date not more than four (4) business days prior to the First
Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, (i) confirming, to
the extent true, that the statements and conclusions set forth in the Original
Letter are accurate as of the First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as
the case may be, and (ii) setting forth any revisions and additions to the
statements and conclusions set forth in the Original Letter which are necessary
to reflect any changes in the facts described in the Original Letter since the
date of such letter, or to reflect the availability of more recent financial
statements, data or information. The letter shall not disclose any change in the
condition (financial or

                                      -20-
<PAGE>

otherwise), earnings, operations, business or business prospects of the Company
and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise from that set forth in the
Registration Statement or Prospectus, which, in your sole judgment, is material
and adverse and that makes it, in your sole judgment, impracticable or
inadvisable to proceed with the public offering of the Shares as contemplated by
the Prospectus. The Original Letter from Ernst & Young LLP shall be addressed to
or for the use of the Underwriters in form and substance satisfactory to the
Underwriters and shall (i) represent, to the extent true, that they are
independent certified public accountants with respect to the Company within the
meaning of the Act and the applicable published Rules and Regulations, (ii) set
forth their opinion with respect to their examination of the consolidated
balance sheet of the Company as of December 31, 1997 and December 31, 1998 and
related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' equity, and cash
flows for the twelve (12) months ended December 31, 1996, December 31, 1997 and
December 31, 1998, (iii) state that Ernst & Young LLP has performed the
procedures set out in Statement on Auditing Standards No. 71 ("SAS 71") for a
review of interim financial information and providing the report of Ernst &
Young LLP as described in SAS 71 on the financial statements for each of the
quarters in the nine-quarter period ended March 31, 1999 (the "Quarterly
Financial Statements"), (iv) state that in the course of such review, nothing
came to their attention that leads them to believe that any material
modifications need to be made to any of the Quarterly Financial Statements in
order for them to be in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles
consistently applied across the periods presented, and address other matters
agreed upon by Ernst & Young LLP and you. In addition, you shall have received
from Ernst & Young LLP a letter addressed to the Company and made available to
you for the use of the Underwriters stating that their review of the Company's
system of internal accounting controls, to the extent they deemed necessary in
establishing the scope of their examination of the Company's consolidated
financial statements as of December 31, 1998, did not disclose any weaknesses in
internal controls that they considered to be material weaknesses.

     (g)    Officers' Certificate.  You shall have received on the First Closing
Date and the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of the
Company, dated the First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case
may be, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the
Company, to the effect that, and you shall be satisfied that:

     (i)    The representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement
     are true and correct, as if made on and as of the First Closing Date or the
     Second Closing Date, as the case may be, and the Company has complied with
     all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be
     performed or satisfied at or prior to the First Closing Date or the Second
     Closing Date, as the case may be;

     (ii)   No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
     Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been
     instituted or are pending or threatened under the Act;

     (iii)  When the Registration Statement became effective and at all times
     subsequent thereto up to the delivery of such certificate, the Registration
     Statement and the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements thereto,
     contained all material information required to be

                                      -21-
<PAGE>

     included therein by the Securities Act and the applicable rules and
     regulations of the Commission thereunder and in all material respects
     conformed to the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable
     rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, the Registration
     Statement and the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements thereto,
     did not and does not include any untrue statement of a material fact or
     omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
     make the statements therein not misleading; and, since the effective date
     of the Registration Statement, there has occurred no event required to be
     set forth in an amended or supplemented Prospectus which has not been so
     set forth; and

     (iv)   Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given
     in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, there has not been (a) any
     material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise),
     earnings, operations, business or business prospects of the Company and its
     subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, (b) any transaction that is
     material to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise,
     except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business, (c)
     any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and
     its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, incurred by the Company or
     its subsidiaries, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of
     business, (d) any change in the capital stock or outstanding indebtedness
     of the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company
     and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, (e) any dividend or
     distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the
     Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (f) any loss or damage (whether or
     not insured) to the property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries
     which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has a material
     adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings,
     operations, business or business prospects of the Company and its
     subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

     (h)    Lock-up Agreement from Certain Shareholders of the Company.  The
Company shall have obtained and delivered to you an agreement substantially in
the form of Exhibit A attached hereto from each officer and director of the
Company, each Selling Shareholder and each beneficial owner of one or more
percent of the outstanding issued share capital of the Company.

     (i)    Opinion of Counsel for the Selling Shareholders.  You shall have
received on the First Closing Date, the following opinion of Garvey, Schubert &
Barer, counsel for the Selling Shareholders substantially in the form of Exhibit
D attached hereto, dated as of such Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriters
and with reproduced copies or signed counterparts thereof for each of the
Underwriters.

     In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to questions of law not
involving the laws of the United States or State of Washington upon opinions of
local counsel and as to questions of fact upon representations or certificates
of the Selling Shareholders or officers of the Selling Shareholders (when the
Selling Shareholder is not a natural person), and of governmental officials, in
which case their opinion is to state that they are so relying and that they have
no knowledge of any material misstatement or inaccuracy of any material
misstatement or inaccuracy in any such opinion,

                                      -22-
<PAGE>

representation or certificate so relied upon shall be delivered to you, as
Representatives of the Underwriters, and to Underwriters' Counsel.

     (j)    Selling Shareholders' Certificate.  On each of the First Closing
Date and the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, the Representatives shall
have received a written certificate executed by the Attorney-in-Fact of each
Selling Shareholder, dated as of such Closing Date, to the effect that:

     (i)    the representations, warranties and covenants of such Selling
     Shareholder set forth in Section 1(B) of this Agreement are true and
     correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made by such
     Selling Shareholder on and as of such Closing Date; and

     (ii)   such Selling Shareholder has complied with all the agreements and
     satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or
     prior to such Closing Date.

     (k)    Selling Shareholders' Documents. At least three business days prior
to the date hereof, the Company and the Selling Shareholders shall have
furnished for review by the Representatives copies of the Powers of Attorney and
Custody Agreements executed by each of the Selling Shareholders and such further
information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably
request.

     (l)    Stock Exchange Listing.  The Shares shall have been approved for
inclusion on the Nasdaq National Market, subject only to official notice of
issuance.

     (m)    Compliance with Prospectus Delivery Requirements.  The Company shall
have complied with the provisions of Sections 2(g) and 3(e) hereof with respect
to the furnishing of Prospectuses.

     (n)    Additional Documents. On or before each of the First Closing Date
and the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, the Representatives and counsel
for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents and
opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to
pass upon the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated herein, or in
order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or
the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.

     If any condition specified in this Section 4 is not satisfied when and as
required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the
Representatives by notice to the Company and the Selling Shareholders at any
time on or prior to the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Option
Shares, at any time prior to the Second Closing Date, which termination shall be
without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that
Section 5 (Payment of Expenses), Section 6 (Reimbursement of Underwriters'
Expenses), Section 7 (Indemnification and Contribution) and Section 10
(Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery) shall at all times be
effective and shall survive such termination.

                                      -23-
<PAGE>

     Section 5.  Payment of Expenses.  The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees
and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its and the Selling
Shareholders' obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to
the issuance and delivery of the Common Shares (including all printing and
engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent
of the Common Stock, (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes
in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares to the Underwriters, (iv)
all fees and expenses of the Company's counsel, independent public or certified
public accountants and other advisors, (v) all costs and expenses incurred in
connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of
the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules,
consents and certificates of experts), each preliminary prospectus and the
Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vi)
all filing fees, attorneys' fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the
Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining
exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the
Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the
provincial securities laws of Canada or any other country, and, if requested by
the Representatives, preparing and printing a "Blue Sky Survey", an
"International Blue Sky Survey" or other memorandum, and any supplements
thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and
exemptions, (vii) the filing fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and
expenses of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, the National
Association of Securities Dealers, LLC review and approval of the Underwriters'
participation in the offering and distribution of the Shares, (viii) the fees
and expenses associated with including the Common Stock on the Nasdaq National
Market, (ix) all costs and expenses incident to the preparation and undertaking
of "road show" preparations to be made to prospective investors, and (x) all
other fees, costs and expenses referred to in Item 13 of Part II of the
Registration Statement.  Except as provided in this Section 5, Section 6, and
Section 7 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the
fees and disbursements of their counsel.

     Each Selling Shareholder shall pay (i) fees and expenses of counsel and
other advisors for such Selling Shareholder, and (ii) transfer taxes, if any,
incident to the sale and delivery of the Common Shares to be sold by such
Selling Shareholder to the Underwriters hereunder (which taxes, if any, may be
deducted by the Custodian under the provisions of Section 2 of this Agreement).

     Section 6.  Reimbursement of Underwriters' Expenses.  If this Agreement is
terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 4, Section 7, Section 8,
Section 9 or Section 15, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Shares on the
First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or
failure on the part of the Company or the Selling Shareholders to perform any
agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to
reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters
as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon
demand for all out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred
by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed
purchase and the offering and sale of the  Shares, including but not limited to
fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage,
facsimile and telephone charges.

                                      -24-
<PAGE>

     Section 7.  Indemnification and Contribution.

     (a)  Indemnification of the Underwriters.

          (1)  The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each
Underwriter, its officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls
any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act
against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which
such Underwriter or such controlling person may become subject, under the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or
regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any
litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the
Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), insofar as such
loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as
contemplated below) arises out of or is based (i) upon any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration
Statement, or any amendment thereto, including any information deemed to be a
part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 434 under the Securities Act, or the
omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) upon
any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in
any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) in whole or
in part upon any inaccuracy in the representations and warranties of the Company
contained herein; or (iv) in whole or in part upon any failure of the Company to
perform its obligations hereunder or under law; or (v) any act or failure to act
or any alleged act or failure to act by any Underwriter in connection with, or
relating in any manner to, the Shares or the offering contemplated hereby, and
which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage,
liability or action arising out of or based upon any matter covered by clause
(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) above, provided that the Company shall not be liable
under this clause (v) to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction shall
have determined by a final judgment that such loss, claim, damage, liability or
action resulted directly from any such acts or failures to act undertaken or
omitted to be taken by such Underwriter through its bad faith or willful
misconduct; and to reimburse each Underwriter and each such controlling person
for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen
by BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.) as such expenses are reasonably incurred
by such Underwriter or such controlling person in connection with investigating,
defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage,
liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity
agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to
the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company by the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement,
any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto); and provided, further, that with respect to any preliminary
prospectus, the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not inure to the benefit of
any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any loss, claim, damage,
liability or expense purchased Shares, or any person controlling such
Underwriter, if copies of the Prospectus were timely delivered to the
Underwriter pursuant to Section 2 and a copy of the Prospectus (as then amended
or

                                      -25-
<PAGE>

supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements
thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter to such
person, if required by law so to have been delivered, at or prior to the written
confirmation of the sale of the Shares to such person, and if the Prospectus (as
so amended or supplemented) would have cured the defect giving rise to such
loss, claim, damage, liability or expense. The indemnity agreement set forth in
this Section 7(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may
otherwise have.

          (2)  Each Selling Shareholder, jointly and severally, agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its officers and employees, and
each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the
Securities Act and the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability
or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such controlling person
may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal
or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including
in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written
consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld),
insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect
thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based (i) upon any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, including any information
deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 434 under the
Securities Act, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading; or (ii) upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom
of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in the
case of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this Section 7(a)(2) to the extent, but
only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or
omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with
written information furnished to the Company or such Underwriter by such Selling
Shareholder, directly or through such Selling Shareholder's representatives,
specifically for use in the preparation thereof; or (iii) in whole or in part
upon any inaccuracy in the representations and warranties of such Selling
Shareholder contained herein; or (iv) in whole or in part upon any failure of
such Selling Shareholder to perform his obligations hereunder or under law; or
(v) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by any
Underwriter in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Shares or the
offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in
any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon any
matter covered by clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) above, provided that such
Selling Shareholder shall not be liable under this clause (v) to the extent that
a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined by a final judgment that
such loss, claim, damage, liability or action resulted directly from any such
acts or failures to act undertaken or omitted to be taken by such Underwriter
through its bad faith or willful misconduct; and to reimburse each Underwriter
and each such controlling person for any and all expenses (including the fees
and disbursements of counsel chosen by BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.) as
such expenses are reasonably incurred by such Underwriter or such controlling
person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or
paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided,
however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss,
claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to

                                      -26-
<PAGE>

the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished by the Representatives expressly
for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the
Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto); and provided, further, that
with respect to any preliminary prospectus, the foregoing indemnity agreement
shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting
any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense purchased Shares, or any person
controlling such Underwriter, if copies of the Prospectus were timely delivered
to the Underwriter pursuant to Section 2 and a copy of the Prospectus (as then
amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or
supplements thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter
to such person, if required by law so to have been delivered, at or prior to the
written confirmation of the sale of the Shares to such person, and if the
Prospectus (as so amended or supplemented) would have cured the defect giving
rise to such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense. The indemnity agreement
set forth in this Section 7(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the
Selling Shareholders may otherwise have.

     (b)  Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers and Selling
Shareholders.  Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who
signed the Registration Statement, the Selling Shareholders and each person, if
any, who controls the Company or any Selling Shareholder within the meaning of
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage,
liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director,
officer, Selling Shareholder or controlling person may become subject, under the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or
regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any
litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such
Underwriter), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or
actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon
any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto), or arises out of or is based upon the omission
or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case
to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration
Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus (or any amendment or
supplement thereto), in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by the Representatives expressly for use therein; and
to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer, Selling Shareholder or
controlling person for any legal and other expense reasonably incurred by the
Company, or any such director, officer, Selling Shareholder or controlling
person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or
paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The indemnity
agreement set forth in this Section 7(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities
that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

     (c)  Information Provided by the Underwriters.  Each of the Company and
each of the Selling Shareholders hereby acknowledges that the only information
that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the
Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto) are the statements set forth

                                      -27-
<PAGE>

in the table and in the first paragraph and the second paragraph under the table
under the caption "Underwriting" in the Prospectus; and the Underwriters confirm
that such statements are correct.

     (d)  Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures.  Promptly after
receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the
commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect
thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify
the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission
so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which
it may have to any indemnified party for contribution or otherwise than under
the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 7 or to the extent it is not
prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure. In case any such action is
brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or
intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party
will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect,
jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written
notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid
notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel
reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, if the
defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the
indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded
that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and
the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there
may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are
different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the
indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to
assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such
action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice
from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying
party's election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the
indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such
indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal or other expenses
subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense
thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in
accordance with the proviso to the next preceding sentence (it being understood,
however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of
more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), approved by the
indemnifying party (BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc. in the case of Section
7(b) and Section 8), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to
such action), (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel
satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within
a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, or (iii) the
indemnifying party has authorized the employment of counsel for the indemnified
party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees
and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party.

     (e)  Settlements.  The indemnifying party under this Section 7 shall not be
liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written
consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, but if settled with
such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying
party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage,
liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding
the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested
an indemnifying party to

                                      -28-
<PAGE>

reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated
by Section 7(d) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable
for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i)
such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such
indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party
shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request
prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the
prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement,
compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened
action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could
have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such
indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes (i) an
unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims
that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not
include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to
act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

     (f)  Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7
is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under
Section 7(a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect thereof) then each
indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by
such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the
one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Shares. If,
however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not
permitted by applicable law then each indemnifying party shall contribute to
such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative
fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the
Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which
resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, (or actions or
proceedings in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling
Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriter on the other shall be deemed to
be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before
deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders bears
to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the
Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the
Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other
things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information
supplied by the Company or the Selling Shareholders on the one hand or the
Underwriters on the other and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

     The Company, each Selling Shareholder and Underwriters agree that it would
not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 7(f) were
determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one
entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not
take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section
7(f).  The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions or proceedings in respect
thereof) referred to above in this Section 7(f) shall be deemed to include any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in

                                      -29-
<PAGE>

connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (f), (i) no Underwriter shall
be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and
commissions applicable to the Shares purchased by such Underwriter and (ii) no
person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section
11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person
who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters'
obligations in this Section 7(f) to contribute are several in proportion to
their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

     (g)  Timing of Any Payments of Indemnification.  Any losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or expenses for which an indemnified party is entitled to
indemnification or contribution under this Section 7 shall be paid by the
indemnifying party to the indemnified party as such losses, claims, damages,
liabilities or expenses are incurred, but in all cases, no later than thirty
(30) days of invoice to the indemnifying party.

     (h)  Survival.  The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this
Section 7 and the representation and warranties of the Company and the Selling
Shareholders set forth in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full
force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of
any Underwriter or any person controlling any Underwriter, any Selling
Shareholder or any person controlling any Selling Shareholder, or the Company,
its directors or officers or any persons controlling the Company, (ii)
acceptance of any Shares and payment therefor hereunder, and (iii) any
termination of this Agreement. A successor to any Underwriter, to any Selling
Shareholder or to the Company, its directors or officers, or any person
controlling any Underwriter, any Selling Shareholder or the Company, shall be
entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and reimbursement
agreements contained in this Section 7.

     (i)  Acknowledgements of Parties.  The parties to this Agreement hereby
acknowledge that they are sophisticated business persons who were represented by
counsel during the negotiations regarding the provisions hereof including,
without limitation, the provisions of this Section 7, and are fully informed
regarding said provisions. They further acknowledge that the provisions of this
Section 7 fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to
investigate the Company and its business in order to assure that adequate
disclosure is made in the Registration Statement and Prospectus as required by
the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

     (j)  Limit on Liability.  The liability of each Selling Shareholder
pursuant to this Section 7 shall be limited to an amount equal to the gross
proceeds received by such Selling Shareholder from the sale of Shares hereunder.

     Section 8.  Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters.  If, on the
First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or
more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it
or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number
of Common Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but
failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of the
Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated,
severally, in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite
their respective names on Schedule A bears to the

                                      -30-
<PAGE>

aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-
defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the
Representatives with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase
the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed
or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the First Closing Date or the Second
Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail
or refuse to purchase Shares and the aggregate number of Shares with respect to
which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the aggregate number of Shares to be
purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and
the Company for the purchase of such Shares are not made within 48 hours after
such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to
any other party except that the provisions of Section 4, and Section 7 shall at
all times be effective and shall survive such termination. In any such case
either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the
First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, but in no
event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or any other documents or
arrangements may be effected.

          As used in this Agreement, the term "Underwriter" shall be deemed to
include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section
8.  Any action taken under this Section 8 shall not relieve any defaulting
Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under
this Agreement.

     Section 9.  Termination of this Agreement.  Prior to the First Closing
Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice given to
the Company and the Selling Shareholders if at any time (i) trading or quotation
in any of the Company's securities shall have been suspended or limited by the
Commission or by the Nasdaq Stock Market, or trading in securities generally on
either the Nasdaq Stock Market or the New York Stock Exchange shall have been
suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally
established on any of such stock exchanges by the Commission or the National
Association of Securities Dealers, LLC; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall
have been declared by any of federal, New York, Washington or California
authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of
national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change
in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial
change or development involving a prospective change in United States' or
international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of
the Representatives is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or
inadvisable to market the Common Shares in the manner and on the terms described
in the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; (iv) in
the judgment of the Representatives there shall have occurred any Material
Adverse Change; or (v) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire,
flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as in the
judgment of the Representatives may interfere materially with the conduct of the
business and operations of the Company regardless of whether or not such loss
shall have been insured. Any termination pursuant to this Section 9 shall be
without liability on the part of (a) the Company or the Selling Shareholders to
any Underwriter, except that the Company and the Selling Shareholders shall be
obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Representatives and the Underwriters
pursuant to Sections 5 and 6 hereof, (b) any Underwriter to the Company or the
Selling Shareholders, or (c) of any party hereto

                                      -31-
<PAGE>

to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7 shall at all times be
effective and shall survive such termination.

     Section 10.  Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery.  The
respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other
statements of the Company, of its officers, of the Selling Shareholders and of
the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will
remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of its or their partners,
officers or directors or any controlling person, or the Selling Shareholders, as
the case may be, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares sold
hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.

     Section 11.  Notices.  All communications hereunder shall be in writing and
shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties
hereto as follows:

If to the Representatives:

     BANCBOSTON ROBERTSON STEPHENS INC.
     555 California Street
     San Francisco, California  94104
     Facsimile:  (415) 676-2696
     Attention:  General Counsel

If to the Company:

     Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.
     1601 Fifth Avenue
     Seattle,  Washington  98101
     Facsimile:  (206) 292-1825
     Attention:  Michael A. Brochu

If to the Selling Shareholders:


     ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, LLC
     520 Pike Street
     Suite 1220
     Seattle, Washington  98101
     Facsimile:  (206) 674-3059

     with a copy to:

     Bruce A. Robertson
     Garvey, Schubert & Barer
     1191 Second Ave., Suite 1800
     Seattle, WA  98101-2939
     Facsimile:  (206) 464-0125

                                      -32-
<PAGE>

Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving
written notice to the others.

     Section 12.    Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and
be binding upon the parties hereto, including any substitute Underwriters
pursuant to Section 9 hereof, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and
directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and to their
respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation
hereunder. The term "successors" shall not include any purchaser of the Shares
as such from any of the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.

     Section 13.    Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability
of any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the
validity or enforceability of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof.
If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason
determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such
minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid
and enforceable.

     Section 14.    Governing Law Provisions.

     (a)  Governing Law. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the internal laws of the state of New York applicable to
agreements made and to be performed in such state.

     (b)  Consent to Jurisdiction. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising
out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby
("Related Proceedings") may be instituted in the federal courts of the United
States of America located in the City and County of San Francisco or the courts
of the State of California in each case located in the City and County of San
Francisco (collectively, the "Specified Courts"), and each party irrevocably
submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in
regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a "Related
Judgment"), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in
any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or
document by mail to such party's address set forth above shall be effective
service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such
court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the
laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts
and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any
such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such
court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Each party not located in the
United States irrevocably appoints CT Corporation System, which currently
maintains a San Francisco office at 49 Stevenson Street, San Francisco,
California 94105, United States of America, as its agent to receive service of
process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or
proceeding that may be instituted in any state or federal court in the City and
County of San Francisco.

     (c)  Waiver of Immunity. With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party
irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all
immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction,
service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to
which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with

                                      -33-
<PAGE>

respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the
Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not
raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any
such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any
immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976,
as amended.

     Section 15.    Failure of One or More of the Selling Shareholders to Sell
and Deliver Common Shares. If one or more of the Selling Shareholders shall fail
to sell and deliver to the Underwriters the Shares to be sold and delivered by
such Selling Shareholders at the First Closing Date pursuant to this Agreement,
then the Underwriters may at their option, by written notice from the
Representatives to the Company and the Selling Shareholders, either (i)
terminate this Agreement without any liability on the part of any Underwriter
or, except as provided in Sections 5, 6, and 7 hereof, the Company or the
Selling Shareholders, or (ii) purchase the shares which the Company and other
Selling Shareholders have agreed to sell and deliver in accordance with the
terms hereof. If one or more of the Selling Shareholders shall fail to sell and
deliver to the Underwriters the Shares to be sold and delivered by such Selling
Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement at the First Closing Date or the Second
Closing Date, then the Underwriters shall have the right, by written notice from
the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Shareholders, to postpone the
First Closing Date or the Second Closing Date, as the case may be, but in no
event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or any other documents or
arrangements may be effected.

     Section 16.    General Provisions.  This Agreement constitutes the entire
agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or
oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations
with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This Agreement may be executed in
two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same
effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.
This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the
parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived
unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit.
The Table of Contents and the Section headings herein are for the convenience of
the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this
Agreement.

        [The remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank.]

                                      -34-
<PAGE>

     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement,
please sign and return to the Company and the Custodian the enclosed copies
hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall
become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.

                              Very truly yours,

                              PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                              By:_______________________________________________
                                                  [Title]

                              SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

                              By:_______________________________________________
                              Attorney-in-fact for the Selling Shareholders
                              named in Schedule B hereto

     The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by
the Representatives as of the date first above written.

BANCBOSTON ROBERTSON STEPHENS INC.
HAMBRECHT & QUIST LLC
U.S. BANCORP PIPER JAFFRAY INC.
FIRST ALBANY CORPORATION

On their behalf and on behalf of each of the several underwriters named in
Schedule A hereto.

By BANCBOSTON ROBERTSON STEPHENS INC.

By:_________________________________
        Authorized Signatory

                                      -35-
<PAGE>

                                  SCHEDULE A

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                               Number of Firm Shares
Underwriters                                   To be Purchased
- ------------------------------------------     ---------------------
<S>                                            <C>
BANCBOSTON ROBERTSON STEPHENS INC............          [___]
HAMBRECHT & QUIST LLC........................          [___]
U.S. BANCORP PIPER JAFFRAY INC...............          [___]
FIRST ALBANY CORPORATION.....................          [___]
[___] .......................................          [___]
   Total.....................................          [___]
</TABLE>

                                      S-A
<PAGE>

                                   SCHEDULE B

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                       Number of Firm       Maximum Number of
Selling Shareholder                                   Shares to be Sold     Option Shares to
                                                                            be Sold
- -------------------------------------------           -----------------     -----------------
<S>                                                   <C>                   <C>
Steve Sperry                                                 100,000               0
[address].....................................
David Hadley                                                  50,000               0
[address].....................................
     Total:...................................               150,000               0
                                                      ==========================================
</TABLE>

                                      S-B
<PAGE>

                                   Exhibit A

                       PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                               LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

                                April __, 1999

BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
Hambrecht & Quist LLC
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.
  c/o BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
555 California Street, Suite 2600
San Francisco, CA  94104

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     The undersigned understands that you, as Representatives of the several
underwriters (the "Underwriters"), propose to enter into an Underwriting
Agreement (the "Underwriting Agreement") with Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.
(the "Company") providing for the initial public offering (the "Public
Offering") by the Underwriters, including yourselves, of Common Stock of the
Company (the "Common Stock") pursuant to the Company's Registration Statement on
Form S-1 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Registration Statement").

     In consideration of the Underwriters' agreement to purchase and make the
Public Offering of the Common Stock, and for other good and valuable
consideration, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby
agrees, from the date hereof until and including 180 days after the date of the
final prospectus related to the Public Offering (the "Lock-Up Period"), not to
offer to sell, contract to sell or otherwise sell, dispose of, loan, pledge or
grant any rights with respect to (collectively, a "Disposition") any shares of
Common Stock, any options or warrants to purchase any shares of Common Stock or
any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock
(collectively, "Securities"), now owned or hereafter acquired directly by the
undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires
the power of disposition, otherwise than (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts,
provided the donee or donees thereof agree to be bound by this Lock-Up
Agreement, (ii) as a distribution to limited partners or shareholders of the
undersigned, provided that the distributees thereof agree in writing to be bound
by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement or (iii) with the prior written consent
of BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc. The foregoing restriction is expressly
agreed to preclude the holder of the Securities from engaging in any hedging or
other transaction which is designed to or reasonably expected to lead to or
result in a Disposition of Securities during the Lock-Up Period even if such
Securities would be disposed of by someone other than the undersigned. Such
prohibited hedging or other transactions would include without limitation any
short sale (whether or not against the box) or any purchase,

                                      A-1
<PAGE>

sale or grant of any right (including without limitation any put or call option)
with respect to any Securities or with respect to any security (other than a
broad-based market basket or index) that includes, relates to or derives any
significant part of its value from Securities.

     Furthermore, the undersigned hereby agrees and consents to the entry of
stop transfer instructions with the Company's transfer agent against the
transfer of the Securities held by the undersigned except in compliance with
this Lock-Up Agreement.  In the event that the Registration Statement shall not
have been declared effective on or before September 30, 1999, this Lock-Up
Agreement shall be of no further force or effect.

                                    Very truly yours,


                                    ________________________________________
                                                   (signature)

                                    Name:___________________________________
                                                  (print or type)

                                    Address:________________________________

                                            _______________________________

Accepted as of the date
first set forth above:

BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.
Hambrecht & Quist LLC
U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc.
 As Representatives of the Several Underwriters

By: BancBoston Robertson Stephens Inc.

By: ________________________________

Name:

Title:

The Company requests that this Lock-Up Agreement be completed and delivered to
the Underwriters' counsel, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 650 Page Mill Road,
Palo Alto, CA  94304, Attn: Brian McDaniel.

                                      A-2
<PAGE>

                                   Exhibit B

            Matters to be Covered in the Opinion of Company Counsel

     (i)    The Company and each Significant Subsidiary (as that term is defined
in Regulation S X of the Act) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing
as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation;

     (ii)   The Company and each Significant Subsidiary has the corporate power
and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus;

     (iii)  The Company and each Significant Subsidiary is duly qualified to do
business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction,
if any, in which the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of
its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so
qualified or be in good standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect.  To
such counsel's knowledge, the Company does not own or control, directly or
indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than Primus
Knowledge Solutions (UK) Limited;

     (iv)   The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company
is as set forth in the Prospectus under the caption "Capitalization" as of the
dates stated therein, the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company (including the Selling Shareholder Shares) have been duly and validly
issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, to such counsel's knowledge,
will not have been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive right,
co-sale right, registration right, right of first refusal or other similar
right;

     (v)    All issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each
Significant Subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly
issued and are fully paid and nonassessable, and, to such counsel's knowledge,
have not been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive right, co-sale
right, registration right, right of first refusal or other similar right and are
owned by the Company free and clear of any pledge, lien, security interest,
encumbrance, claim or equitable interest;

     (vi)   The Firm Shares or the Option Shares, as the case may be, to be
issued by the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement have been duly
authorized and, upon issuance and delivery against payment therefor in
accordance with the terms hereof, will be duly and validly issued and fully paid
and nonassessable, and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to
any preemptive right, co-sale right, registration right, right of first refusal
or other similar right.

     (vii)  The Company has the corporate power and authority to enter into this
Agreement and to issue, sell and deliver to the Underwriters the Shares to be
issued and sold by it hereunder;

     (viii) This Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action on the part of the Company and has been duly executed and delivered by
the Company and, assuming due

                                      B-1
<PAGE>

authorization, execution and delivery by you, is a valid and binding agreement
of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to
indemnification hereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as
enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally
or by general equitable principles;

     (ix)  The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act and, to
such counsel's knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have
been instituted or are pending or threatened under the Securities Act;

     (x)   The 8-A Registration Statement complied as to form in all material
respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; the 8-A Registration
Statement has become effective under the Exchange Act; and the Firm Shares or
the Option Shares have been validly registered under the Securities Act and the
Rules and Regulations of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder;

     (xi)   The Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and each amendment or
supplement thereto (other than the financial statements (including supporting
schedules) and financial data derived therefrom as to which such counsel need
express no opinion), as of the effective date of the Registration Statement,
complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act
and the applicable Rules and Regulations;

     (xii)  The information in the Prospectus under the caption "Description of
Capital Stock," to the extent that it constitutes matters of law or legal
conclusions, has been reviewed by such counsel and is a fair summary of such
matters and conclusions; and the forms of certificates evidencing the Common
Stock and filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement comply with Washington
law;

     (xiii) The description in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of
the charter and bylaws of the Company and of statutes are accurate and fairly
present the information required to be presented by the Securities Act;

     (xiv)  To such counsel's knowledge, there are no agreements, contracts,
leases or documents to which the Company is a party of a character required to
be described or referred to in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or to be
filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement which are not described or
referred to therein or filed as required;

     (xv)   The performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the
transactions herein contemplated (other than performance of the Company's
indemnification obligations hereunder, concerning which no opinion need be
expressed) will not (a) result in any violation of the Company's charter or
bylaws or (b) to such counsel's knowledge, result in a material breach or
violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under,
any bond, debenture,

                                      B-2
<PAGE>

note or other evidence of indebtedness, or any lease, contract, indenture,
mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, joint venture or other agreement or
instrument known to such counsel to which the Company is a party or by which its
properties are bound, or any applicable statute, rule or regulation known to
such counsel or, to such counsel's knowledge, any order, writ or decree of any
court, government or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, or over any of their properties or
operations;

     (xvi)  No consent, approval, authorization or order of or qualification
with any court, government or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction
over the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or over any of their properties or
operations is necessary in connection with the consummation by the Company of
the transactions herein contemplated, except (i) such as have been obtained
under the Securities Act, (ii) such as may be required under state or other
securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and the distribution
of the Shares by the Underwriters, (iii) such as may be required by the National
Association of Securities Dealers, LLC and (iv) such as may be required under
the federal or provincial laws of Canada;

     (xvii) To such counsel's knowledge, there are no legal or governmental
proceedings pending or threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries
of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus by the Securities Act, other than those described therein;

    (xviii) To such counsel's knowledge, neither the Company nor any of its
subsidiaries is presently (a) in material violation of its respective charter or
bylaws, or (b) in material breach of any applicable statute, rule or regulation
known to such counsel or, to such counsel's knowledge, any order, writ or decree
of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company
or any of its subsidiaries, or over any of their properties or operations; and

    (xix)   To such counsel's knowledge, except as set forth in the Registration
Statement and Prospectus, no holders of Company Shares or other securities of
the Company have registration rights with respect to securities of the Company
and, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, all
holders of securities of the Company having rights known to such counsel to
registration of such shares of Company Shares or other securities, because of
the filing of the Registration Statement by the Company have, with respect to
the offering contemplated thereby, waived such rights or such rights have
expired by reason of lapse of time following notification of the Company's
intent to file the Registration Statement or have included securities in the
Registration Statement pursuant to the exercise of and in full satisfaction of
such rights.

    (xx)    The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and the
sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in
the Prospectus, will not be, an "investment company" as such term is defined in
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

    (xxi)   To such counsel's knowledge, the Company owns or possesses
sufficient trademarks, trade names, patent rights, copyrights, licenses,
approvals, trade secrets and other similar rights

                                      B-3
<PAGE>

(collectively, "Intellectual Property Rights") reasonably necessary to conduct
their business as now conducted; and the expected expiration of any such
Intellectual Property Rights would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. The
Company has not received any notice of infringement or conflict with asserted
Intellectual Property Rights of others, which infringement or conflict, if the
subject of an unfavorable decision, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
To such counsel's knowledge, the Company's discoveries, inventions, products, or
processes referred to in the Registration Statement or Prospectus do not
infringe or conflict with any right or patent which is the subject of a patent
application known to the Company.

     In addition, such counsel shall state that such counsel has participated in
conferences with officials and other representatives of the Company, the
Representatives, Underwriters' Counsel and the independent certified public
accountants of the Company, at which such conferences the contents of the
Registration Statement and Prospectus and related matters were discussed, and
although they have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, nothing has come to
the attention of such counsel which leads them to believe that, at the time the
Registration Statement became effective and at all times subsequent thereto up
to and on the First Closing Date or Second Closing Date, as the case may be, the
Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto (other than the
financial statements including supporting schedules and other financial and
statistical information derived therefrom, as to which such counsel need express
no comment) contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, or at the First Closing Date or the Second
Closing Date, as the case may be, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and
any amendment or supplement thereto (except as aforesaid) contained any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to
make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.

                                      B-4
<PAGE>

                                   Exhibit C

         Matters to be Covered in the Opinion of Underwriters' Counsel

     (i)   The Shares to be issued by the Company have been duly authorized and,
upon issuance and delivery and payment therefor in accordance with the terms of
the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-
assessable.

     (ii)  The Registration Statement complied as to form in all material
respects with the requirements of the Act; the Registration Statement has become
effective under the Act and, to such counsel's knowledge, no stop order
proceedings with respect thereto have been instituted or threatened or are
pending under the Act.

     (iii) The 8-A Registration Statement complied as to form in all material
respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; the 8-A Registration
Statement has become effective under the Exchange Act; and the Firm Shares or
the Option Shares have been validly registered under the Securities Act and the
Rules and Regulations of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder;

     (iv)  The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company.

     (v)   The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Selling Shareholders.

     Such counsel shall state that such counsel has reviewed the opinions
addressed to the Representatives from [list each set of counsel that has
provided an opinion], each dated the date hereof, and furnished to you in
accordance with the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement. Such opinions
appear on their face to be appropriately responsive to the requirements of the
Underwriting Agreement.

     In addition, such counsel shall state that such counsel has participated in
conferences with officials and other representatives of the Company, the
Representatives, Underwriters' Counsel and the independent certified public
accountants of the Company, at which such conferences the contents of the
Registration Statement and Prospectus and related matters were discussed, and
although they have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, nothing has come to
the attention of such counsel which leads them to believe that, at the time the
Registration Statement became effective and at all times subsequent thereto up
to and on the First Closing Date or Second Closing Date, as the case may be, the
Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto (other than the
financial statements including supporting schedules and other financial and
statistical information derived therefrom, as to which such counsel need express
no comment) contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the

                                      C-1
<PAGE>

statements therein not misleading, or at the First Closing Date or the Second
Closing Date, as the case may be, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and
any amendment or supplement thereto (except as aforesaid) contained any untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to
make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.

                                      C-2
<PAGE>

                                   Exhibit D

      Matters to be Covered in the Opinion of Selling Shareholder Counsel

     (i)    The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered on behalf of, and is a valid and binding agreement of, such Selling
Shareholder, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to
indemnification thereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the
enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
generally or by general equitable principles.

     (ii)   The execution and delivery by such Selling Shareholder of, and the
performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under, the
Underwriting Agreement and its Custody Agreement and its Power of Attorney will
not, to such counsel's knowledge, violate, result in a breach of or constitute a
default under the terms of any other agreement or instrument to which such
Selling Shareholder is a party or by which it is bound, or any judgement, order
or decree applicable to such Selling Shareholder of any court, regulatory body,
administrative agency, governmental body or arbitrator having jurisdiction over
such Selling Shareholder.

     (iii)  To such counsel's knowledge, each Selling Shareholder has the legal
right and power to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and its Custody
Agreement and its Power of Attorney, to sell, transfer and deliver all of the
Common Shares which may be sold by such Selling Shareholder under the
Underwriting Agreement and to comply with its other obligations under the
Underwriting Agreement, its Custody Agreement and its Power of Attorney.

     (iv)   Each of the Custody Agreement and Power of Attorney of such Selling
Shareholder has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling
Shareholder and is a valid and binding agreement of such Selling Shareholder,
enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification
thereunder may be limited by applicable law and except as the enforcement
thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or
other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally or by
general equitable principles.

     (v)    To such counsel's knowledge, no consent, approval, authorization or
other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or governmental
authority or agency, is required for the consummation by such Selling
Shareholder of the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement,
except as required under the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue
sky laws, and from the National Association of Securities Dealers, LLC.

     (vi)   Upon the delivery of and payment for the Shares to be sold by the
Selling Shareholders as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, and upon
registration of such Shares in the stock records of the Company in the names of
the Underwriters or their nominees and the issuance by the Company of stock
certificates therefor, to our knowledge, each of the Underwriters will

                                      D-1
<PAGE>

receive good and valid title to the Shares purchased by it from such Selling
Shareholder, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien,
encumbrance, adverse claim as defined in RCW 62A.8.102(1)(a) or other claim
(other than any right, title or interest in or to the Shares granted by the
Underwriters to any person or entity in connection with the sale of such Shares
to the public), provided that (a) the Underwriters are purchasing such Shares in
good faith, and (b) the Underwriters, together with their nominees (if any),
hold such Shares without notice of any adverse claim.

                                      E-2

<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.21

                       PRIMUS KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS, INC.

                       1999 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

                              SECTION 1.  PURPOSE

     The purposes of the Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. 1999 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan (the "Plan") are (a) to assist employees of Primus Knowledge
Solutions, Inc., a Washington corporation (the "Company"), and its designated
subsidiaries in acquiring a stock ownership interest in the Company pursuant to
a plan that is intended to qualify as an "employee stock purchase plan" under
Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and (b) to
encourage employees to remain in the employ of the Company and its subsidiaries.

                            SECTION 2.  DEFINITIONS

     For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth
below:

     "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.

     "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

     "Committee" means the Company's Compensation Committee.

     "Common Stock" means the common stock, $.025 par value per share, of the
Company.

     "Company" means Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc., a Washington corporation.

     "Corporate Transaction" means either of the following events:

          (a) Consummation of any merger or consolidation of the Company in
     which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation, or
     pursuant to which shares of the Common Stock are converted into cash,
     securities or other property, if following such merger or consolidation the
     holders of the Company's outstanding voting securities immediately prior to
     such merger or consolidation own less than 50% of the outstanding voting
     securities of the surviving corporation; or
<PAGE>

          (b) Consummation of any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer in one
     transaction or a series of related transactions of all or substantially all
     of the Company's assets other than a transfer of the Company's assets to a
     majority-owned Subsidiary Corporation of the Company.

     "Designated Subsidiary" has the meaning set forth under the definition of
"Eligible Employee" in this Section 2.

     "Eligible Compensation" means all salary and wages, including overtime,
cash bonuses and commissions.  Regular cash compensation does not include
severance pay, hiring and relocation bonuses, pay in lieu of vacations, sick
leave, gain from stock option exercises or any other special payments.

     "Eligible Employee" means any employee of the Company or any domestic
Subsidiary Corporation or any other Subsidiary Corporation designated by the
Board or the Committee (each, a "Designated Subsidiary"), who is in the employ
of the Company (or any Designated Subsidiary) on one or more Offering Dates and
who meets the following criteria:

          (a) the employee does not, immediately after the Option is granted,
     own stock (as defined by the Code) possessing 5% or more of the total
     combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or of
     a Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation of the Company;

          (b) the employee's customary employment is for 20 hours or more per
     week; provided, however, that the Plan Administrator may increase or
     decrease the minimum hours requirement for any future Offering so long as
     the required number of hours does not exceed 20;

          (c) the employee customarily works a minimum of five months per year
     or any lesser number of months established by the Plan Administrator;
     provided, however, that the Plan Administrator may increase or decrease
     this minimum requirement for any future Offering so long as the required
     number of months does not exceed five; and

          (d) if specified by the Plan Administrator for any future Offering,
     the employee has been employed for a certain minimum period of time prior
     to an Offering Date; provided, however, that any such minimum employment
     period may not exceed two years.

                                      -2-
<PAGE>

If the Company permits any employee of a Designated Subsidiary to participate in
the Plan, then all employees of that Designated Subsidiary who meet the
requirements of this paragraph shall also be considered Eligible Employees.

     "Enrollment Period" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

     "ESPP Broker" has the meaning set forth in Section 10.

     "Fair Market Value" shall be as established in good faith by the Plan
Administrator or (a) if the Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq National
Market, the average of the high and low per share sales prices for the Common
Stock as reported by the Nasdaq National Market on the Offering Date or the
Purchase Date, as applicable, or (b) if the Common Stock is listed on the New
York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange, the average of the high and
low per share sales prices for the Common Stock as such price is officially
quoted in the composite tape of transactions on such exchange on the Offering
Date or the Purchase Date, as applicable.  If there is no such reported price
for the Common Stock for the date in question, then such price on the last
preceding date for which such price exists shall be determinative of Fair Market
Value.

     "Offering" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.1.

     "Offering Date" means the first day of an Offering.

     "Option" means an option granted under the Plan to an Eligible Employee to
purchase shares of Common Stock.

     "Parent Corporation" means any corporation, other than the Company, in an
unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company, if, at the time of the
granting of the Option, each of the corporations, other than the Company, owns
stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes
of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.

     "Participant" means any Eligible Employee who has elected to participate in
an Offering in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 7.1 and who
has not withdrawn from the Plan or whose participation in the Plan is not
terminated.

     "Plan" means the Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. 1999 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan.

     "Purchase Date" means the last day of each Purchase Period.

     "Purchase Period" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.2.

                                      -3-
<PAGE>

     "Purchase Price" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.

     "Subscription" has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

     "Subsidiary Corporation" means any corporation, other than the Company, in
an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, if, at the time of
the granting of the Option, each of the corporations, other than the last
corporation in the unbroken chain, owns stock possessing 50% or more of the
total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other
corporations in such chain.

                          SECTION 3.  ADMINISTRATION

3.1  Plan Administrator

     The Plan shall be administered by the Board or the Committee or, if and to
the extent the Board or the Committee designates an executive officer of the
Company to administer the Plan, by such executive officer (each, the "Plan
Administrator").  Any decisions made by the Plan Administrator shall be
applicable equally to all Eligible Employees.

3.2  Administration and Interpretation by the Plan Administrator

     Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Plan Administrator shall have
the authority, in its sole discretion, to determine all matters relating to
Options granted under the Plan, including all terms, conditions, restrictions
and limitations of Options; provided, however, that all Participants granted
Options pursuant to the Plan shall have the same rights and privileges within
the meaning of Code Section 423.  The Plan Administrator shall also have
exclusive authority to interpret the Plan and may from time to time adopt, and
change, rules and regulations of general application for the Plan's
administration.  The Plan Administrator's interpretation of the Plan and its
rules and regulations, and all actions taken and determinations made by the Plan
Administrator pursuant to the Plan, unless reserved to the Board or the
Committee, shall be conclusive and binding on all parties involved or affected.
The Plan Administrator may delegate administrative duties to such of the
Company's other officers or employees as the Plan Administrator so determines.

                       SECTION 4.  STOCK SUBJECT TO PLAN

     Subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 21, the
maximum number of shares of the Common Stock that shall be available for
issuance under the Plan shall be 600,000 shares, plus an annual increase to be
added on the first day of the Company's fiscal year beginning in 2000 equal to
the lesser of (a) 200,000 shares of Stock and (b) 1.7% of the adjusted average
common shares

                                      -4-
<PAGE>

outstanding of the Company used to calculate fully diluted earnings per share as
reported in the Company's annual financial statements for the preceding fiscal
year, or (c) a lesser amount determined by the Board; provided, however, that
any shares from any increases in previous years that are not actually issued
shall be added to the aggregate number of shares available for issuance under
the Plan. Shares issued under the Plan shall be drawn from authorized and
unissued shares or shares now held or subsequently acquired by the Company.

                          SECTION 5.  OFFERING DATES

5.1  Offerings

     (a) Except as otherwise set forth below, the Plan shall be implemented by a
series of Offerings of twenty-four months' duration (each, an "Offering").
Offerings shall commence on January 1, and July 1 of each year and end on the
second December 31 and June 30, respectively, occurring thereafter; provided,
however, that the first Offering shall begin on the day (the "IPO Date") on
which shares of Common Stock are first offered to the public in an underwritten
initial public offering of such Common Stock pursuant to a registration
statement filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (such day being the first trading day for the Common Stock on the
Nasdaq National Market, the New York Stock Exchange or other applicable trading
market), and shall end on June 30, 2001.

     (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Plan Administrator may establish (i)
a different term for one or more Offerings and (ii) different commencing and
ending dates for such Offerings; provided, however, that an Offering may not
exceed five years; and provided, further, that if the Purchase Price may be less
than 85% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Purchase Date, the
Offering may not exceed 27 months.

     (c) In the event the first or the last day of an Offering is not a regular
business day, then the first day of the Offering shall be deemed to be the next
regular business day and the last day of the Offering shall be deemed to be the
last preceding regular business day.

5.2  Purchase Periods

     (a) Each Offering shall consist of four consecutive purchase periods of six
months' duration (each, a "Purchase Period").  The last day of each Purchase
Period shall be the Purchase Date for such Purchase Period.  Except as otherwise
set forth below, a Purchase Period shall commence on January 1 and July 1 of
each year and end on the next June 30 and December 31, respectively, occurring
thereafter;

                                      -5-
<PAGE>

provided, however, that the Purchase Period for the first Offering shall
commence on the IPO Date and end on December 31, 1999.

     (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Plan Administrator may establish (i)
a different term for one or more Purchase Periods and (ii) different commencing
and ending dates for any such Purchase Period.

     (c) In the event the first or last day of a Purchase Period is not a
regular business day, then the first day of the Purchase Period shall be deemed
to be the next regular business day and the last day of the Purchase Period
shall be deemed to be the last preceding regular business day.

5.3  Governmental Approval; Shareholder Approval

     Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, an Option
granted pursuant to the Plan shall be subject to (a) obtaining all necessary
governmental approvals and qualifications for the Plan, the issuance of Options
and the sale of Common Stock pursuant to the Plan and (b) obtaining shareholder
approval of the Plan.

                          SECTION 6.  PURCHASE PRICE

     The purchase price (the "Purchase Price") at which Common Stock may be
acquired in an Offering pursuant to the exercise of all or any portion of an
Option shall be 85% of the lesser of (a) the Fair Market Value of the Common
Stock on the Offering Date of such Offering and (b) the Fair Market Value of the
Common Stock on the Purchase Date; provided, however, that the Purchase Price
for the first Offering that begins on the IPO Date shall be the lesser of (i)
100% of the initial public offering price per share of Common Stock, before
underwriters' discounts or concessions, set forth in that certain Underwriting
Agreement between the Company and the representatives of the underwriters and
executed in connection with the Company's initial public offering of the Common
Stock and (ii) 85% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Purchase
Date.

     Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an increase in the number of shares
authorized for issuance under the Plan is approved (other than an annual
increase pursuant to Section 4) and all or a portion of such additional shares
are to be issued during one or more Offerings that are underway at the time of
shareholder approval of such increase (the "Additional Shares"), then if as of
the date of such shareholder approval, the Fair Market Value of a share of
Common Stock is higher than the Fair Market Value on the Offering Date for any
such Offering, the Purchase Price for the Additional Shares shall be 85% of the
lesser of the Common Stock's Fair Market Value

                                      -6-
<PAGE>

on the date of such shareholder approval and the Fair Market Value of the Common
Stock on the Purchase Date.

                     SECTION 7.  PARTICIPATION IN THE PLAN

7.1  Initial Participation

     An Eligible Employee shall become a Participant on the first Offering Date
after satisfying the eligibility requirements and delivering to the Plan
Administrator during the enrollment period established by the Plan Administrator
(the "Enrollment Period") a subscription (the "Subscription"):

     (a) indicating the Eligible Employee's election to participate in the Plan;

     (b) authorizing payroll deductions and stating the amount to be deducted
regularly from the Participant's pay; and

     (c) authorizing the purchase of Common Stock for the Participant in each
Purchase Period.

     An Eligible Employee who does not deliver a Subscription as provided above
during the Enrollment Period shall not participate in the Plan for that Offering
or for any subsequent Offering unless such Eligible Employee subsequently
enrolls in the Plan by filing a Subscription with the Company during the
Enrollment Period for such subsequent Offering.  The Company may, from time to
time, change the Enrollment Period for any future Offering as deemed advisable
by the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, for the proper administration
of the Plan.

     Except as provided in Section 7.2, an employee who becomes eligible to
participate in the Plan after an Offering has commenced shall not be eligible to
participate in such Offering but may participate in any subsequent Offering,
provided that such employee is still an Eligible Employee as of the commencement
of any such subsequent Offering.  Eligible Employees may not participate in more
than one Offering at a time.

7.2  Alternative Initial Participation

     Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Board or the Committee
may provide for any future Offering that any employee of the Company or any
Designated Subsidiary who first meets the requirements of subparagraphs (a)
through (c) of the paragraph "Eligible Employee" in Section 2 during the course
of an Offering shall, on a date or dates specified in the Offering which
coincides with the day on which such person first meets such requirements or
which occurs on a specified date

                                      -7-
<PAGE>

thereafter, receive an Option under that Offering which Option shall thereafter
be deemed to be a part of that Offering. Such Option shall have the same
characteristics as any Options originally granted under that Offering, except
that:

     (i) the date on which such Option is granted shall be the "Offering Date"
of such Option for all purposes, including determining the Purchase Price of
such Option; provided, however, that if the Fair Market Value of the Common
Stock on the date on which such Option is granted is less than the Fair Market
Value of Common Stock on the first day of the Offering, then, solely for the
purpose of determining the Purchase Price of such Option, the first day of the
Offering shall be the "Offering Date" for such Option;

     (ii) the Purchase Period(s) for such Option shall begin on its Offering
Date and end coincident with the remaining Purchase Date(s) for such Offering;
and

     (iii)  the Board or the Committee may provide that if such person first
meets such requirements within a specified period of time before the end of a
Purchase Period for such Offering, he or she will not receive an Option for that
Purchase Period.

7.3  Continued Participation

     A Participant shall automatically participate in the next Offering until
such time as such Participant withdraws from the Plan pursuant to Section 11.2
or 11.3 or terminates employment as provided in Section 13.

              SECTION 8.  LIMITATIONS ON RIGHT TO PURCHASE SHARES

8.1  Number of Shares Purchased

     (a)  No Participant shall be entitled to purchase Common Stock under the
Plan (or any other employee stock purchase plan that is intended to meet the
requirements of Code Section 423 sponsored by the Company, a Parent Corporation
or a Subsidiary Corporation) with a Fair Market Value exceeding $25,000,
determined as of the Offering Date for each Offering (or such other limit as may
be imposed by the Code), in any calendar year in which a Participant
participates in the Plan (or other employee stock purchase plan described in
this Section 8.1).

     (b)  No Participant shall be entitled to purchase more than 500 shares of
Common Stock (or such other number as the Board or Committee shall specify for
any future Offering) under the Plan in any single Purchase Period.

                                      -8-
<PAGE>

     (c)  For any future Offering, the Board or the Committee may specify a
maximum number of shares that may be purchased by any Participant, as well as a
maximum aggregate number of shares that may be purchased by all Participants,
pursuant to such Offering.  In addition, for any future Offering with more than
one Purchase Date, the Board or the Committee may specify a maximum aggregate
number of shares that may be purchased by all Participants on any given Purchase
Date under the Offering.

8.2  Pro Rata Allocation

     In the event the number of shares of Common Stock that might be purchased
by all Participants exceeds the number of shares of Common Stock available in
the Plan or in an Offering or in a Purchase Period, the Plan Administrator shall
make a pro rata allocation of the remaining shares of Common Stock in as uniform
a manner as shall be practicable and as the Plan Administrator shall determine
to be equitable.  Fractional shares may not be issued under the Plan unless the
Plan Administrator determines otherwise for any future Offering.

                     SECTION 9.  PAYMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE

9.1  General Rules

     Subject to Section 9.11, Common Stock that is acquired pursuant to the
exercise of all or any portion of an Option may be paid for only by means of
payroll deductions from the Participant's Eligible Compensation.  Except as set
forth in this Section 9, the amount of compensation to be withheld from a
Participant's Eligible Compensation during each pay period shall be determined
by the Participant's Subscription.

9.2  Percent Withheld

     The amount of payroll withholding for each Participant for purchases
pursuant to the Plan during any pay period shall be at least 1% but shall not
exceed 10% of the Participant's Eligible Compensation for such pay period.
Amounts shall be withheld in whole percentages only.

9.3  Payroll Deductions

     Payroll deductions shall commence on the first payday following the
Offering Date and shall continue through the last payday of the Offering unless
sooner altered or terminated as provided in the Plan.

                                      -9-
<PAGE>

9.4  Memorandum Accounts

     Individual accounts shall be maintained for each Participant for memorandum
purposes only.  All payroll deductions from a Participant's compensation shall
be credited to such account but shall be deposited with the general funds of the
Company.  All payroll deductions received or held by the Company may be used by
the Company for any corporate purpose.

9.5  No Interest

     No interest shall be paid on payroll deductions received or held by the
Company.

9.6  Acquisition of Common Stock

     On each Purchase Date of an Offering, each Participant shall automatically
acquire, pursuant to the exercise of the Participant's Option, the number of
shares of Common Stock arrived at by dividing the total amount of the
Participant's accumulated payroll deductions for the Purchase Period by the
Purchase Price; provided, however, that the number of shares of Common Stock
purchased by the Participant shall not exceed the number of whole shares of
Common Stock so determined, unless the Plan Administrator has determined for any
future Offering that fractional shares may be issued under the Plan; and
provided, further, that the number of shares of Common Stock purchased by the
Participant shall not exceed the number of shares for which Options have been
granted to the Participant pursuant to Section 8.1.

9.7  Refund of Excess Amounts

     Any cash balance remaining in the Participant's account at the termination
of each Purchase Period shall be refunded to the Participant as soon as
practical after the Purchase Date without the payment of any interest; provided,
however, that if the Participant participates in the next Purchase Period, any
cash balance remaining in the Participant's account shall be applied to the
purchase of Common Stock in the new Purchase Period, provided such purchase
complies with Section 8.1.

9.8  Withholding Obligations

     At the time the Option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time
some or all the Common Stock is disposed of, the Participant shall make adequate
provision for federal and state withholding obligations of the Company, if any,
that arise upon exercise of the Option or upon disposition of the Common Stock.
The Company may

                                      -10-
<PAGE>

withhold from the Participant's compensation the amount necessary to meet such
withholding obligations.

9.9  Termination of Participation

     No Common Stock shall be purchased on behalf of a Participant on a Purchase
Date if his or her participation in the Offering or the Plan has terminated on
or before such Purchase Date.

9.10 Procedural Matters

     The Company may, from time to time, establish (a) limitations on the
frequency and/or number of any permitted changes in the amount withheld during
an Offering, as set forth in Section 11.1, (b) an exchange ratio applicable to
amounts withheld in a currency other than U.S. dollars, (c) payroll withholding
in excess of the amount designated by a Participant in order to adjust for
delays or mistakes in the Company's processing of properly completed withholding
elections, and (d) such other limitations or procedures as deemed advisable by
the Company in the Company's sole discretion that are consistent with the Plan
and in accordance with the requirements of Code Section 423.

9.11 Leaves of Absence

     During leaves of absence approved by the Company and meeting the
requirements of the applicable Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code,
a Participant may elect to continue participation in the Plan by delivering cash
payments to the Plan Administrator on the Participant's normal paydays equal to
the amount of his or her payroll deduction under the Plan had the Participant
not taken a leave of absence.  Currently, the Treasury Regulations provide that
a Participant may continue participation in the Plan only during the first 90
days of a leave of absence unless the Participant's reemployment rights are
guaranteed by statute or contract.

              SECTION 10.  COMMON STOCK PURCHASED UNDER THE PLAN

10.1 ESPP Broker

     If the Plan Administrator designates or approves a stock brokerage or other
financial services firm (the "ESPP Broker") to hold shares purchased under the
Plan for the accounts of Participants, the following procedures shall apply.
Promptly following each Purchase Date, the number of shares of Common Stock
purchased by each Participant shall be deposited into an account established in
the Participant's name with the ESPP Broker.  Each Participant shall be the
beneficial owner of the

                                      -11-
<PAGE>

Common Stock purchased under the Plan and shall have all rights of beneficial
ownership in such Common Stock. A Participant shall be free to undertake a
disposition of the shares of Common Stock in his or her account at any time,
but, in the absence of such a disposition, the shares of Common Stock must
remain in the Participant's account at the ESPP Broker until the holding period
set forth in Code Section 423 has been satisfied. With respect to shares of
Common Stock for which the holding period set forth above has been satisfied,
the Participant may move those shares of Common Stock to another brokerage
account of the Participant's choosing or request that a stock certificate be
issued and delivered to him or her. Dividends paid in the form of shares of
Common Stock with respect to Common Stock in a Participant's account shall be
credited to such account. A Participant who is not subject to payment of U.S.
income taxes may move his or her shares of Common Stock to another brokerage
account of his or her choosing or request that a stock certificate be delivered
to him or her at any time, without regard to the Code Section 423 holding
period.

10.2 Notice of Disposition

     By entering the Plan, each Participant agrees to promptly give the Company
notice of any Common Stock disposed of within the later of one year from the
Purchase Date and two years from the Offering Date for such Common Stock,
showing the number of such shares disposed of and the Purchase Date and Offering
Date for such Common Stock.  This notice shall not be required if and so long as
the Company has a designated ESPP Broker.

                SECTION 11.  CHANGES IN WITHHOLDING AMOUNTS AND

                              VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL

11.1 Changes in Withholding Amounts

     (a) During an Offering, a Participant may elect to decrease, but not to
increase, the amount withheld from his or her Eligible Compensation during an
Offering by completing and filing with the Company an amended Subscription
authorizing an change in the payroll deduction rate.  The change in rate shall
be effective as of the beginning of the next payroll period following the date
of filing the amended Subscription if the amended Subscription is filed at least
10 days prior to such date and, if not, as of the beginning of the next
succeeding payroll period.  All payroll deductions accrued by a Participant as
of the effective date of change shall continue to be applied toward the purchase
of Common Stock on the Purchase Date, unless a Participant withdraws from an
Offering or the Plan, pursuant to Section 11.2 or Section 11.3 below.  An
amended Subscription shall remain in effect until the Participant changes such
Subscription in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

                                      -12-
<PAGE>

     (b) A Participant may elect to increase or decrease the amount to be
withheld from his or her Eligible Compensation for future Offerings; provided,
however, that notice of such election must be delivered to the Plan
Administrator in such form and in accordance with such terms as the Plan
Administrator may establish for an Offering.

     (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with
Code Section 423 and Section 8.1, a Participant's payroll deductions may be
decreased during any Purchase Period scheduled to end during the current
calendar year to 0% at such time that the aggregate of all payroll deductions
accumulated with respect to the Offering to which such Purchase Period applies
and any other Offering ending within the same calendar year exceed $21,250.
Payroll deductions shall re-commence at the rate provided in such Participant's
Subscription at the beginning of the first Purchase Period that is scheduled to
end in the following calendar year, unless the Participant terminates
participation in the Plan as provided in Section 11.2 or Section 11.3 below.

11.2 Withdrawal From an Offering

     A Participant may withdraw from an Offering by signing and delivering to
the Plan Administrator a written notice of withdrawal on a form provided by the
Company for such purpose.  Such withdrawal must be elected at least 10 days
prior to the end of the Purchase Period for which such withdrawal is to be
effective or by any other date specified by the Plan Administrator for any
future Offering.  If a Participant withdraws after the Purchase Date for a
Purchase Period of an Offering, the withdrawal shall not affect Common Stock
acquired by the Participant in any earlier Purchase Periods.  Unless otherwise
indicated, withdrawal from an Offering shall not result in a withdrawal from the
Plan or any succeeding Offering therein.  A Participant is prohibited from again
participating in the same Offering at any time upon withdrawal from such
Offering.  The Company may, from time to time, impose a requirement that the
notice of withdrawal be on file with the Plan Administrator for a reasonable
period prior to the effectiveness of the Participant's withdrawal.

11.3 Withdrawal From the Plan

     A Participant may withdraw from the Plan by signing a written notice of
withdrawal on a form provided by the Company for such purpose and delivering
such notice to the Plan Administrator.  Such notice must be delivered at least
10 days prior to the end of the Purchase Period for which such withdrawal is to
be effective or by any other date specified by the Plan Administrator for any
future Offering.  In the event a Participant voluntarily elects to withdraw from
the Plan, the Participant may not resume participation in the Plan during the
same Offering, but may participate in

                                      -13-
<PAGE>

any subsequent Offering under the Plan by again satisfying the definition of
Eligible Employee. The Company may impose, from time to time, a requirement that
the notice of withdrawal be on file with the Plan Administrator for a reasonable
period prior to the effectiveness of the Participant's withdrawal.

11.4 Return of Payroll Deductions

     Upon withdrawal from an Offering pursuant to Section 11.2 or from the Plan
pursuant to Section 11.3, the withdrawing Participant's accumulated payroll
deductions that have not been applied to the purchase of Common Stock shall be
returned as soon as practical after the withdrawal, without the payment of any
interest, to the Participant and the Participant's interest in the Offering
shall terminate.  Such accumulated payroll deductions may not be applied to any
other Offering under the Plan.

                       SECTION 12.  AUTOMATIC WITHDRAWAL

     If the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on any Purchase Date of an
Offering is less than the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Offering
Date for such Offering, then every Participant shall automatically (a) be
withdrawn from such Offering at the close of such Purchase Date and after the
acquisition of the shares of Common Stock for such Purchase Period and (b) be
enrolled in the Offering commencing on the first business date subsequent to
such Purchase Period, provided the Participant is eligible to participate in the
Plan and has not elected to terminate participation in the Plan pursuant to
Section 11.2 or 11.3.

                    SECTION 13.  TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

     Termination of a Participant's employment with the Company for any reason,
including retirement, death or the failure of a Participant to remain an
Eligible Employee, shall immediately terminate the Participant's participation
in the Plan.  The payroll deductions credited to the Participant's account since
the last Purchase Date shall, as soon as practical, be returned to the
Participant or, in the case of a Participant's death, to the Participant's legal
representative or designated beneficiary as provided in Section 14.2, and all
the Participant's rights under the Plan shall terminate.  Interest shall not be
paid on sums returned to a Participant pursuant to this Section 13.

                    SECTION 14.  RESTRICTIONS ON ASSIGNMENT

14.1 Transferability

     An Option granted under the Plan shall not be transferable and such Option
shall be exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by the Participant.
The

                                      -14-
<PAGE>

Company will not recognize, and shall be under no duty to recognize, any
assignment or purported assignment by a Participant of the Participant's
interest in the Plan, of his or her Option or of any rights under his or her
Option.

14.2 Beneficiary Designation

     The Plan Administrator may permit a Participant to designate a beneficiary
who is to receive any shares and cash, if any, from the Participant's account
under the Plan in the event the Participant dies after the Purchase Date for an
Offering but prior to delivery to such Participant of such shares and cash.  In
addition, the Plan Administrator may permit a Participant to designate a
beneficiary who is to receive any cash from the Participant's account under the
Plan in the event that the Participant dies before the Purchase Date for an
Offering.  Such designation may be changed by the Participant at any time by
written notice to the Plan Administrator.

                         SECTION 15.  MARKET STANDOFF

     In connection with the underwritten initial public offering by the Company
of its Common Stock, neither a Participant nor any beneficiary designated
pursuant to Section 14.2 shall sell, make any short sale of, loan, hypothecate,
pledge, grant any option for the purchase of, or otherwise dispose of or
transfer for value or otherwise agree to engage in any of the foregoing
transactions with respect to any Common Stock issued under the Plan for a period
of 180 days after the IPO Date, except that the foregoing provision shall not
apply in the event of the Participant's death or "disability" as that term is
defined in Code Section 22(e)(3).

     In the event of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization,
combination of shares, exchange of shares or other change affecting the Common
Stock effected as a class without the Company's receipt of consideration, any
new, substituted or additional securities distributed with respect to the
purchased Common Stock shall be immediately subject to the provisions of this
Section 15.

     In order to enforce the limitations of this Section 15, the Company may
issue stop-transfer instructions to the ESPP Broker and/or the Company's
transfer agent until the end of the period ending 180 days after the IPO Date.

           SECTION 16.  NO RIGHTS AS SHAREHOLDER UNTIL SHARES ISSUED

     With respect to shares of Common Stock subject to an Option, a Participant
shall not be deemed to be a shareholder of the Company, and he or she shall not
have any of the rights or privileges of a shareholder.  A Participant shall have
the rights and privileges of a shareholder of the Company when, but not until, a
certificate or its

                                      -15-
<PAGE>

equivalent has been issued to the Participant for the shares following exercise
of the Participant's Option.

   SECTION 17.  LIMITATIONS ON SALE OF COMMON STOCK PURCHASED UNDER THE PLAN

     The Plan is intended to provide Common Stock for investment and not for
resale.  The Company does not, however, intend to restrict or influence any
Participant in the conduct of his or her own affairs.  A Participant, therefore,
may sell Common Stock purchased under the Plan at any time he or she chooses,
subject to compliance with Section 15 and any applicable federal and state
securities laws.  A Participant assumes the risk of any market fluctuations in
the price of the Common Stock.

               SECTION 18.  AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN

     The Board may amend the Plan in such respects as it shall deem advisable;
provided, however, that, to the extent required for compliance with Code Section
423 or any applicable law or regulation, shareholder approval will be required
for any amendment that will () increase the total number of shares as to which
Options may be granted under the Plan, () modify the class of employees eligible
to receive Options, or () otherwise require shareholder approval under any
applicable law or regulation; and provided further, that except as provided in
Section 21 and this Section 18, no amendment to the Plan shall make any change
in any Option previously granted which adversely affects the rights of any
Participant..

     (b) The Plan shall continue in effect for 10 years after the date of its
adoption by the Board.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may suspend or
terminate the Plan at any time.  During any period of suspension or upon
termination of the Plan, no Options shall be granted.

     (c) Except as provided in Section 21, no such termination of the Plan may
affect Options previously granted, provided that the Plan or an Offering may be
terminated by the Board on a Purchase Date or by the Board's setting a new
Purchase Date with respect to an Offering and a Purchase Period then in progress
if the Board determines that termination of the Plan and/or the Offering is in
the best interests of the Company and the shareholders or if continuation of the
Plan and/or the Offering would cause the Company to incur adverse accounting
charges as a result of a change after the effective date of the Plan in the
generally accepted accounting rules applicable to the Plan.

                                      -16-
<PAGE>

                     SECTION 19.  NO RIGHTS AS AN EMPLOYEE

     Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to give any person (including any
Eligible Employee or Participant) the right to remain in the employ of the
Company or a Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation or to affect the right
of the Company or a Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation to terminate
the employment of any person (including any Eligible Employee or Participant) at
any time with or without cause.

                     SECTION 20.  EFFECT UPON OTHER PLANS

     The adoption of the Plan shall not affect any other compensation or
incentive plans in effect for the Company or any Parent Corporation or
Subsidiary Corporation.  Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to limit the
right of the Company, any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation to (a)
establish any other forms of incentives or compensation for employees of the
Company, a Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation or (b) grant or assume
options otherwise than under the Plan in connection with any proper corporate
purpose, including, but not by way of limitation, the grant or assumption of
options in connection with the acquisition, by purchase, lease, merger,
consolidation or otherwise, of the business, stock or assets of any corporation,
firm or association.

                           SECTION 21.  ADJUSTMENTS

21.1 Adjustment of Shares

     In the event that, at any time or from time to time, a stock dividend,
stock split, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares, recapitalization,
merger, consolidation, distribution to shareholders other than a normal cash
dividend, or other change in the Company's corporate or capital structure
results in (a) the outstanding shares, or any securities exchanged therefor or
received in their place, being exchanged for a different number or kind of
securities of the Company or of any other corporation or (b) new, different or
additional securities of the Company or of any other corporation being received
by the holders of shares of Common Stock, then (subject to any required action
by the Company's shareholders), the Board or the Committee, in its sole
discretion, shall make such equitable adjustments as it shall deem appropriate
in the circumstances in (i) the maximum number and kind of shares of Common
Stock subject to the Plan as set forth in Section 4, (ii) the number and kind of
securities that are subject to any outstanding Option and the per share price of
such securities, and (iii) the limitation on the number of shares of Common
Stock that may be purchased by any Participant or by all Participants pursuant
to Section 8.1.  The determination by the Board or the Committee as to the terms
of any of the foregoing adjustments shall

                                      -17-
<PAGE>

be conclusive and binding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a merger, asset sale,
dissolution or liquidation of the Company shall not be governed by this Section
21.1 but shall be governed by Sections 21.2 and 21.3, respectively.

21.2 Merger or Asset Sale of the Company

     In the event of a proposed Corporate Transaction, each outstanding Option
shall be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the surviving
corporation, the successor corporation or parent thereof (the "Successor
Corporation").  In the event that the Successor Corporation refuses to assume or
substitute for the Option, the Offering then in progress shall be shortened by
setting a new Purchase Date.  The new Purchase Date shall be a specified date
before the date of the proposed Corporate Transaction.  The Board shall notify
each Participant in writing, at least 10 business days prior to the new Purchase
Date, that the Purchase Date for the Participant's Option has been changed to
the new Purchase Date and that the Participant's Option shall be exercised
automatically on the new Purchase Date, unless prior to such date the
Participant has withdrawn from the Offering or the Plan as provided in Section
11.

21.3 Dissolution or Liquidation of the Company

     In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the
Offering then in progress shall be shortened by setting a new Purchase Date and
shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed
dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Board.  The new
Purchase Date shall be a specified date before the date of the Company's
proposed dissolution or liquidation.  The Board shall notify each Participant in
writing, at least 10 business days prior to the new Purchase Date, that the
Purchase Date for the Participant's Option has been changed to the new Purchase
Date and that the Participant's Option shall be exercised automatically on the
new Purchase Date, unless prior to such date the Participant has withdrawn from
the Offering or the Plan as provided in Section 11.

21.4 Limitations

     The grant of Options shall in no way affect the Company's right to adjust,
reclassify, reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or
to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part
of its business or assets.

              SECTION 22.  REGISTRATION; CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES

     The Company shall be under no obligation to any Participant to register for
offering or resale under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or register or
qualify

                                      -18-
<PAGE>

under state securities laws, any shares of Common Stock. The Company may issue
certificates for shares with such legends and subject to such restrictions on
transfer and stop-transfer instructions as counsel for the Company deems
necessary or desirable for compliance by the Company with federal and state
securities laws.

                          SECTION 23.  EFFECTIVE DATE

     The Plan's effective date is the date on which it is approved by the
Company's shareholders, which was April 30, 1999.

                                      -19-

<PAGE>

                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1

               CONSENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP, INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

We consent to the reference to our firm under the captions "Selected
Consolidated Financial Data" and "Experts" and to the use of our reports dated
March 12, 1999 (except Note 14, as to which the date is May 3, 1999), in
Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement (Form S-1 No. 333-77477) and the
related Prospectus of Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc.

                                              Ernst & Young LLP

Seattle, Washington

June 17, 1999


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