1
                                                                     EXHIBIT 1.1



                               __________ Shares

                               QUINTUS CORPORATION

                                  Common Stock

                             UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

                                                                __________, 1999

DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE
  SECURITIES CORPORATION
DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS,
  a division of Dain Rauscher Incorporated
SG COWEN SECURITIES CORPORATION
DLJdirect Inc.
  As representatives of the
    several Underwriters
    named in Schedule I hereto
    c/o Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
      Securities Corporation
      277 Park Avenue
      New York, New York 10172

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         Quintus Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "COMPANY"), proposes
to issue and sell ____________ shares of its Common Stock, $0.001 par value,
(the "FIRM SHARES") to the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the
"UNDERWRITERS"). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several
Underwriters not more than an additional _______ shares of its Common Stock,
$0.001 par value, (the "ADDITIONAL SHARES") if requested by the Underwriters as
provided in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are
hereinafter referred to collectively as the "SHARES". The shares of common stock
of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated
hereby are hereinafter referred to as the "COMMON STOCK".



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         SECTION 1. Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company has
prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"COMMISSION") in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder
(collectively, the "ACT"), a registration statement on Form S-1, including a
prospectus, relating to the Shares. The registration statement, as amended at
the time it became effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be
part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule
430A under the Act, is hereinafter referred to as the "REGISTRATION STATEMENT";
and the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Shares is
hereinafter referred to as the "PROSPECTUS". If the Company has filed or is
required pursuant to the terms hereof to file a registration statement pursuant
to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering additional shares of Common Stock (a
"RULE 462(b) REGISTRATION STATEMENT"), then, unless otherwise specified, any
reference herein to the term "Registration Statement" shall be deemed to include
such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.

         SECTION 2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase and Lock-Up Agreements. On
the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and
subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to issue and sell, and
each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company
at a price per Share of $______ (the "PURCHASE PRICE") the number of Firm Shares
set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto.

         On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this
Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to issue
and sell the Additional Shares and the Underwriters shall have the right to
purchase, severally and not jointly, up to _______ Additional Shares from the
Company at the Purchase Price. Additional Shares may be purchased solely for the
purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the
Firm Shares. The Underwriters may exercise their right to purchase Additional
Shares in whole or in part from time to time by giving written notice thereof to
the Company within 30 days after the date of this Agreement. You shall give any
such notice on behalf of the Underwriters and such notice shall specify the
aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased pursuant to such exercise
and the date for payment and delivery thereof, which date shall be a business
day (i) no earlier than two business days after such notice has been given (and,
in any event, no earlier than the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined)) and
(ii) no later than ten business days after such notice has been given. If any
Additional Shares are to be purchased, each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the number of Additional Shares
(subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may
determine) which bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional
Shares to be purchased from the Company as the number of Firm Shares set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I bears to the total number of
Firm Shares.

         The Company hereby agrees not to (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to
sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract
to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer
or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any



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shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for Common Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement
that transfers all or a portion of the economic consequences associated with the
ownership of any Common Stock (regardless of whether any of the transactions
described in clause (i) or (ii) is to be settled by the delivery of Common
Stock, or such other securities, in cash or otherwise), except to the
Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, for a period of 180 days after the date
of the Prospectus without the prior written consent of Donaldson, Lufkin &
Jenrette Securities Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, during such
period (i) the Company may grant stock or stock options pursuant to the
Company's 1999 Stock Incentive Plan and 1999 Director Option Plan, (ii) the
Company may issue shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or
warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof and (iii)
the Company may issue shares of Common Stock in connection with employee
subscriptions under the Company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Company also
agrees not to file any registration statement with respect to any shares of
Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable
for Common Stock for a period of 180 days after the date of the Prospectus
without the prior written consent of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities
Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, during such period (i) the
Company may file an S-8 registration statement or registration statements
relating to the Company's 1999 Stock Incentive Plan and 1999 Director Option
Plan and (ii) the Company may file an S-8 registration statement or registration
statements relating to the Company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Company
shall, prior to or concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, deliver an
agreement executed by (i) each of the directors and officers of the Company and
(ii) [each stockholder of the Company and each holder of any right to acquire
capital stock of the Company except for those holders where the failure to
execute such agreement is approved by Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette Securities
Corporation], to the effect that such person will not, during the period
commencing on the date such person signs such agreement and ending 180 days
after the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation, (A) engage in any of the
transactions described in the first sentence of this paragraph or (B) make any
demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any
shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for Common Stock.

         The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Dain Rauscher Wessels
("DRW") as, and DRW hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render
services as, a "qualified independent underwriter", within the meaning of
Section (b)(15) of Rule 2720 of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares.
DRW solely in its capacity as the qualified independent underwriter and not
otherwise, is referred to herein as the "QIU". As compensation for the services
of the QIU hereunder, the Company agrees to pay the QIU $10,000 on the Closing
Date. The price at which the Shares will be sold to the public shall not be
higher than the maximum price recommended by the QIU.

         SECTION 3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by you that
the Underwriters propose (i) to make a public offering of their respective
portions of the



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Shares as soon after the execution and delivery of this Agreement as in your
judgment is advisable and (ii) initially to offer the Shares upon the terms set
forth in the Prospectus.

         SECTION 4. Delivery and Payment. The Shares shall be represented by
definitive certificates and shall be issued in such authorized denominations and
registered in such names as Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation
shall request no later than two business days prior to the Closing Date or the
applicable Option Closing Date (as defined below), as the case may be. The
Company shall deliver the Shares, with any transfer taxes thereon duly paid by
the respective Sellers, to Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation
through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company ("DTC"), for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters, against payment to the Company
of the Purchase Price therefore by wire transfer of Federal or other funds
immediately available in New York City. The certificates representing the Shares
shall be made available for inspection not later than 9:30 A.M., New York City
time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option
Closing Date, as the case may be, at the office of DTC or its designated
custodian (the "DESIGNATED OFFICE"). The time and date of delivery and payment
for the Firm Shares shall be 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on ________, 1999 or
such other time on the same or such other date as Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Securities Corporation and the Company shall agree in writing. The time and date
of delivery for the Firm Shares are hereinafter referred to as the "CLOSING
DATE". The time and date of delivery and payment for any Additional Shares to be
purchased by the Underwriters shall be 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on the
date specified in the applicable exercise notice given by you pursuant to
Section 2 or such other time on the same or such other date as Donaldson, Lufkin
& Jenrette Securities Corporation and the Company shall agree in writing. The
time and date of delivery for any Additional Shares are hereinafter referred to
as an "OPTION CLOSING DATE".

         The documents to be delivered on the Closing Date or any Option Closing
Date on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement
shall be delivered at the offices of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve
Franklin & Hachigian, LLP., 155 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, California
94025, and the Shares shall be delivered at the Designated Office, all on the
Closing Date or such Option Closing Date, as the case may be.

         SECTION 5. Agreements of the Company. The Company agrees with you:

         (a) To advise you promptly and, if requested by you, to confirm such
advice in writing, (i) of any request by the Commission for amendments to the
Registration Statement or amendments or supplements to the Prospectus or for
additional information, (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of the suspension
of qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the
initiation of any proceeding for such purposes, (iii) when any amendment to the
Registration Statement becomes effective, (iv) if the Company is required to
file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement after the effectiveness of this
Agreement, when the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective



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and (v) of the happening of any event during the period referred to in Section
5(d) below which makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus untrue or which requires any additions to or changes
in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements
therein not misleading. If at any time the Commission shall issue any stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the Company will use
its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal or lifting of such order at the
earliest possible time.

         (b) To furnish to you five signed copies of the Registration Statement
as first filed with the Commission and of each amendment to it, including all
exhibits, and to furnish to you and each Underwriter designated by you such
number of conformed copies of the Registration Statement as so filed and of each
amendment to it, without exhibits, as you may reasonably request.

         (c) To prepare the Prospectus, the form and substance of which shall be
satisfactory to you, and to file the Prospectus in such form with the Commission
within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Act; during the
period specified in Section 5(d) below, not to file any further amendment to the
Registration Statement and not to make any amendment or supplement to the
Prospectus of which you shall not previously have been advised or to which you
shall reasonably object after being so advised; and, during such period, to
prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon your reasonable request, any
amendment to the Registration Statement or amendment or supplement to the
Prospectus which may be necessary or advisable in connection with the
distribution of the Shares by you, and to use its best efforts to cause any such
amendment to the Registration Statement to become promptly effective.

         (d) Prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the first business day
after the date of this Agreement and from time to time thereafter for such
period as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus is
required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or a
dealer, to furnish in New York City to each Underwriter and any dealer as many
copies of the Prospectus (and of any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus)
as such Underwriter or dealer may reasonably request.

         (e) If during the period specified in Section 5(d), any event shall
occur or condition shall exist as a result of which, in the reasonable opinion
of 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 when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading,
or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is
necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law,
forthwith to prepare and file with the Commission an appropriate amendment or
supplement to the Prospectus so that the statements in 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
applicable law, and to furnish to each Underwriter and to any dealer as many
copies thereof as such Underwriter or dealer may reasonably request.



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         (f) Prior to any public offering of the Shares, to cooperate with you
and counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the registration or
qualification of the Shares for offer and sale by the several Underwriters and
by dealers under the state securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as
you may reasonably request, to continue such registration or qualification in
effect so long as reasonably required for distribution of the Shares and to file
such consents to service of process or other documents as may be necessary in
order to effect such registration or qualification; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be required in connection therewith to qualify as a foreign
corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so qualified or to take
any action that would subject it to general consent to service of process or
taxation other than as to matters and transactions relating to the Prospectus,
the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the offering or sale
of the Shares, in any jurisdiction in which it is not now so subject.

         (g) To mail and make generally available to its stockholders as soon as
reasonably practicable an earnings statement covering the twelve-month period
ending December 31, 2000 that shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of
the Act, and to advise you in writing when such statement has been so made
available.

         (h) During the period of three years after the date of this Agreement,
to furnish to you as soon as available copies of all reports or other
communications furnished to the record holders of Common Stock or furnished to
or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any
class of securities of the Company is listed and such other publicly available
information concerning the Company and its subsidiaries as you may reasonably
request.

         (i) Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are
consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay or cause to be paid all
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement,
including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company's counsel and
the Company's accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of
the Shares under the Act and all other fees and expenses in connection with the
preparation, printing, filing and distribution of the Registration Statement
(including financial statements and exhibits), any preliminary prospectus, the
Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including
the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers in
the quantities specified herein, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the
transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer
or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) all costs of printing or producing this
Agreement and any other agreements or documents in connection with the offering,
purchase, sale or delivery of the Shares, (iv) all expenses in connection with
the registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the
securities or Blue Sky laws of the several states and all costs of printing or
producing any Preliminary and Supplemental Blue Sky Memoranda in connection
therewith (including the filing fees and fees and disbursements of counsel for
the Underwriters in connection with such registration or qualification and
memoranda relating thereto), (v) the filing fees and disbursements of counsel
for the Underwriters in connection with the review and



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clearance of the offering of the Shares by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc., (vi) all fees and expenses in connection with the
preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the
Common Stock and all costs and expenses incident to the listing of the Shares on
the Nasdaq National Market, (vii) the cost of printing certificates representing
the Shares, (viii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar and/or
depositary, (ix) the fees and expenses of the QIU (including the fees and
disbursements of counsel to the QIU), and (x) all other costs and expenses
incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for
which provision is not otherwise made in this Section[; provided, however, that
except for the Company's specific payment obligations under this Section 5(i),
the Underwriters agree to pay all of their own costs and expenses, including
without limitation the fees and expenses of their counsel, incurred in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

         (j) To use its best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the
Nasdaq National Market and to maintain the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq
National Market.

         (k) To use its best efforts to do and perform all things required or
necessary to be done and performed under this Agreement by the Company prior to
the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and to satisfy
all conditions precedent to the delivery of the Shares.

         (l) If the Registration Statement at the time of the effectiveness of
this Agreement does not cover all of the Shares, to file a Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement with the Commission registering the Shares not so covered
in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date of
this Agreement and to pay to the Commission the filing fee for such Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement at the time of the filing thereof or to give irrevocable
instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act.

         SECTION 6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company
represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:

         (a) The Registration Statement has become effective (other than any
Rule 462(b) Registration Statement to be filed by the Company after the
effectiveness of this Agreement); any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement filed
after the effectiveness of this Agreement will become effective no later than
10:00 P.M., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement; and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no
proceedings for such purpose are pending before or threatened by the Commission.

         (b) (i) The Registration Statement (other than any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement to be filed by the Company after the effectiveness of
this Agreement), when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended, if
applicable, 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, (ii) the Registration



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Statement (other than any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement to be filed by the
Company after the effectiveness of this Agreement) and the Prospectus comply
and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material
respects with the Act, (iii) if the Company is required to file a Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement after the effectiveness of this Agreement, such Rule
462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, when they become
effective (A) 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 and (B) will comply in all material respects
with the Act and (iv) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or
supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do
not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the
Company in writing by any Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.

         (c) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration
Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed
pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act, complied when so filed in all material
respects with the Act, and did not contain an 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, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties
set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in any
preliminary prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter
furnished to the Company in writing by any Underwriter through you expressly for
use therein.

         (d) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly
incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the
laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has the corporate power and
authority to carry on its business as described in the Prospectus and to own,
lease and operate its properties, and each is duly qualified and is in good
standing as a foreign corporation authorized to do business in each jurisdiction
in which the nature of its business or its ownership or leasing of property
requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would
not have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects, financial
condition or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as
a whole (a "Material Adverse Effect").

         (e) There are no outstanding subscriptions, rights, warrants, options,
calls, convertible securities, commitments of sale or liens granted or issued by
the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to or entitling any person to
purchase or otherwise to acquire any shares of the capital stock of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries, except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration
Statement.

         (f) All the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have
been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and
not subject to any



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preemptive or similar rights; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company and options and other rights to acquire capital stock of the Company
have been issued in compliance with the registration and qualification
provisions of all applicable securities laws (or applicable exemptions thereof);
and the Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered to the
Underwriters against payment therefor as provided by this Agreement, will be
validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares
will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

         (g) All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of each of the
Company's subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued and are
fully paid and non-assessable, and are owned by the Company, directly or
indirectly through one or more subsidiaries, free and clear of any security
interest, claim, lien, encumbrance or adverse interest of any nature.

         (h) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal
matters to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.

         (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of
its respective charter or by-laws, as currently in effect, or in default in the
performance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any
indenture, loan agreement, mortgage, lease or other agreement or instrument that
is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to which the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of
its subsidiaries or their respective property is bound.

         (j) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the
Company, the compliance by the Company with all the provisions hereof and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not (i) require any
consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or qualification with, any
court or governmental body or agency (except such as may be required under the
securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states), (ii) conflict with or
constitute a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or a default under,
the charter or by-laws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any
indenture, loan agreement, mortgage, lease or other agreement or instrument that
is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to which the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of
its subsidiaries or their respective property is bound, (iii) violate or
conflict with any applicable law or any rule, regulation, judgment, order or
decree of any court or any governmental body or agency having jurisdiction over
the Company, any of its subsidiaries or their respective property or (iv) result
in the suspension, termination or revocation of any Authorization (as defined
below) of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other impairment of the
rights of the holder of any such Authorization.

         (k) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of their
respective property is subject that are required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus



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and are not so described, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no such
proceedings are threatened; nor are there any statutes, regulations, contracts
or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration
Statement that are not so described or filed as required.

         (l) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has violated any
foreign, federal, state or local law or regulation relating to the protection of
human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or
wastes, pollutants or contaminants ("ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS"), any provisions of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or any provisions
of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder, except for such violations which, singly or in the aggregate, would
not have a Material Adverse Effect.

         (m) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has such permits,
licenses, consents, exemptions, franchises, authorizations and other approvals
(each, an "AUTHORIZATION") of, and has made all filings with and notices to, all
governmental or regulatory authorities and self-regulatory organizations and all
courts and other tribunals, including, without limitation, under any applicable
Environmental Laws, as are necessary to own, lease, license and operate its
respective properties and to conduct its business, except where the failure to
have any such Authorization or to make any such filing or notice would not,
singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Each such
Authorization is valid and in full force and effect and each of the Company and
its subsidiaries is in compliance with all the terms and conditions thereof and
with the rules and regulations of the authorities and governing bodies having
jurisdiction with respect thereto; and no event has occurred (including, without
limitation, the receipt of any notice from any authority or governing body)
which allows or, after notice or lapse of time or both, would allow, revocation,
suspension or termination of any such Authorization or results or, after notice
or lapse of time or both, would result in any other impairment of the rights of
the holder of any such Authorization; except where such failure to be valid and
in full force and effect or to be in compliance, or the occurrence of any such
event would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

         (n) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental
Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures
required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental
Laws or any Authorization, any related constraints on operating activities and
any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

         (o) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company.

         (p) Deloitte & Touche LLP are independent public accountants with
respect to the Company and its subsidiaries as required by the Act.

         (q) The consolidated financial statements included in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), together
with



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related schedules and notes, present fairly the consolidated financial position,
results of operations and changes in financial position of the Company and its
subsidiaries on the basis stated therein at the respective dates or for the
respective periods to which they apply; such statements and related schedules
and notes have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles consistently applied throughout the periods involved, except as
disclosed therein; the supporting schedules, if any, included in the
Registration Statement present fairly in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles the information required to be stated therein; and the
other financial and statistical information and data set forth in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement
thereto) are, in all material respects, accurately presented and prepared on a
basis consistent with such financial statements and the books and records of the
Company.

         (r) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and
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.

         (s) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person
granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration
statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to
require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered
pursuant to the Registration Statement.

         (t) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus other than as set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any
amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), (i)
there has not occurred any material adverse change or any development involving
a prospective material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise,
or the earnings, business, management or operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (ii) there has not been any material adverse
change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in the
capital stock or in the long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries
and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any
material liability or obligation, direct or contingent.

         (u) Each certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered
to the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a
representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters
covered thereby.

         (v) The acquisition of Acuity Corp. ("Acuity") was completed on
November __, 1999 in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of
Reorganization dated as of September 10, 1999, including all exhibits related
thereto (the "Acuity Agreement"), among the Company, a wholly owned subsidiary
of the Company formed for the purpose of effectuating the acquisition, and
Acuity. The issuance and sale by the Company of its capital stock to the former
stockholders of Acuity and the assumption by the Company of the outstanding
options, warrants and other rights to acquire the



                                       11
   12
outstanding capital stock of Acuity were in compliance with the registration and
qualification provisions of all applicable securities laws (or applicable
exemptions thereof).

         (w) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in
fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal
property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens,
encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such
as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with
the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its
subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the
Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and
enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere
with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the
Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the
Prospectus.

         (x) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Company and
its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, all
patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including
trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or
confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and
trade names ("INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY") currently employed by them in connection
with the business now operated by them except where the failure to own or
possess or otherwise be able to acquire such Intellectual Property would not,
singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect ; and neither the
Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement of
or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of such
Intellectual Property which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an
unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, could reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.

         (y) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the
Company or any of its subsidiaries on the one hand, and the directors, officers,
stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries
on the other hand, which is required by the Act to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus which is not so described.

         (z) The pro forma financial statements of the Company and its
subsidiaries and the related notes thereto set forth in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus (and any supplement or amendment thereto) have been
prepared on a basis consistent with the historical financial statements of the
Company and its subsidiaries, give effect to the assumptions used in the
preparation thereof on a reasonable basis and in good faith and present fairly
the historical and proposed transactions contemplated by the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus. Such pro forma financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of Rule 11-02 of
Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission. The other pro forma financial and
statistical information and data set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus



                                       12
   13
(and any supplement or amendment thereto) are, in all material respects,
accurately presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the pro forma
financial statements.

         (aa) All material tax returns required to be filed by the Company and
each of its subsidiaries in any jurisdiction have been filed, other than those
filings being contested in good faith, and all material taxes, including
withholding taxes, penalties and interest, assessments, fees and other charges
due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the
Company or any of its subsidiaries have been paid, other than those being
contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided.

         SECTION 7. Indemnification. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless each Underwriter, its directors, its officers and each person, if
any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or
Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "EXCHANGE
ACT"), from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and
judgments (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses incurred
in connection with investigating or defending any matter, including any action,
that could give rise to any such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
judgments) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment
thereto), the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any
preliminary prospectus, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state
therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or judgments are caused by any such untrue statement or
omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating
to any Underwriter furnished in writing to the Company by such Underwriter
through you expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the foregoing
indemnity agreement with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure
to the benefit of any Underwriter who failed to deliver a Prospectus, as then
amended or supplemented, (so long as the Prospectus and any amendments or
supplements thereto was provided by the Company to the several Underwriters in
the requisite quantity and on a timely basis to permit proper delivery on or
prior to the Closing Date) to the person asserting any losses, claims, damages,
liabilities or judgments caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in such preliminary prospectus, or caused
by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if
such material misstatement or omission or alleged material misstatement or
omission was cured in the Prospectus, as so amended or supplemented, and such
Prospectus was required by law to be delivered at or prior to the written
confirmation of sale to such person.

         (b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the
Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, to the
same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to such Underwriter but
only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished in
writing to the Company by such Underwriter through you



                                       13
   14
expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the
Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any preliminary
prospectus.

         (c) In case any action shall be commenced involving any person in
respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 7(a) or 7(b) (the
"indemnified party"), the indemnified party shall promptly notify the person
against whom such indemnity may be sought (the "indemnifying party") in writing
and the indemnifying party shall assume the defense of such action, including
the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party and
the payment of all reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel, as incurred
(except that in the case of any action in respect of which indemnity may be
sought pursuant to both Sections 7(a) and 7(b), the Underwriter shall not be
required to assume the defense of such action pursuant to this Section 7(c), but
may employ separate counsel and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees
and expenses of such counsel, except as provided below, shall be at the expense
of such Underwriter). Any indemnified party shall have the right to employ
separate counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but
the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnified
party unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been specifically
authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (ii) the indemnifying party
shall have failed to assume the defense of such action or employ counsel
reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party or (iii) the named parties to
any such action (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnified
party and the indemnifying party, and the indemnified party shall have been
advised by such counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available
to it which are different from or additional to those available to the
indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party shall not have the
right to assume the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party).
In any such case, the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one
action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same
jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be
liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys (in
addition to any local counsel) for all indemnified parties and all such fees and
expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated
in writing by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation, in the case
of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 7(a), and by the Company, in the case
of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 7(b). The indemnifying party shall
indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified party from and against any and all
losses, claims, damages, liabilities and judgments by reason of any settlement
of any action (i) effected with the written consent of the indemnifying party or
(ii) effected without its written consent if the settlement is entered into more
than thirty business days after the indemnifying party shall have received a
request from the indemnified party for reimbursement for the fees and expenses
of counsel (in any case where such fees and expenses are at the expense of the
indemnifying party) and, prior to the date of such settlement, the indemnifying
party shall have failed to comply with such reimbursement request. No
indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified
party, effect any settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of
judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action in respect of which
the indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity or
contribution may be or could have been sought hereunder by the



                                       14
   15
indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes
an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability on claims
that are or could have been the subject matter of such action 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 the indemnified party.

         (d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is
unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses,
claims, damages, liabilities or judgments referred to therein, then each
indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall
contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result
of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and judgments (i) in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the
Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering
of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 7(d)(i) above is not
permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not
only the relative benefits referred to in clause 7(d)(i) above but also the
relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other
hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such
losses, claims, damages, liabilities or judgments, as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the
one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the
same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (after deducting
underwriting discounts and commissions, but before deducting expenses) received
by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by
the Underwriters, bear to the total price to the public of the Shares, in each
case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative
fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand
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
Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information
and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

         The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and
equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7(d) 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 in the immediately preceding paragraph. The
amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses,
claims, damages, liabilities or judgments referred to in the immediately
preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set
forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such indemnified party in
connection with investigating or defending any matter, including any action,
that could have given rise to such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
judgments. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter
shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the
total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public
were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such
Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No



                                       15
   16
person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section
11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations to
contribute pursuant to this Section 7(d) are several in proportion to the
respective number of Shares purchased by each of the Underwriters hereunder and
not joint.

         (e) The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and
shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any
indemnified party at law or in equity.

         SECTION 8. Indemnification of QIU. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless the QIU, its directors, its officers and each person, if any,
who controls the QIU within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20
of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities and judgments (including, without limitation, any legal or other
expenses incurred in connection with investigating or defending any matter,
including any action, that could give rise to any such losses, claims, damages,
liabilities or judgments) related to, based upon or arising out of (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto) or any preliminary prospectus, or any omission
or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) the
QIU's activities as QIU under its engagement pursuant to Section 2 hereof,
except in the case of this clause (ii) insofar as any such losses, claims,
damages, liabilities or judgments are found in a final judgment by a court of
competent jurisdiction, not subject to further appeal, to have resulted solely
from the willful misconduct or gross negligence of the QIU.

         (b) In case any action shall be commenced involving any person in
respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) (the "QIU
INDEMNIFIED PARTY"), the QIU Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Company
in writing and the Company shall assume the defense of such action, including
the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the QIU Indemnified Party
and the payment of all fees and expenses of such counsel, as incurred. Any QIU
Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such
action and participate in the defense thereof, but the reasonable fees and
expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the QIU Indemnified Party
unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been specifically
authorized in writing by the Company, (ii) the Company shall have failed to
assume the defense of such action or employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to
the QIU Indemnified Party or (iii) the named parties to any such action
(including any impleaded parties) include both the QIU Indemnified Party and the
Company, and the QIU Indemnified Party shall have been advised by such counsel
that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different
from or additional to those available to the Company (in which case the Company
shall not have the right to assume the defense of such action on behalf of the
QIU Indemnified Party). In any such case, the Company shall not, in connection
with any one action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in
the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or



                                       16
   17
circumstances, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate
firm of attorneys (in addition to any local counsel) for all QIU Indemnified
Parties, which firm shall be designated by the QIU, and all such fees and
expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. The Company shall indemnify
and hold harmless the QIU Indemnified Party from and against any and all losses,
claims, damages, liabilities and judgments by reason of any settlement of any
action (i) effected with the written consent of the Company or (ii) effected
without its written consent if the settlement is entered into more than thirty
business days after the Company shall have received a request from the QIU
Indemnified Party for reimbursement for the fees and expenses of counsel (in any
case where such fees and expenses are at the expense of the Company) and, prior
to the date of such settlement, the Company shall have failed to comply with
such reimbursement request. The Company shall not, without the prior written
consent of the QIU Indemnified Party, effect any settlement or compromise of, or
consent to the entry of judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened
action in respect of which the QIU Indemnified Party is or could have been a
party and indemnity or contribution may be or could have been sought hereunder
by the QIU Indemnified Party, unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i)
includes an unconditional release of the QIU Indemnified Party from all
liability on claims that are or could have been the subject matter of such
action 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 the QIU Indemnified Party.

         (c) To the extent the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is
unavailable to a QIU Indemnified Party or insufficient in respect of any losses,
claims, damages, liabilities or judgments referred to therein, then the Company,
in lieu of indemnifying such QIU Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the
amount paid or payable by such QIU Indemnified Party as a result of such losses,
claims, damages, liabilities and judgments (i) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one
hand and the QIU on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if
the allocation provided by clause 8(c)(i) above is not permitted by applicable
law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative
benefits referred to in clause 8(c)(i) above but also the relative fault of the
Company on the one hand and the QIU on the other hand in connection with the
statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages,
liabilities or judgments, as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand
and the QIU on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as
the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by
the Company as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, and
the fee received by the QIU pursuant to Section 2 hereof, bear to the sum of
such total net proceeds and such fee. The relative fault of the Company on the
one hand and the QIU on the other hand 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 QIU and the parties' relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission and whether the QIU's activities as QIU under its
engagement pursuant to Section 2 hereof involved any willful misconduct or gross
negligence on the part of the QIU.



                                       17
   18
         The Company and the QIU agree that it would not be just and equitable
if contribution pursuant to this Section 8(c) were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of
the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph.
The amount paid or payable by a QIU Indemnified Party as a result of the losses,
claims, damages, liabilities or judgments referred to in the immediately
preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set
forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such QIU Indemnified Party
in connection with investigating or defending any matter, including any action,
that could have given rise to such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or
judgments. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person
who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

         (d) The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and
shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any
QIU Indemnified Party at law or in equity.

         SECTION 9. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The several
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Firm Shares under this Agreement
are subject to the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:

         (a) All the representations and warranties of the Company contained in
this Agreement shall be true and correct on the Closing Date with the same force
and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date.

         (b) If the Company is required to file a Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement after the effectiveness of this Agreement, such Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., New York City
time, on the date of this Agreement; and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose shall have been commenced or shall be pending
before or threatened by the Commission.

         (c) You shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate dated the
Closing Date, signed by Alan K. Anderson and Susan Salvesen, in their capacities
as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company,
confirming the matters set forth in Sections 6(t), 9(a) and 9(b) and that the
Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the
conditions herein contained and required to be complied with or satisfied by the
Company on or prior to the Closing Date.

         (d) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus other than as set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any
amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement,
except for any amendments or supplements of which you had notice and to which
you did not object prior to their filing with the Commission), (i) there shall
not have occurred any change or any development involving a prospective change
in the condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings, business, management
or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries,



                                       18
   19
taken as a whole, (ii) there shall not have been any change or any development
involving a prospective change in the capital stock or in the long-term debt of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (iii) neither the Company nor any of
its subsidiaries shall have incurred any liability or obligation, direct or
contingent, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause 9(d)(i),
9(d)(ii) or 9(d)(iii), in your judgment, is material and adverse and, in your
judgment, makes it impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the
manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

         (e) You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion
(satisfactory to you and counsel for the Underwriters), dated the Closing Date,
of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP, counsel for
the Company, to the effect that:

                      (i) each of the Company, Nabnasset Corporation, the
         Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Acuity Corp., the Company's wholly
         owned subsidiary, and ______________________________________ has been
         duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good
         standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has
         the corporate power and authority to carry on its business as described
         in the Prospectus and to own, lease and operate its properties;

                      (ii) the Company is duly qualified and is in good standing
         as a foreign corporation in California and ________________; Nabnasset
         is duly qualified and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in
         Massachusetts; and Acuity is duly qualified and is in good standing as
         a foreign corporation in Texas; and each of such companies is otherwise
         duly qualified and is otherwise in good standing as a foreign
         corporation authorized to do business in each jurisdiction in which the
         nature of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires
         such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would
         not have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects,
         financial condition or results of operations of the Company and its
         subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

                      (iii) all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the
         Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are
         non-assessable and to such counsel's knowledge are fully-paid and not
         subject to any preemptive or similar rights;

                      (iv) All the outstanding shares of capital stock of the
         Company and options and other rights to acquire capital stock of the
         Company have been issued in compliance with the registration and
         qualification provisions of all applicable securities laws (or
         applicable exemptions thereof) other than federal or state antifraud
         laws;

                      (v) the Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued
         and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor as provided
         by this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and
         non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to
         any preemptive or similar rights contained in



                                       19
   20
         the Company's certificate of incorporation or by-laws or any agreement
         filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement;

                      (vi) all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of
         Nabnasset, Acuity and ___________________________ have been duly
         authorized and validly issued and are non-assessable, and to such
         counsel's knowledge are fully-paid and owned by the Company, directly
         or indirectly through one or more subsidiaries, free and clear of any
         security interest, claim, lien, encumbrance or adverse interest of any
         nature;

                      (vii) The acquisition of Acuity was completed on November
         __, 1999 in accordance with the terms of the Acuity Agreement. As a
         result of the acquisition, all of the issued and outstanding capital
         stock of Acuity is owned by the Company free and clear of any security
         interest, claim, lien, encumbrance or adverse interest of any nature,
         and to the knowledge of such counsel, no options, warrants or other
         rights to purchase shares of capital stock or ownership interests in
         Acuity are outstanding.

                      (viii) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed
         and delivered by the Company;

                      (ix) the authorized capital stock of the Company conforms
         as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in the
         Prospectus;

                      (x) the Registration Statement has become effective under
         the Act; and, to such counsel's knowledge (based solely on the oral
         advice from the Staff of the Commission), no stop order proceedings
         with respect thereto have been instituted or are pending or threatened
         under the Act;

                      (xi) the statements under the captions "Prospectus Summary
         - Acquisition of Acuity", "Risk Factors - the success of our business
         relies heavily on... Lucent Technologies", "Management --
         Indemnification", "-- Employment and Change of Control Agreements",
         "--Stock Plans", "Description of Capital Stock" and "Underwriting" in
         the Prospectus and [Items 14 and 15] of Part II of the Registration
         Statement, insofar as such statements constitute a summary of the legal
         matters, documents or proceedings referred to therein, fairly present
         the information called for with respect to such legal matters,
         documents and proceedings;

                      (xii) the execution, delivery and performance of this
         Agreement by the Company, the compliance by the Company with all the
         provisions hereof and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
         hereby will not (A) require any consent, approval, authorization or
         other order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental body
         or agency (except such as may be required under the securities or Blue
         Sky laws of the various states), (B) conflict with or constitute a
         breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or a default under, the
         charter or by-



                                       20
   21
         laws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any indenture, loan
         agreement, mortgage, lease or other agreement or instrument that is
         filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, to which the Company
         or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of
         its subsidiaries or their respective property is bound, (C) violate or
         conflict with any applicable federal, Delaware corporate or California
         law or any rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court or
         any governmental body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company,
         any of its subsidiaries or their respective property or (D) to such
         counsel's knowledge, result in the suspension, termination or
         revocation of any Authorization of the Company or any of its
         subsidiaries;

                      (xiii) such counsel does not know of any legal or
         governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company or
         any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of their respective
         property is subject that are required to be described in the
         Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described, or
         of any federal, Delaware corporate or California statutes, regulations,
         contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the
         Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to
         the Registration Statement that are not so described or filed as
         required;

                      (xiv) the Company is not and, after giving effect to the
         offering and 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;

                      (xv) to such counsel's knowledge, except as disclosed in
         the Prospectus there are no contracts, agreements or understandings
         between the Company and any person granting such person the right to
         require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with
         respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to
         include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the
         Registration Statement;

                      In addition, such opinion shall include statements to the
         effect that (A) such counsel believes that the Registration Statement
         and the Prospectus and any supplement or amendment thereto (except for
         the financial statements and other financial data included therein as
         to which no opinion need be expressed) comply as to form in all
         material respects with the Act, (B) such counsel has no reason to
         believe that at the time the Registration Statement became effective,
         the Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein (except
         for the financial statements and other financial data as to which such
         counsel need not express any belief) 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 and (C) such counsel has no reason to believe that at the
         time the Registration Statement became effective or on the date of this
         Agreement the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable
         (except for the financial statements and other financial data, as
         aforesaid) contains any untrue



                                       21
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         statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact
         necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
         circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and

                      (xvi) To such counsel's knowledge after due inquiry,
         neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice
         of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with
         respect to any of such intellectual property which, singly or in the
         aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or
         finding, would have a material adverse effect on the business,
         prospects, financial condition or results of operations of the Company
         and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

         The opinion of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin &
Hachigian, LLP., described in Section 9(e) above shall be rendered to you at the
request of the Company and shall so state therein.

         (f) You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion, dated the
Closing Date, of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation,
counsel for the Underwriters, as to the matters referred to in Sections 9(e)(v),
9(e)(viii), 9(e)(xi) (but only with respect to the statements under the caption
"Description of Capital Stock" and "Underwriting") and 9(e)(xvii).

         In giving such opinions with respect to the matters covered by the last
paragraph of Section 9(e) Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin &
Hachigian, LLP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation,
may state that their opinion and belief are based upon their participation in
the preparation of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendments
or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but
are without independent check or verification except as specified.

         (g) You shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing
Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to you, from Deloitte & Touche LLP,
independent public accountants, containing the information and statements of the
type ordinarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to Underwriters with
respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained
in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

         (h) The Company shall have delivered to you the agreements specified in
Section 2 hereof which agreements shall be in full force and effect on the
Closing Date.

         (i) The Shares shall have been duly listed for quotation on the Nasdaq
National Market.



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         (j) The Company shall not have failed on or prior to the Closing Date
to perform or comply with any of the agreements herein contained and required to
be performed or complied with by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date.

         The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase any Additional
Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option
Closing Date of such documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the
good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of such
Additional Shares and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional
Shares.

         SECTION 10. Effectiveness of Agreement and Termination. This Agreement
shall become effective upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the
parties hereto.

         This Agreement may be terminated at any time on or prior to the Closing
Date by you by written notice to the Company if any of the following has
occurred: (i) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or
international calamity or crisis or change in economic conditions or in the
financial markets of the United States or elsewhere that, in your judgment, is
material and adverse and, in your judgment, makes it impracticable to market the
Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus, (ii) the
suspension or material limitation of trading in securities or other instruments
on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board
of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade
or the Nasdaq National Market or limitation on prices for securities or other
instruments on any such exchange or the Nasdaq National Market, (iii) the
suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the
over-the-counter market, (iv) the enactment, publication, decree or other
promulgation of any federal or state statute, regulation, rule or order of any
court or other governmental authority which in your opinion materially and
adversely affects, or will materially and adversely affect, the business,
prospects, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (v) the declaration of a banking moratorium by
either federal or New York State authorities or (vi) the taking of any action by
any federal, state or local government or agency in respect of its monetary or
fiscal affairs which in your opinion has a material adverse effect on the
financial markets in the United States.

         If on the Closing Date or on an Option Closing Date, as the case may
be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase the
Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, which it has or they have
agreed to purchase hereunder on such date and the aggregate number of Firm
Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, which such defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more
than one-tenth of the total number of Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the
case may be, to be purchased on such date by all Underwriters, each
non-defaulting Underwriter shall be obligated severally, in the proportion which
the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite its name in Schedule I bears to the
total number of Firm Shares which all the non-defaulting Underwriters have
agreed to purchase, or in such



                                       23
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other proportion as you may specify, to purchase the Firm Shares or Additional
Shares, as the case may be, which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event
shall the number of Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, which
any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof be increased
pursuant to this Section 9 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of
Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, without the written
consent of such Underwriter. If on the Closing Date any Underwriter or
Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate
number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than
one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased by all
Underwriters and arrangements satisfactory to you and the Company for purchase
of such Firm Shares are not made within 48 hours after such default, this
Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting
Underwriter and the Company. In any such case which does not result in
termination of this Agreement, either you or the Company shall have the right to
postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order
that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an
Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to
purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with
respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate
number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such date, the non-defaulting
Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder
to purchase such Additional Shares or (ii) purchase not less than the number of
Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been
obligated to purchase on such date in the absence of such default. Any action
taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from
liability in respect of any default of any such Underwriter under this
Agreement.

         SECTION 11. Miscellaneous. Notices given pursuant to any provision of
this Agreement shall be addressed as follows: (i) if to the Company, to Quintus
Corporation, 47212 Mission Falls Court, Fremont, California 94539, Attention:
Chief Executive Officer, and (ii) if to any Underwriter or to you, to you c/o
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation, 277 Park Avenue, New York,
New York 10172, Attention: Syndicate Department, or in any case to such other
address as the person to be notified may have requested in writing.

         The respective indemnities, contribution agreements, representations,
warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters set
forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement shall remain operative and in full
force and effect, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares,
regardless of (i) any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof,
made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the officers or directors of any
Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter, any QIU Indemnified Party,
the Company, the officers or directors of the Company or any person controlling
the Company, (ii) acceptance of the Shares and payment for them hereunder and
(iii) termination of this Agreement.



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         If for any reason the Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the
Company as provided herein (other than as a result of any termination of this
Agreement pursuant to Section 10), the Company agrees to reimburse the several
Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and
disbursements of counsel) incurred by them. Notwithstanding any termination of
this Agreement, the Company shall be liable for all expenses which it has agreed
to pay pursuant to Section 5(i) hereof. The Company also agrees to reimburse the
several Underwriters, their directors and officers, any persons controlling any
of the Underwriters and the QUI Indemnified Parties for any and all fees and
expenses (including, without limitation, the fees disbursements of counsel)
incurred by them in connection with enforcing their rights hereunder (including,
without limitation, pursuant to Section 7 hereof).

         Except as otherwise provided, this Agreement has been and is made
solely for the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Company, the
Underwriters, the Underwriters' directors and officers, any controlling persons
referred to herein, the QIU Indemnified Parties, the Company's directors and the
Company's officers who sign the Registration Statement and their respective
successors and assigns, all as and to the extent provided in this Agreement, and
no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this
Agreement. The term "successors and assigns" shall not include a purchaser of
any of the Shares from any of the several Underwriters merely because of such
purchase.

         This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the
laws of the State of New York.

         This Agreement may be signed in various counterparts which together
shall constitute one and the same instrument.



                [Remainder of this page intentionally left blank]



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         Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement
between the Company and the several Underwriters.

                                                  Very truly yours,

                                                  QUINTUS CORPORATION

                                                  By:___________________________
                                                     Title:


DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE
  SECURITIES CORPORATION
DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS,
  a division of Dain Rauscher Incorporated
SG Cowen Securities Corporation
DLJdirect Inc.
Acting severally on behalf of
  themselves and the several
  Underwriters named in
  Schedule I hereto

By   DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE
         SECURITIES CORPORATION

   By____________________________________



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                                   Schedule I



                                                                 Number of
                                                                 Firm Shares
Underwriters                                                     To be Purchased
- ------------                                                     ---------------
                                                              
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities
  Corporation
DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS,
  a division of Dain Rauscher Incorporated
SG Cowen Securities Corporation
DLJdirect Inc.

                       Total