Document:

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                                                                    Exhibit 10.2
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                            SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENT

         THIS SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENT, dated as of November 1, 2001 (this
"Agreement"), by and between HOWARD JOHNSON & COMPANY, a Delaware corporation
("Howard Johnson"), and EBENX, INC., a Minnesota corporation ("eBenX"). All
capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meanings
ascribed thereto in the Asset Purchase Agreement (as defined below).

         WHEREAS, Howard Johnson and eBenX are parties to an Asset Purchase
Agreement dated as of October 19, 2001 between Howard Johnson and eBenX (the
"Asset Purchase Agreement") pursuant to which Howard Johnson has transferred to
eBenX substantially all of its assets and liabilities relating to Howard
Johnson's health and welfare services business (the "Transfer") pursuant to the
Asset Purchase Agreement;

         WHEREAS, in conjunction with the Transfer, certain systems
administration, desktop administration, data administration, hardware support,
software support, network support, application support, programming, help desk
and other systems support (consistent with current Howard Johnson operations)
services that were utilized by Howard Johnson in the operation of the health and
welfare services business are required by eBenX;

         WHEREAS, eBenX has requested the continuation of the Services by Howard
Johnson, from and after the date of Closing; and

         WHEREAS, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, Howard Johnson is
willing to provide, or to cause one or more of its Affiliates to provide, the
Services to eBenX, each upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
herein;

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants
hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto agree as follows:

                                   ARTICLE I

                                  THE SERVICES

         SECTION 1.01 Provision of Services. (a) Set forth in Exhibit A are the
systems administration, desktop administration, data administration, hardware
support, software support, network support, application support, programming,
help desk and other transferred and terminated systems support services relating
to the Business to be rendered by Howard Johnson to eBenX (each, a "Service"
and, collectively, the "Services") and certain functions and services relating
to the Business that shall be the responsibility of eBenX (each, a "Function"
and, collectively, the "Functions") from the Closing Date to the Conversion
Period (as defined below). Subject to the terms of this Agreement, Howard
Johnson shall use reasonable commercial efforts to provide, or cause to be
provided, Services to eBenX until the end of the Conversion Period (as defined
below) in a manner consistent with the manner and level of care

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with which such Services were performed by Howard Johnson or its Affiliates in
the conduct of the Business prior to the Closing Date; provided, however, that
with respect to system developments/modifications in web, IVR and Multiplan
related Services, including, but not limited to, those as set forth in Exhibit B
hereof, eBenX acknowledges that the above standard shall be proportionately
reduced with the reduction from 10 employees to 5 employees in staffing and the
reduction of other resources agreed to by eBenX.

                  (b) Howard Johnson shall, and shall cause its appropriate
         Affiliates to, use reasonable commercial efforts to assist in the
         transfer of responsibility, from Howard Johnson to eBenX, of the
         Services set out in Exhibit A as soon as reasonably practicable
         following 60 days after Closing, and, in any event, prior to the end of
         the Conversion Period or such later time as agreed to by Howard
         Johnson. eBenX shall notify Howard Johnson in writing when eBenX is
         prepared to transfer responsibility for providing the Services to a
         specific Client from Howard Johnson to eBenX. eBenX shall terminate the
         use of each Service set out in Exhibit A prior to the expiration of the
         Conversion Period. Except as provided in the Asset Purchase Agreement
         and the Ancillary Agreements, Howard Johnson shall have no obligation
         with respect to the Health and Welfare Services relating to the conduct
         of the Business (including but not limited to the Functions), other
         than the provision of the Services before the end of the Conversion
         Period.

                  (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this
         Agreement shall be construed as restricting Howard Johnson from
         operating any of its businesses or services in any manner they
         respectively determine to be proper or advisable; provided, however,
         that in the event the foregoing construction prevents or impairs (other
         than immaterially) the provision of any Service, Howard Johnson and
         eBenX shall cooperate with one another regarding the provision of such
         Service and Howard Johnson shall use reasonable commercial efforts to
         arrange for the provision of such Service.

                  (d) eBenX shall follow the policies, procedures and practices
         in effect before the date of this Agreement of which eBenX has
         knowledge (as defined herein), including, without limitation, providing
         information and documentation reasonably sufficient for Howard Johnson
         and/or its Affiliates to perform the Services in the manner provided as
         of the Closing, and making available, as reasonably requested by Howard
         Johnson and/or its Affiliates, sufficient resources and timely
         decisions, approvals and acceptances in order that Howard Johnson may
         perform its obligations under this Agreement in a timely and efficient
         manner. In addition, for the period that eBenX employees shall be
         utilizing the workspace of Howard Johnson, all such eBenX employees
         shall follow all codes relating to dress and behavior, as well as all
         workplace policies, of Howard Johnson in effect at such time. As used
         in this subsection (d), eBenX shall be deemed to have knowledge of (i)
         that information which has been presented to it in writing and (ii)
         after due inquiry, the actual knowledge of the Transferred Employees.

                  (e) The parties shall use good faith efforts to cooperate with
         each other in all matters relating to the provision and receipt of
         Services. Such cooperation shall include obtaining all consents,
         licenses or approvals necessary or required to permit each party to
         perform its obligations; provided, however, that Howard Johnson shall
         not be required to pay any amounts to any third parties or to grant any
         accommodation, financial or otherwise, to secure the same.

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                  (f) Each party shall appoint a representative to facilitate
         communications and performance under this Agreement, who shall have the
         authority to act for and bind such party in connection with all aspects
         of this Agreement. Each party shall have the right at any time and from
         time to time to replace its representative by giving notice to the
         other party setting forth the name of the replacement.

         SECTION 1.02 Term and Termination. (a) Howard Johnson shall continue to
make each Service available after Closing and through the end of 24 months from
Closing (the "Conversion Period").

                  (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement (or any
         portion of the Services rendered hereunder) may be terminated prior to
         the expiration of the Conversion Period by (i) eBenX, at any time upon
         not less than ninety (90) calendar days, prior written notice to Howard
         Johnson; or (ii) either party, at any time upon not less than 60
         calendar days after delivery of notice to the other party, in the event
         that the other party shall have defaulted on or breached any material
         term of this Agreement and shall not have cured such breach within 30
         calendar days after receiving notice from the party specifying the
         nature of such default or breach.

                  (c) This Agreement shall terminate at the end of the
         Conversion Period (or as otherwise earlier terminated pursuant to
         Section 2(b) above), and thereafter shall be of no further force and
         effect, except (i) Sections 1.06, 3.01 through 3.05, 4.02, 6.01 and
         7.03 shall survive the termination of this Agreement, (ii) nothing
         herein shall relieve either party hereto from liability for any gross
         negligence or willful breach hereof and (iii) any obligation to pay for
         the Services hereunder shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

         SECTION 1.03 Reimbursement and Payment for Services. (a) From the
Closing Date through to the end of the Conversion Period, eBenX will be
obligated to pay Howard Johnson for the Services a monthly fee equal to the
aggregate of all client costs, as set forth in Exhibit C, for all Transferred
Clients and all Terminated Clients whose termination is not effective until
after Closing for whom a Multiplan account is maintained by Howard Johnson. The
monthly fee shall be reduced, as of the first month following the month in which
responsibility for provision of Services to a specific Transferred Client has
been transferred to eBenX, by an amount equal to the variable costs allocated to
that Transferred Client as set forth in Exhibit C. Howard Johnson will present,
within 30 calendar days of the first Friday of each month, eBenX with monthly
invoices for the amount due in such month. eBenX shall pay (or cause to be paid)
each invoice within twenty Business Days of receipt. If responsibility for
provision of the Services has not been transferred to eBenX with respect to all
Transferred Clients by the end of the Conversion Period, Howard Johnson, at its
sole and absolute discretion, may choose to extend the term of this Agreement.
If Howard Johnson decides to extend the term of this Agreement, Howard Johnson
and eBenX shall, in good faith, enter into negotiations to determine the rates
for the Services to be provided during the period of such extension. If after a
reasonable period of time Howard Johnson and eBenX are unable to reach an
agreement on such rates, the parties hereby agree that the rate that eBenX shall
pay to Howard Johnson for such an extension shall be 150% of the fees set forth
above.

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                  (b) If Howard Johnson retains responsibility for provision of
         the Services with respect to: (i) 14 Transferred Clients as of the date
         that is 12 months after Closing, eBenX shall pay Howard Johnson
         $250,000; (ii) 10 Transferred Clients as of the date that is 20 months
         after Closing, eBenX shall pay Howard Johnson $250,000; or (iii) any of
         the Transferred Clients as of the date that is 24 months after Closing
         (the "Termination Date"), eBenX shall pay Howard Johnson $500,000 (the
         "Termination Penalty"); provided, however, that if, on the Termination
         Date, Howard Johnson has agreed in writing to continue to provide
         Services to all Transferred Clients for which it retains responsibility
         as of the Termination Date, Howard Johnson shall waive the Termination
         Penalty and, in its sole and absolute discretion, may negotiate with
         eBenX to enter into a limited extension of this Agreement with respect
         to such Transferred Clients. Any amounts owed to Howard Johnson by
         eBenX hereunder shall be paid within 30 days of the respective target
         date set forth above. If Services are suspended as a result of an
         occurrence under Section 3.01 or Howard Johnson's failure to provide
         Services in accordance with this Agreement (unless as a result of eBenX
         being unable to perform its Purchaser Functions hereunder), the dates
         set forth above shall all be extended by the amount of time such
         Services are suspended as a result of such occurrence.

                  (c) In addition to the payments set forth herein, eBenX shall
         be liable for, and shall indemnify Howard Johnson or its Affiliates, as
         applicable, for any sales and/or use tax, VAT, transfer tax, excise
         tax, tariff, duty or any other similar tax or payment in lieu thereof
         imposed by any governmental authority arising from the Services
         provided hereunder, or arising out of this Agreement. eBenX shall not
         be responsible for payment of any income, franchise, gross receipts or
         personal property taxes paid by Howard Johnson or its Affiliates as a
         result of this Agreement.

                  (d) If, at any time during the term of this Agreement, any Law
         or Governmental Order, rule, regulation or direction of any
         Governmental Authority, whether domestic or foreign, relating to the
         administration of the Services should be changed in a manner requiring
         modifications or updates to the systems being used by Howard Johnson to
         provide Services hereunder, which modifications or updates would not
         have been required but for Howard Johnson's obligation to provide
         Services hereunder (each a "Regulatory Charge"), in each such case,
         eBenX shall be obligated to pay Howard Johnson a fee based on the
         reasonable time expended (charged at Howard Johnson's standard hourly
         rates for the personnel involved) and expenses actually incurred by
         Howard Johnson for the modifications or updates made to the system in
         order to comply with each such Regulatory Change. As soon as
         commercially reasonable following the promulgation of any Regulatory
         Change, eBenX shall notify Howard Johnson in writing of the Regulatory
         Change, the effective date thereof and the proposed system
         modifications or updates. As soon as commercially reasonable after
         receipt of the eBenX notice, Howard Johnson shall provide to eBenX
         written notice of an estimate of the expected costs for such
         modifications or updates. eBenX may at its option either authorize
         Howard Johnson to effect the modification or notify Howard Johnson that
         it will terminate the Service in question on or before the effective
         date of the Regulatory Change. Any such authorization or notification
         by eBenx will be made in writing, and any failure to provide such
         authorization or notification within 7 days prior to the effective date
         of the Regulatory Change will be deemed to be an election by eBenx to
         terminate the Services in question on the effective date. Any such
         authorization to make modifications shall be provided to Howard Johnson
         promptly in order to afford Howard Johnson sufficient time to make such
         modifications or updates prior to the

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         effective date of the Regulatory Change. Howard Johnson shall bear no
         responsibility for any consequences stemming from eBenX's failure to
         provide timely authorization.

         SECTION 1.04 Employees. From time to time, Howard Johnson shall
designate up to 5 employees or qualified consultants to perform the Services
during normal Howard Johnson operating hours; provided, however, that Howard
Johnson exercises reasonable care in the selection of personnel and monitoring
of the provision of Services and the employees so designated have sufficient
skills and training to provide the Services as required by this Agreement.

         SECTION 1.05 Employee Termination. (a) If, within a period of 12 months
from the date of this Agreement, eBenX cancels any Service provided by Howard
Johnson in accordance with Section 1.02 and, as a direct result of such
cancellation, Howard Johnson terminates the employment of any employee(s) or
consultant(s) providing such Service, then eBenX shall reimburse Howard Johnson
for one-half of the costs, including, without limitations, any claims by such
employee(s) or consultant(s) arising out of such termination, incurred by Howard
Johnson relating to such termination; provided, however, that (i) each employee
involved in the termination must have directly performed the Services cancelled;
and (ii) eBenX shall have the right to employ the affected employee(s) in a
comparable position with eBenX and, in such event, shall not be responsible for
any portion of the costs incurred by Howard Johnson relating to the termination
of any employees that it so employs.

                  (b) If, at any time during the Term, Howard Johnson cancels
         any Service in accordance with Section 1.02, other than pursuant to a
         breach of this Agreement by eBenX, eBenX shall have the right to offer
         employment to and, as applicable, to employ any individual that
         directly performed such Service immediately prior to its cancellation.

         SECTION 1.06 Records. (a) During the term of this Agreement, and for a
period of 90 days thereafter, each party shall maintain complete and accurate
books and records relating to the Services and shall provide to the other party
copies of such records as may be reasonably requested by the other party. The
books and records of Howard Johnson shall contain an accurate record of all data
necessary for the proper computation of all costs to be paid to Howard Johnson
by eBenX under the terms of this Agreement.

                  (b) In the event that any Service is terminated pursuant to
         Section 1.02 of this Agreement, eBenX shall, within 30 days of such
         termination, return to Howard Johnson all documents, materials
         (including copies of all software provided to eBenX) and records
         relating to such terminated Services (and not used in connection with
         any continuing provision of Services by eBenX) and certify to eBenX
         that it has complied with this Section 1.06 in all respects.

                                   ARTICLE II

                                  ACCESS RIGHTS

         SECTION 2.01 Grant of Access. Subject to the terms and conditions of
this Agreement, Howard Johnson grants to eBenX a non-exclusive, limited right
during the Conversion Period to

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access the file services and Multiplan areas of Howard Johnson's proprietary
network system (the "Network") solely in connection with the provision of
Services by Howard Johnson. eBenX shall access the Network from its desktops
through a secure bridge or interface ("Interface") provided by Howard Johnson.

         SECTION 2.02 Scope of Access; Monitoring. eBenX shall ensure that only
its employees on a need-to-know basis shall access authorized portions of the
Network, in each case, solely in connection with the Services. eBenX shall not,
and shall ensure that no third party will, attempt to access the Network without
the express written permission of Howard Johnson. Howard Johnson shall have the
right, but not the obligation, to have any of its personnel, including any of
its database administrators, (i) audit and monitor eBenX's access to the Network
through any means available internally to Howard Johnson, and (ii) otherwise
ensure that eBenX complies with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

         SECTION 2.03 Restrictions. Nothing herein shall limit the right of
Howard Johnson to limit eBenX's access to authorized areas of the Network or
deny access to unauthorized areas of the Network. Nothing herein shall be
construed as granting eBenX any right to access the Network for purposes other
than in connection with the Services, or in any manner other than as expressly
set forth herein. Except to the extent expressly permitted herein, or by prior
written permission of Howard Johnson, eBenX shall not, and shall not allow any
third party to: (a) sublicense, transfer, assign, rent, lease, or otherwise
convey any right of access, or any right with respect thereto, to any third
party; (b) disassemble, decompile or otherwise reverse engineer all or any
portion of any software provided by Howard Johnson in connection with the
Services; or (c) reproduce any such software on any media without the written
permission of Howard Johnson. eBenX shall ensure the security of access to the
Network from any unauthorized access or use.

         SECTION 2.04 Access Protections. All interconnectivity by either party
to the computing systems and/or networks of the other party, and all attempts at
such interconnectivity, shall be only through the security gateways/firewalls of
the other party and through other security systems, protocols or devices as
agreed to by the parties. Neither party shall access, and will not permit
unauthorized persons to access, the computing systems and/or networks of the
other party without the other party's express written authorization, and any
such actual or attempted access shall be consistent with any such authorization.

         SECTION 2.05 Viruses. eBenX shall use the latest Virus definition
updates available of a mutually agreed Virus detection/scanning program in
connection with the access of the Network, and transmission of data or software
to eBenX systems will be performed from Virus protected systems and computers.
Howard Johnson shall, in accordance with its customary practices, use a Virus
detection/scanning program in connection with performing its Service obligations
hereunder. Upon detecting a Virus that is not immediately eliminated, all
attempts to access the other party's computing systems and/or networks shall
immediately cease and shall not resume until any such Virus has been eliminated.
Without limiting the foregoing, each party shall use reasonable commercial
efforts to avoid the transmission of any Virus from its own systems to the other
party's systems. In the event that a party determines that a Virus has been
transmitted to the systems or computers of the other party, such party shall
promptly notify such other party of the transmission and the nature of the
Virus. For purposes hereof, "Virus" means

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any computer instructions, devices or techniques that can or were designed to
threaten, infect, assault, vandalize, defraud, disrupt, damage, disable, alter,
inhibit or shut down software and/or a processing environment.

         SECTION 2.06 Disabling Access. Each party shall have the right to
disable the other party's access to such party's computing systems and/or
networks to protect such party's computing systems and/or networks from a Virus
or Disabling Device on the other party's computing systems and/or networks. In
the event of such disabling access, the party disabling such access shall give
the other party notice of such disabling access as soon as possible thereafter.
For the purposes hereof, "Disabling Device" means any computer software or
device maliciously intended to or capable of causing software to cease
functioning after a specific period of time or on a specific date or event.

         SECTION 2.07 Access to Source Code. In the event that eBenX reasonably
determines that it requires specific information concerning the functions and
operations relating to specific reports, information or other service provided
to a Client that is generated by Howard Johnson's Multiplan software, and eBenX
is not in the possession of or cannot acquire such information using reasonable
efforts and Howard Johnson is unable to provide such information promptly upon
request, Howard Johnson shall provide designated representatives of eBenX with
temporary access to relevant portions of the Multiplan source code for a
specific report or service for the limited purpose of acquiring the necessary
information. eBenX shall use the information provided through such disclosure
only for the purpose of providing services to Clients and the disclosure shall
be governed by all of the provisions of Article III below. eBenX shall not
reproduce or make copies of any such disclosure. Following such access, eBenX
shall promptly return to Howard Johnson all copies of the disclosed source code.
Nothing herein shall be construed as a license of such source code from Howard
Johnson to eBenX.

                                  ARTICLE III

                            CONFIDENTIALITY; SECURITY

         SECTION 3.01 Confidentiality Obligations. The parties acknowledge that
each party (in this capacity, a "Disclosing Party") has disclosed or will
disclose certain Confidential Information to the other party (in this capacity,
a "Receiving Party"). The Receiving Party acknowledges the confidential and
proprietary nature of the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party and
agrees not to reveal or disclose any Confidential Information of the Disclosing
Party for any purpose to any other person, or to use any Confidential
Information of the Disclosing Party for any purpose other than as contemplated
under this Agreement, in each case, without the prior written consent of the
Disclosing Party. The Receiving Party agrees to maintain adequate security
procedures and take reasonable precautions (no less rigorous than what the
Receiving Party takes with respect to its own comparable Confidential
Information) to prevent misuse, unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure or loss
of the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party. For purposes hereof,
"Confidential Information" means any information, oral or written, relating to
or disclosed in the course of the performance of this Agreement, that is not
generally known to the public or in the trade and is or should be reasonably
understood to be confidential or proprietary to the Disclosing Party, including
without limitation, compilations, data, studies or other documents incorporating
or developed from Confidential Information.

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"Confidential Information" of Howard Johnson includes all software and data
accessed by eBenX hereunder and access codes or other security devices used in
connection with such access. "Confidential Information" does not include
information that: (a) is, or becomes, known to the Receiving Party by lawful
means; (b) is generally available to the public through no act or omission by
the Receiving Party; (c) is developed by Receiving Party independent of any
Confidential Information it receives from the Disclosing Party; or (d) is
obtained by the Receiving Party from a Third Party free to make such a
disclosure without breach of any legal obligation.

         SECTION 3.02 Disclosure. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section
3.01, Confidential Information may be disclosed pursuant to any statute,
regulation, order, lawful subpoena or lawful document discovery request,
provided that prior written notice of such disclosure obligation or request is
furnished to the Disclosing Party as soon as practicable in order to afford the
Disclosing Party a reasonable opportunity to seek a protective order. If the
Disclosing Party is unable to obtain or does not seek a protective order and the
Receiving Party is legally compelled to disclose Confidential Information,
disclosure of such information, to the extent compelled or required under the
applicable statute, regulation, order, lawful subpoena or lawful document
discovery request, may be made without liability.

         SECTION 3.03 Unauthorized Disclosure. The Receiving Party shall
immediately notify the Disclosing Party upon discovery of any prohibited use or
disclosure of the Confidential Information, or any other breach of this Article
III by the Receiving Party, and shall fully cooperate with the Disclosing Party
to help the Disclosing Party regain possession of the Confidential Information
and prevent the further prohibited use or disclosure of the Confidential
Information.

         SECTION 3.04 Irreparable Injury. The Receiving Party acknowledges that
unauthorized disclosure of any Confidential Information will cause irreparable
injury to the Disclosing Party, and the Receiving Party hereby agrees that in
addition to monetary damages therefor, the Disclosing Party will be entitled to
an injunction or other equitable and provisional remedies to prevent or limit
that disclosure, without any obligation to post bond or other undertakings.

         SECTION 3.05 Privacy and Security. Without limiting the generality of
the foregoing confidentiality obligations, eBenX shall comply with all privacy
and security procedure and policies set forth by Howard Johnson regarding any
access to the Network.

                                   ARTICLE IV

                                 RESPONSIBILITY

         SECTION 4.01 Relationship of the Parties. The parties hereto are
independent contractors and no party is an employee, partner or joint venturer
of the other party. Under no circumstances shall any of the employees of either
party hereto be deemed to be employees of the other party for any purpose. No
party shall have the right to bind the other party to any agreement with a third
party or to represent itself as a partner or joint venturer of the other party.
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as: (a) an assumption by Howard
Johnson of any

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obligation to maintain or increase the sales or profits of eBenX, or otherwise
to assume responsibility for eBenX's operations; (b) an assumption by Howard
Johnson of any financial obligation of eBenX; (c) the creation of any
relationship of employment or agency between eBenX and employees or consultants
of Howard Johnson, its subsidiaries or associated companies; (d) an assumption
by Howard Johnson of any responsibility for the work performed by outside
suppliers employed by eBenX at the suggestion or recommendation of Howard
Johnson; or (e) the delegation of any function or authority of eBenX to Howard
Johnson. In all matters relating to this Agreement, each party hereto shall be
solely responsible for the acts of its own employees, and employees of one party
shall not be considered employees of the other party. Except as specifically
permitted by this Agreement, no party hereto or any of its employees shall have
any authority to negotiate, enter into any contract or incur any obligation, on
behalf of the other party.

         SECTION 4.02 Limitation on Liability. (a) (i) Neither Howard Johnson
nor any of its officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or
Affiliates shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it or
such person under or in connection with this Agreement, except that Howard
Johnson shall be liable for direct losses incurred by eBenX arising out of the
gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of Howard Johnson or any third
party retained by it or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents
or attorneys-in-fact in the performance of the Services; provided, however,
that, except as expressly limited in Article VI, with respect to the Transferred
Clients and those Terminated Clients whose termination is not effective until
after Closing who are receiving services under agreements originally executed by
Howard Johnson (the "Retained Clients"), Howard Johnson shall be liable for
direct losses incurred by eBenX relating to any claims by such Transferred
Clients and such Terminated Clients against eBenX arising out of the negligence,
willful misconduct or bad faith of Howard Johnson or any third party retained by
it or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents or
attorneys-in-fact in the performance of the Services. Neither Howard Johnson nor
its Affiliates nor any of their respective officers, directors, employees,
agents or attorneys-in-fact shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to
be taken by any third party, other than such third parties retained by Howard
Johnson or any of its Affiliates to perform any of the Services.

                           (ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Howard
                  Johnson, without good cause, intentionally refuses to provide
                  the Services which Howard Johnson is obligated to provide
                  under this Agreement, Howard Johnson will be liable to eBenX
                  for an amount equal to 150% of the amount by which the
                  expenses actually and reasonably incurred by eBenX to obtain
                  the Services that Howard Johnson refused to provide exceed the
                  amount eBenX reasonably expected Howard Johnson to charge for
                  such Services.

                  (b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, in the
         event that Howard Johnson commits an error with respect to or
         incorrectly performs or fails to perform any Service, at eBenX's
         request, Howard Johnson shall use reasonable commercial efforts to
         correct such error, re-perform or perform such Service.

                  (c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, neither
         Howard Johnson nor its Affiliates or any of their respective officers,
         directors, employees, agents or attorneys-in-fact shall be liable for
         losses incurred by eBenX for any action taken or omitted to be taken by
         Howard Johnson or such person under or in connection with this
         Agreement to the extent such

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         action or omission directly arises from actions or inactions of eBenX,
         including, without limitation, the failure of eBenX to perform any
         Function or any other function not included in the Services.

                  (d) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, howard johnson MAKES
         NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES OF ANY
         KIND, NATURE OR DESCRIPTION, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
         LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY
         PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND HOWARD JOHNSON HEREBY DISCLAIMS THE SAME.
         HOWARD JOHNSON HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT
         ACCESS TO THE NETWORK AND THE TRANSMISSION OF DATA THERETO AND
         THEREFROM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE.

                  (e) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, NEITHER PARTY SHALL
         IN ANY EVENT HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL,
         SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE
         SERVICES OR THIS AGREEMENT.

                                    ARTICLE V

                                  FORCE MAJEURE

         SECTION 5.01 Force Majeure. The obligations of Howard Johnson to
provide Services shall be suspended during the period and to the extent that
Howard Johnson is prevented or hindered from complying therewith by any Law or
Governmental Order, rule, regulation or direction of any Governmental Authority,
whether domestic or foreign, or by any cause beyond the reasonable control of
Howard Johnson, including acts of God, civil disturbances, accidents, acts of
war or conditions arising out of or attributable to war (whether declared or
undeclared), shortage of necessary equipment, materials or labor, or
restrictions thereon or limitations upon the use thereof ("Event of Force
Majeure"). In such event, Howard Johnson shall give notice of suspension as soon
as reasonably practicable to eBenX stating the date and extent of such
suspension and the cause thereof, and Howard Johnson shall resume the
performance of such obligations as soon as reasonably practicable after the
removal of the cause, and Howard Johnson shall so notify eBenX. In no event
shall eBenX be obligated to pay for any Services which are not being provided to
eBenX pursuant to this Section 5.01.

         SECTION 5.02 Written Notice. Howard Johnson can only claim an Event of
Force Majeure as an excuse from its performance hereunder if Howard Johnson has
given written notice to eBenX of such claim and if Howard Johnson makes a
continuing and good faith effort to lessen or avoid the effects of such Event of
Force Majeure on eBenX. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
Howard Johnson shall be liable for such failure or delay in the performance of
its obligations to the extent that such failure or delay was caused by the fault
or negligence of Howard Johnson.

                                       10
<PAGE>

                                   ARTICLE VI

                                 INDEMNIFICATION

         SECTION 6.01 Indemnification. (a) Howard Johnson hereby agrees to
defend, indemnify and hold harmless eBenX and its Affiliates and their
respective officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, "eBenX
Indemnitees") from and against any and all liabilities, losses, claims, damages,
and expenses of any nature, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of
or resulting from any default or breach by Howard Johnson in the performance of
its obligations under this Agreement or any failure by Howard Johnson to perform
its covenants hereunder or any third party claim against any eBenX Indemnitee.

                  (b) eBenX hereby agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless
         Howard Johnson and its Affiliates and their respective officers,
         directors, employees and agents (collectively, "Howard Johnson
         Indemnitees," and together with eBenX Indemnitees, the "Indemnities")
         from and against any and all liabilities, losses, claims, damages, and
         expenses of any nature, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising
         out of or resulting from any default or breach by eBenX in the
         performance of its obligations under this Agreement or any failure by
         eBenX to perform its covenants hereunder or any third party claim
         against any Howard Johnson Indemnitee or in the provision of services
         by eBenX to its customers, including, without limitation, any and all
         loss, liability, damage, cost or expense of a customer of eBenX.

                  (c) Claims for indemnification under Sections 6.01(a) and
         6.01(b) shall be made pursuant to the procedures set forth in Sections
         9.02(b) or 9.03(b), respectively, of the Asset Purchase Agreement.
         Nothing herein shall limit the rights to indemnification, or the
         obligations to indemnify, of the parties under the Asset Purchase
         Agreement.

                  (d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
         Agreement, the maximum amount of indemnifiable Losses which may be
         recovered from an Indemnitee arising out of or resulting from the
         causes set forth in (i) Section 6.01(a) shall be an amount equal to
         100% of the total annual charges to eBenX by Howard Johnson for the
         related Services provided pursuant to this Agreement, except that with
         respect to claims by Retained Clients arising out of, other than as set
         forth in this Article VI, the direct actions of Howard Johnson pursuant
         to this Agreement, such claims shall also be covered by the Insurance
         Policy described in subsection (e) hereof in addition to the amount set
         forth in this subsection (d), and (ii) Section 6.01(b) shall be amount
         equal to 100% of annual revenues from Client Agreements with Clients
         transferred from Howard Johnson.

                  (e) eBenX shall amend the current insurance policy of eBenX or
         purchase a new indemnification insurance policy from a third-party
         provider (the "Insurance Policy") to cover all claims by Retained
         Clients arising out of, other than as set forth in this Article VI, the
         direct actions of Howard Johnson. The fees, if any, for the Insurance
         Policy shall be divided equally between eBenX and Howard Johnson. In
         the event of a claim under the Insurance Policy, Howard Johnson will
         pay any deductible charges required by the Insurance Policy up to a
         maximum amount of $50,000 per claim.

                                       11
<PAGE>

                  (f) eBenX acknowledges and agrees that (i) Howard Johnson and
         its personnel shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever for any
         actions or omissions by eBenX made at the request, initiation or under
         the direction of eBenX, including, without limitation, any errors or
         omissions arising out of or related to processes or programming, or
         modifications thereof, requested, initiated or directed by eBenX that
         have not been reasonably verified by eBenX, and (ii) for the avoidance
         of any doubt, the indemnity obligations of Howard Johnson hereunder
         shall not apply to any liabilities, losses, claims, including third
         party claims, damages, expenses of any nature, including attorney's
         fees, arising out of or relating to such actions or omissions set forth
         in clause (i) above.

                                   ARTICLE VII

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

         SECTION 7.01 Expenses. Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement,
all costs and expenses, including, without limitation, fees and disbursements of
counsel, financial advisors and accountants, incurred in connection with this
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party
incurring such costs and expenses.

         SECTION 7.02 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other
communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and
shall be deemed to have been duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in
person, by an internationally recognized overnight courier service, by telecopy
or by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested)
to the respective parties at the following addresses (or at such other address
for a party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this
Section 7.02):

                  (a)      if to Howard Johnson:

                           Howard Johnson & Company

                           c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
                           222 Broadway
                           17th Floor
                           New York, NY  10019

                           Telecopy:  (212) 670-4819
                           Attention:  Mark B. Goldfus, Esq.

                           with a copy to:

                           Shearman & Sterling
                           599 Lexington Avenue
                           New York, NY  10022-6069
                           Telecopy:  (212) 848-7179
                           Attention:  John A. Marzulli, Jr., Esq.

                                       12
<PAGE>

                  (b)      if to eBenX:

                           eBenX, Inc.
                           605 North Highway 169
                           Suite 1200
                           Minneapolis, MN  55441
                           Telecopy:  (763) 614-2025
                           Attention:  Chief Financial Officer

                           with a copy to:

                           Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP
                           260 South Broad Street
                           Philadelphia, PA  19102
                           Telecopy:  (215) 568-6603
                           Attention: Lawrence D. Rovin, Esq.

         SECTION 7.03 Public Announcements; Confidentiality. Each party agrees
to comply with Section 11.03 of the Asset Purchase Agreement and each will use
reasonable best efforts, including notifying their respective employees, to keep
confidential the contents of the other party's respective information systems to
which such party's employees may have access.

         SECTION 7.04 Headings. The descriptive headings contained in this
Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect in any way
the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

         SECTION 7.05 Severability. If any term or other provision of this
Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any law or
public policy, all other terms and provisions of this Agreement shall
nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal
substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner
materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other
provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto
shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the
original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in
order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally
contemplated to the greatest extent possible.

         SECTION 7.06 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire
agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and
supersedes all prior agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, with
respect to the subject matter hereof.

         SECTION 7.07 Assignment. This Agreement may not be assigned by
operation of law or otherwise without the express written consent of Howard
Johnson and eBenX (which consent may be granted or withheld in the sole
discretion of Howard Johnson or eBenX); provided, however, that eBenX may assign
this Agreement or any of its rights and obligations hereunder to one or more
Affiliates of eBenX without the consent of Howard Johnson, however, eBenX
remains liable hereunder; provided further that this Agreement may, due to the
sale of all or substantially all the assets of a party to a third party
purchaser, be assigned to such third party

                                       13
<PAGE>

purchaser without the written consent of the other party hereto. Any attempted
assignment in violation of this provision is void.

         SECTION 7.08 No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement shall be
binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
permitted assigns and nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or
shall confer upon any other Person, including, without limitation, any union or
any employee or former employee of Howard Johnson, any legal or equitable right,
benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, any
rights of employment for any specified period, under or by reason of this
Agreement.

         SECTION 7.09 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and
construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to
contracts executed in and to be performed in that State.

         SECTION 7.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or
more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts,
each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which
taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

         SECTION 7.11 Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby
waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any right it may have
to a trial by jury with respect to any litigation directly or indirectly arising
out of, under or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement. Each of the parties hereto (a) certifies that no
representative, agent or attorney of any other party has represented, expressly
or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of litigation, seek
to enforce that foregoing waiver and (b) acknowledges that it and the other
party hereto have been induced to enter into this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, as applicable, by, among other things, the
mutual waivers and certifications in this Section 7.11.

         SECTION 7.12 Arbitration. Except for the right to injunctive relief
under Section 6 of this Agreement, for which judicial relief shall remain
available, any dispute, controversy or claim (a "Claim") that cannot be resolved
by the parties arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the services
covered by this Agreement shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the
Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA")
upon notice (the "Arbitration Notice") of submission given by either Howard
Johnson or eBenx to the other in accordance with subsection (i) hereof, and
judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be entered in any court
having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitration shall be held Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, if a claim is brought by Howard Johnson or in New York County, New
York, if a claim is brought by eBenX or in such other location as the parties
may mutually agree upon. The arbitration will be conducted before a panel of
three arbitrators, with one arbitrator named by each party within 15 days of
receipt of Arbitration Notice by the non-initiating party and the third named by
the two party-appointed arbitrators, or (if they should fail to agree on the
third within 15 days after the two party-appointed arbitrators have been named)
by the AAA. The arbitrators may not award non-monetary or equitable relief of
any sort. They shall have no power to award punitive damages or any other
damages not measured by the prevailing party's actual damages. The decision of
the arbitrators made in writing shall be final and binding upon the parties
hereto; provided, however, that the award and judgment of the

                                       14
<PAGE>

arbitrators shall have no binding or precedential effect with respect to any
other controversy not before the arbitrators, whether or not similar to or
related to the specific controversy decided by the arbitrators. All aspects of
the arbitration shall be treated as confidential. Neither the parties nor the
arbitrators may disclose the existence, content or results of the arbitration,
except as necessary to comply with legal or regulatory requirements. Before
making any such disclosure, a party shall give written notice to all other
parties and shall afford such parties a reasonable opportunity to protect their
interests. The expenses of arbitration, including reasonable compensation to the
arbitrators, shall be borne equally by the parties hereto, except that each
party shall bear the compensation and expenses of its own counsel and employees.

                                       15
<PAGE>

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their respective authorized signatory thereunto duly authorized as
of the date first above written.

                                      HOWARD JOHNSON & COMPANY

                                      By:  /s/  Paul T. Dully
                                           --------------------
                                           Paul T. Dully
                                           Chief Financial Officer

                                      EBENX, INC.

                                      By:  /s/  John J. Davis
                                           --------------------
                                           John J. Davis
                                           President and Chief Financial Officer<PAGE>

                                                                    Exhibit 10.3
                                                                    ------------

                          TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT

         THIS TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT, dated as of November 1, 2001 (this
"Agreement"), by and between HOWARD JOHNSON & COMPANY, a Delaware corporation
("Howard Johnson"), and EBENX, INC., a Minnesota corporation ("eBenX").

         WHEREAS, Howard Johnson and eBenX are parties to an Asset Purchase
Agreement, dated as of October 19, 2001 (the "Asset Purchase Agreement") (all
capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings set
forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement), pursuant to which Howard Johnson has
transferred (the "Transfer") to eBenX substantially all of its assets and
liabilities relating to Howard Johnson's health and welfare services business
(the "Business");

         WHEREAS, in conjunction with the Transfer, the transition of certain
functions and services from Howard Johnson to eBenX will be required over a
period of time following the Transfer; and

         WHEREAS, the parties have agreed to the procedures for such transition
upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein;

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants
hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto agree as follows:

                                   ARTICLE I

                                  THE SERVICES

         SECTION 1.01 Provision of Howard Johnson Services.

         (a) The following are the transition services relating to the Business
to be rendered by Howard Johnson and/or its Affiliates to eBenX (each, a
"Service" and, collectively, the "Services"):

         (i)      Finance and Accounting:

                  1.       Howard Johnson will provide support and access to the
                           AEGIS billing system through March 31, 2002. eBenX
                           may extend these services through June 30, 2002 by
                           written notice to Howard Johnson no later than
                           January 31, 2002. Set-up costs incurred by Howard
                           Johnson to add eBenX to the AEGIS billing system
                           shall be paid by eBenX. Such costs, estimated to be,
                           but not limited to, approximately $10,000, will be
                           set forth in the billing statement described in
                           Section 1.05(a) hereof.

                                       1
<PAGE>

                  2.       Howard Johnson will provide support and access to the
                           EZBill system through July 31, 2002 or such earlier
                           date selected by eBenX on at least 60 days' advance
                           written notice.

                  3.       Howard Johnson shall use reasonable commercial
                           efforts to provide such information as may be
                           required by eBenX and its auditors in connection with
                           the preparation of pro forma and actual financial
                           statements with respect to the Transfer and that
                           portion of fiscal year 2001 following the Transfer.

                  4.       Howard Johnson shall use reasonable commercial
                           efforts to provide support for eBenX's Accounts
                           Receivable collection efforts described in Section
                           1.01(f) below.

         (ii)     Compensation and Benefits; COBRA. (A) Notwithstanding anything
                  to the contrary in the Asset Purchase Agreement, each
                  Transferred Employee shall, solely for purposes of
                  administering the payment of such Transferred Employee's base
                  compensation from the Closing Date through November 6, 2001 or
                  such other time as the parties hereto shall mutually agree
                  (the "Transition Date"), remain on Howard Johnson's payroll
                  through the Transition Date, and eBenX shall reimburse Merrill
                  Lynch & Co. ("Merrill Lynch") for all payroll expenses as set
                  forth herein for the period from November 1, 2001 through the
                  Transition Date (the "Transitional Salary"); provided,
                  however, that each Transferred Employee shall, for all other
                  purposes, be deemed an employee of eBenX as of the Closing
                  Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the
                  contrary in the Asset Purchase Agreement, the individual
                  listed on Exhibit A hereof shall remain an employee of Howard
                  Johnson until such time as the parties hereto shall mutually
                  agree (the "Extension Period"), and eBenX shall reimburse
                  Merrill Lynch for the expenses as set forth as an
                  approximation on Exhibit A hereof (and updated by Howard
                  Johnson before such payment is made by eBenX) (the "Extension
                  Expenses") related to such individual's continued employment
                  with Howard Johnson for the period from November 1, 2001
                  through the end of the Extension Period as set forth herein;
                  provided, however, that such individual shall, for all other
                  purposes, be deemed an employee of eBenX as of the Closing
                  Date. eBenX shall remit to Howard Johnson an amount equal to
                  the aggregate Transitional Salary plus the Extension Expenses
                  paid to all Transferred Employees as set forth as an
                  approximation on Exhibit A hereof (and updated by Howard
                  Johnson before such payment is made by eBenX) plus the
                  employer portion of FICA and other applicable federal payroll
                  taxes associated with such payment upon submission to eBenX by
                  Howard Johnson of the billing statement set forth in Section
                  1.05(a) hereof.

                           (B) For the period commencing on the Closing Date
                  through November 30, 2001, each Transferred Employee shall be
                  eligible to continue to participate in the medical (excluding
                  health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts),
                  dental, life and accidental death or dismemberment plans
                  provided by an Affiliate of Howard Johnson, in which he or she
                  participated

                                       2
<PAGE>

                  immediately prior to the Closing Date, on the same terms and
                  conditions applicable to employees of Howard Johnson whose
                  employment is terminated other than on the last day of a
                  calendar month. eBenX shall reimburse Merrill Lynch, upon
                  submission to eBenX by Howard Johnson of the billing statement
                  set forth in Section 1.05(a) hereof, for the employer portion
                  of the premiums applicable to the continuation of such
                  coverage for the period from November 1, 2001 through November
                  30, 2001 as set forth as an approximation on Exhibit A hereof
                  (and updated by Howard Johnson before such payment is made by
                  eBenX) plus all reasonable costs and expenses associated with
                  the administration of such premium payments.

                           (C) For the period commencing on December 1, 2001
                  through December 31, 2001 (the "Benefits Transition Period"),
                  each Transferred Employee shall be eligible to continue his or
                  her coverage under the medical and dental plans provided by an
                  Affiliate of Howard Johnson, in which he or she participated
                  immediately prior to the Closing Date, under Section 4980B(f)
                  of the Code ("COBRA Coverage"). eBenX shall pay the same
                  employer portion of the applicable premiums for providing
                  COBRA Coverage during the Benefits Transition Period that
                  would have been payable by Merrill Lynch had such Transferred
                  Employee remained employed by Howard Johnson. Each Transferred
                  Employee shall pay the employee portion of the applicable
                  premiums for providing his or her COBRA Coverage during the
                  Benefits Transition Period. Howard Johnson shall be
                  responsible for providing each Transferred Employee with the
                  appropriate forms and processing such forms to effect such
                  Transferred Employee's COBRA coverage by this Section
                  1.01(a)(ii)(C).

                           (D) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this
                  clause (ii), the Transferred Employees shall not be entitled
                  to any compensation or benefits or to participate in any
                  employee benefit programs of Howard Johnson or its Affiliates
                  on or after the Closing Date.

         (iii)    FAS 106 Support. eBenX shall collect all revenues related to
                  FAS 106 opinions from Transferred Clients and those Terminated
                  Clients whose termination is not effective until after Closing
                  related to the fiscal year ending 2001. Howard Johnson shall
                  be conduct all work for, and shall charge eBenX for, expenses
                  incurred for the retirement related FAS 106 opinion work
                  related to the fiscal year ending 2001 as outlined in Exhibit
                  B. eBenx shall be conduct all work for all health and welfare
                  or retirement FAS 106 opinion work for fiscal year 2002, and
                  thereafter, and eBenX may, in its sole discretion, choose to
                  contract with Howard Johnson to support such work.

         (iv)     Real Estate. (A) Howard Johnson hereby grants to eBenX a
                  license (the "License") to use the Licensed Space (as
                  hereinafter defined) as a temporary work area for its
                  Transferred Employees engaged in the Business, who, on the
                  date hereof, are located in such Licensed Space, such License
                  to take effect upon the later of (1) the Closing and (2) if
                  necessary, the obtaining of any consent of any overlandlord
                  (each, a "Consent") to the License. If any Consent is not
                  obtained

                                       3
<PAGE>

                  or, in the case of Chicago (as hereinafter defined) or Second
                  Avenue (as hereinafter defined), a sublease is not executed
                  and delivered by Howard Johnson and eBenX, in either case,
                  within 30 days after the Closing, the portion of the Licensed
                  Space to which such Consent or sublease, as applicable,
                  relates shall no longer be considered a part of the Licensed
                  Space. The "Licensed Space" shall be such portion as Howard
                  Johnson and eBenX shall mutually agree of the premises leased
                  by Howard Johnson or Merrill Lynch (as hereinafter defined),
                  as the case may be, at one or more of the following
                  properties: 300 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606
                  ("Chicago"); 1201 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101;
                  1191 Second Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101 ("Second
                  Avenue"); 1700 Seventh Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101, and
                  50 Fremont Street, San Francisco, California 94105 ("San
                  Francisco"). The License shall expire as to any Licensed Space
                  upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the execution and delivery
                  of, and the receipt of any necessary consents for, a sublease
                  of such Licensed Space, all as contemplated by Section 5.14 of
                  the Asset Purchase Agreement and, in the case of that portion
                  of the Licensed Space leased by Merrill Lynch, the consent
                  contemplated by clause (H) hereof; (2) the thirtieth day after
                  delivery by eBenX to Howard Johnson of notice of its intention
                  to terminate the License as to such Licensed Space; and (3)
                  one (1) year following the Closing with respect to Second
                  Avenue; December 31, 2001 with respect to San Francisco and
                  the one hundred eightieth day after the Closing with respect
                  to all other Licensed Space.

                           (B) During the term of the License, eBenX shall be
                  responsible for, and shall pay to Howard Johnson, all costs
                  and expenses attributable to the Licensed Space as set forth
                  on Exhibit C hereof, all such amounts being payable within ten
                  (10) days of demand therefor.

                           (C) The License is and shall at all times be subject
                  and subordinate to the applicable lease of the Licensed Space,
                  and eBenX agrees to comply with all of the terms of said lease
                  as applicable to the Licensed Space as fully and completely
                  and with the same force and effect as if set forth at length
                  herein.

                           (D) eBenX accepts the Licensed Space in its "AS IS"
                  condition on the date hereof, and agrees that Howard Johnson
                  shall not be required to construct any improvements in or make
                  warranties with respect to the condition of the Licensed
                  Space. eBenX shall not make any repairs, alterations,
                  installations or improvements to the Licensed Space without
                  the prior written consent of Howard Johnson, which may be
                  withheld for any reason or for no reason whatsoever.

                           (E) eBenX shall use the Licensed Space only for
                  general office use and other uses reasonably related thereto.
                  eBenX shall not store any garbage or refuse in the Licensed
                  Space. eBenX shall not create any nuisance in or about the
                  applicable building or the Licensed Space. eBenX shall not be
                  permitted to enter any areas within the applicable building,
                  other than the Licensed Space and the common areas, without
                  the prior consent of Howard Johnson in each instance.

                                       4
<PAGE>

                           (F) If eBenX shall fail to (i) pay any amounts
                  payable hereunder with respect to such License within 10 days
                  after the date due or (ii) perform any of its other
                  obligations under the License, and such failure continues for
                  a period of 30 days (unless such default cannot reasonably be
                  cured within such 30-day period, in which case such period
                  shall be extended as long as eBenX has commenced the curing of
                  such default and thereafter prosecutes the curing of same with
                  diligence), Howard Johnson shall have the option to revoke the
                  License.

                           (G) Upon any default hereunder by eBenX with respect
                  to any of the Licensed Space or upon a failure by eBenX to
                  vacate any of the Licensed Space after the termination or
                  expiration of the License relating thereto, Howard Johnson
                  shall have all remedies available at law or in equity to a
                  landlord of real property.

                           (H) The parties acknowledge that a portion of the
                  Licensed Space is premises currently leased by Merrill Lynch,
                  Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("Merrill Lynch"). Howard
                  Johnson shall request the consent of Merrill Lynch to a
                  license of the applicable Licensed Space to Howard Johnson and
                  the sublicense of such Licensed Space to eBenX upon the terms
                  herein set forth. If Merrill Lynch grants such consent, such
                  premises shall be deemed a portion of the Licensed Space,
                  subject to and upon all of the terms hereof.

                           (I) Howard Johnson shall use reasonable commercial
                  efforts to obtain each Consent required in connection with the
                  License, but shall be not required to (i) expend any funds
                  (other than reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements of
                  Howard Johnson and any such overlandlord), (ii) initiate any
                  legal proceeding to compel any such Consent or (iii) agree to
                  any amendment or modification of its lease of the Licensed
                  Space.

         (b) Howard Johnson and eBenX shall use reasonable commercial efforts
to, and shall use reasonable commercial efforts to cause their Affiliates to,
cooperate in the transfer of responsibility from Howard Johnson to eBenX of each
of the Services, other than those Services set forth in Section 1.01(a)(iv),
described above as soon as reasonably practicable following 60 days after
Closing, and, in any event, prior to the end of the time periods set forth
above. eBenX shall notify Howard Johnson in writing when eBenX is prepared to
transfer responsibility for specific Services from Howard Johnson to eBenX.

         (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Agreement
shall be construed as restricting Howard Johnson or its Affiliates from
operating any of its businesses or services in any manner they respectively
determine to be proper or advisable; provided, however, that in the event the
foregoing construction prevents or impairs (other than immaterially) the
provision of any Service, Howard Johnson and eBenX shall cooperate with one
another regarding the provision of such Service and Howard Johnson or eBenX, as
the case may be, shall use reasonable commercial efforts to arrange for the
provision of such Service.

         (d) eBenX shall follow the policies, procedures and practices in effect
before the date of this Agreement of which eBenX has knowledge (as defined
herein), including,

                                       5
<PAGE>

without limitation, providing information and documentation reasonably
sufficient for Howard Johnson and/or its Affiliates to perform the Services in
the manner provided as of the Closing, and making available, as reasonably
requested by Howard Johnson and/or its Affiliates, sufficient resources and
timely decisions, approvals and acceptances in order that Howard Johnson may
perform its obligations under this Agreement in a timely and efficient manner.
In addition, for the period that eBenX employees shall be utilizing the
workspace of Howard Johnson, all such eBenX employees shall follow all codes
relating to dress and behavior, as well as all workplace policies, of Howard
Johnson in effect at such time. As used in this subsection (d), eBenX shall be
deemed to have knowledge of (i) that information which has been presented to it
in writing and (ii) after due inquiry, the actual knowledge of the Transferred
Employees.

         (e) The parties shall use good faith efforts to cooperate with each
other in all matters relating to the provision and receipt of Services. Such
cooperation shall include obtaining all consents, licenses or approvals
necessary or required to permit each party to perform its obligations; provided,
however, that Howard Johnson or its Affiliates shall not be required to pay any
amounts to any third parties or to grant any accommodation, financial or
otherwise, to secure the same.

         (f) Each party shall appoint a representative to facilitate
communications and performance under this Agreement, who shall have the
authority to act for and bind such party in connection with all aspects of this
Agreement. Each party shall have the right at any time and from time to time to
replace its representative by giving notice to the other party setting forth the
name of the replacement.

         (g) Commencing immediately following the Transfer, eBenX shall, for a
period up to 90 days from Closing, have the sole right on behalf of Howard
Johnson to collect Receivables due to Howard Johnson from Transferred Clients
and those Terminated Clients whose termination is not effective until after
Closing ("Transferred Client Receivables") in accordance with the following:

         (i)      Howard Johnson shall provide to eBenX copies of all material
                  records related to Transferred Client Receivables.

         (ii)     In order to maintain continuous relations with its customers,
                  eBenX agrees to bill and use reasonable commercial efforts in
                  good faith to collect the Transferred Client Receivables in
                  the normal and regular course of eBenX's business, consistent
                  with its normal practices and policies for collection of
                  accounts receivable.

         (iii)    eBenX will apply all amounts collected on the Transferred
                  Client Receivables to the Transferred Client Receivables in
                  the manner specified by such Transferred Client from whom they
                  are collected. In the event the Transferred Client does not
                  specify the application of a payment, or there is a question
                  regarding the appropriate application of any amount collected,
                  eBenX and Howard Johnson will work in good faith with the
                  Transferred Client to determine the appropriate allocation of
                  such collected Transferred Client Receivables. eBenX will not
                  and

                                       6
<PAGE>

                  will not permit its employees or agents to instruct, suggest
                  or request that a Transferred Client pay for goods sold or
                  services rendered by eBenX prior to payment for Transferred
                  Client Receivables; provided that the foregoing shall not
                  restrict eBenX and its employees or agents -------- from
                  requesting payment for goods or services rendered by eBenX so
                  long as they do not suggest delaying payment for Transferred
                  Client Receivables.

         (iv)     The amounts of the Transferred Client Receivables that are
                  collected by eBenX shall be distributed by eBenX as follows:

                  (A)      For all amounts of the Transferred Client Receivables
                           with a balance under 90 days past due at Closing,
                           100% of such amounts shall be remitted to Howard
                           Johnson;

                  (B)      For all amounts of the Transferred Client Receivables
                           with a balance between 90 and 180 days past due at
                           Closing, 85% of such amounts shall be remitted to
                           Howard Johnson and 15% of such amounts shall be
                           retained by eBenX; and

                  (C)      For all amounts of the Transferred Client Receivables
                           with a balance over 180 days past due at Closing,
                           two-thirds of such amounts shall be remitted to
                           Howard Johnson and one-third of such amounts shall be
                           retained by eBenX;

                  provided, however, that (x) for a period of 90 days from the
                  Closing Date, 100% of all Transferred Client Receivables
                  collected by eBenX from Pitney Bowes shall be remitted to
                  Howard Johnson and (y) after such 90 day period, the
                  Transferred Client Receivables collected by eBenX shall be
                  allocated as set forth in clause (A), (B) and (C) of this
                  subsection 1.01(g)(iv).

         (v)      All proceeds from such Transferred Client Receivables that are
                  addressed to eBenX shall be remitted to Howard Johnson on each
                  delivery date of the Monthly Report described in clause (vi)
                  below. Each such payment shall be made by certified or
                  cashiers' check or wire transfer as Howard Johnson shall
                  reasonably request. All proceeds from such Transferred Client
                  Receivables that are addressed to Howard Johnson or its
                  Affiliate shall be remitted to Howard Johnson within five (5)
                  Business Days after receipt by eBenX. On the delivery date of
                  the Monthly Report, any unpaid payments of Transferred Client
                  Receivables that are addressed to Howard Johnson or its
                  Affiliate held by eBenX shall therewith be paid to Howard
                  Johnson.

         (vi)     eBenX agrees to credit all outstanding Transferred Client
                  Receivables when paid and to deliver such sums to Howard
                  Johnson as provided for herein without any set-off, recoupment
                  or claim against such amounts from any cause whatsoever.

         (vii)    eBenX shall deliver to Howard Johnson a statement or report
                  (the "Monthly Report") presenting all collected Transferred
                  Client Receivables in the previous month. Such Monthly Report
                  shall show all Transferred Client Receivables

                                       7
<PAGE>

                  collected in the previous month. All unpaid amounts of
                  Transferred Client Receivables held by eBenX shall be paid to
                  Howard Johnson with the delivery of such Monthly Report. The
                  delivery date of the initial Monthly Report shall be 30 days
                  after the Closing Date. The delivery date of each subsequent
                  Monthly Report shall be 30 days following the delivery of the
                  prior Monthly Report.

         (viii)   10 business days after receipt of the Monthly Report, Howard
                  Johnson shall pay to eBenX all unpaid amounts, pursuant to
                  subsections (iv) and (ix) hereof, of Transferred Client
                  Receivables held by Howard Johnson.

         (ix)     The sole right of eBenX to collect Transferred Client
                  Receivables shall expire 90 days from Closing (the "Collection
                  Period"); provided that if eBenX has collected at least 75% of
                  the Transferred Client Receivables outstanding which are less
                  than 90 days past due at Closing, the Collection Period shall
                  be extended for an additional 90 days; provided, further, that
                  Howard Johnson may elect to take sole control of collecting
                  Transferred Client Receivables from any Transferred Client
                  from which eBenX has not collected at least 50% of the
                  applicable Transferred Client Receivables which are less than
                  90 days past due. Howard Johnson may accept payments for
                  Transferred Client Receivables remitted directly to Howard
                  Johnson and shall report such payments to eBenX. From and
                  after the Collection Period, the collection of Transferred
                  Client Receivables shall be the dual responsibility of eBenX
                  and Howard Johnson; provided, however, that Howard Johnson
                  shall have the right, upon written notice to eBenX, to contact
                  any Transferred Client at its sole discretion. From and after
                  the Collection Period, (A) Merrill Lynch shall retain 100% of
                  any Transferred Client Receivables collected by Merrill Lynch
                  and (B) eBenX shall remit to Howard Johnson two-thirds, and
                  retain one-third, of any Transferred Client Receivables
                  collected by eBenX. Howard Johnson shall have the right, upon
                  written notice to eBenX to revoke the authority of eBenX under
                  this Section 1.01(f) for reasonable cause including but not
                  limited to (i) the failure of eBenX to perform its duties
                  hereunder or (ii) the reasonable concern of Howard Johnson
                  regarding the financial condition of eBenX.

         (x)      eBenX and Howard Johnson agree to cooperate fully with each
                  other as to any collection efforts instituted by either party
                  to collect the Transferred Client Receivables under this
                  Section 1.01(f).

         SECTION 1.02 Provision of eBenX Services.

         (a) For a period of no more than one year following the Closing, eBenX
shall maintain for Howard Johnson, with respect to the Safeway 401(k) Plan, at
least four eBenX employees who shall respond to telephone calls made to the
eBenX call center by employees of Safeway (the "Safeway Service"); provided,
however, that eBenX exercises reasonable care in the selection of personnel and
monitoring of the provision of the Safeway Service and the employees so
designated have sufficient skills and training to provide the Safeway Service as
required by this Agreement. eBenX shall use reasonable commercial efforts to
provide the

                                       8
<PAGE>

Safeway Service in a manner consistent with the manner and level of care with
which such Safeway Service was performed by Howard Johnson or its Affiliates
prior to the Closing Date.

         (b) eBenX shall provide to Howard Johnson the telephone activity report
for each month the Safeway Service is provided.

         (c) Howard Johnson and eBenX shall use reasonable commercial efforts
to, and shall use reasonable commercial efforts to cause their Affiliates to,
cooperate in the transfer of responsibility from eBenX to Howard Johnson of the
Safeway Service upon notice of termination by Howard Johnson to eBenX. Howard
Johnson shall notify eBenX of such termination in writing 30 days prior to the
date Howard Johnson shall transfer responsibility for the Safeway Service from
eBenX to Howard Johnson.

         SECTION 1.03 Additional Services.

         (a) If, at any time during the term of this Agreement, eBenX shall
require or request an additional service which do not constitute a Service
(each, an "Additional Service"), Howard Johnson, in its sole and absolute
discretion, may perform such Additional Service. Prior to the provision of such
Additional Service, Howard Johnson shall provide to eBenX written notice of the
Additional Service to be performed and an estimate of the expected costs of such
Additional Service. If eBenX accepts such Additional Service, it will notify
Howard Johnson in writing within 10 business days. Howard Johnson will use
reasonable commercial efforts to complete the Additional Services on a timely
basis.

         (b) If, at any time during the term of this Agreement, Howard Johnson
shall require or request a service to be performed by eBenX (each, an "eBenX
Additional Service"), eBenX, in its sole and absolute discretion, may perform
such eBenX Additional Service. Prior to the provision of such eBenX Additional
Service, eBenX shall provide to Howard Johnson written notice of the eBenX
Additional Service to be performed and an estimate of the expected costs of such
eBenX Additional Service. If Howard Johnson accepts such eBenX Additional
Service, it will notify eBenX in writing within 10 business days. eBenX will use
reasonable commercial efforts to complete the eBenX Additional Services on a
timely basis.

         SECTION 1.04 Term and Termination.

         (a) Except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement, this Agreement (or
any portion of the Services and Safeway Service rendered hereunder) may be
terminated prior to the expiration of the periods set forth in Section 1.01
above, (i) by eBenX, at any time upon not less than 60 calendar days' prior
written notice to Howard Johnson; or (ii) by either party, at any time upon not
less than 60 calendar days after delivery of notice to the other party, in the
event that the other party shall have defaulted on or breached any material term
of this Agreement and shall not have cured such breach within 30 calendar days
after receiving notice from the party specifying the nature of such default or
breach.

         (b) This Agreement shall terminate one year from the date hereof or as
otherwise earlier terminated pursuant to Section 1.04(a) above, and thereafter
shall be of no further force and effect, except (i) Sections 1.07, 3.01 through
3.05, 4.02, 6.01 and 7.03 shall survive the termination of this Agreement, (ii)
nothing herein shall relieve either party hereto

                                       9
<PAGE>

from liability for any gross negligence or willful breach hereof and (iii) any
obligation to pay for the Services hereunder shall survive the termination of
this Agreement.

         SECTION 1.05 Reimbursement and Royalties for Services.

         (a) eBenX shall pay Howard Johnson a monthly service fee for the
Services equal to the sum of the component pricing for said month for each
Service described in Section 1.01 as set forth on Exhibit D. Howard Johnson
shall submit to eBenX by the fifth day of the month following the month in which
such Services were provided a billing statement consistent with Exhibit D
setting forth such component fees. Such fee shall be paid by eBenX by the
fifteenth day of such month.

         (b) Howard Johnson shall pay eBenX a monthly service fee of $15,000 for
the Safeway Service, which shall be applied on a monthly basis as a credit
against amounts otherwise due and payable by eBenX to Howard Johnson under this
Agreement. In the event that for any month the foregoing service fee exceeds the
aggregate amount due from eBenX to Howard Johnson, eBenX shall submit to Howard
Johnson a billing statement by the fifth day of the month following the month in
which such Safeway Service was provided. Such fee shall be paid by Howard
Johnson by the fifteenth day of such month.

         (c) For all Additional Services performed by Howard Johnson, eBenX
shall pay to Howard Johnson a royalty based on the reasonable time expended,
charged at a fixed hourly rate of $150 per hour, by Howard Johnson in order to
perform such Additional Service.

         (d) For all eBenX Additional Services provided by eBenX, Howard Johnson
shall pay to eBenX a royalty based on the reasonable time expended, charged at a
fixed hourly rate of $150 per hour, by eBenX in order to perform such eBenX
Additional Service.

         (e) In addition to the payments set forth herein, eBenX shall be liable
for, and shall indemnify Howard Johnson or its Affiliates, as applicable, for
any sales and/or use tax, VAT, transfer tax, excise tax, tariff, duty or any
other similar tax or payment in lieu thereof imposed by any governmental
authority arising from the Services provided hereunder, or arising out of this
Agreement. eBenX shall not be responsible for payment of any income, franchise,
gross receipts or personal property taxes paid by Howard Johnson or its
Affiliates as a result of this Agreement.

         (f) If, at any time during the term of this Agreement, any Law or
Governmental Order, rule, regulation or direction of any Governmental Authority,
whether domestic or foreign, relating to the administration of the Services
should be changed in a manner requiring modifications or updates to the systems
being used by Howard Johnson to provide Services hereunder, which modifications
or updates would not have been required but for Howard Johnson's obligation to
provide Services hereunder (each a "Regulatory Charge"), in each such case,
eBenX shall be obligated to pay Howard Johnson a fee based on the reasonable
time expended (charged at Howard Johnson's standard hourly rates for the
personnel involved) and expenses actually incurred by Howard Johnson for the
modifications or updates made to the system in order to comply with each such
Regulatory Change. As soon as reasonable commercial following the promulgation
of any Regulatory Change, eBenX shall notify Howard Johnson in writing of the
Regulatory Change, the effective date thereof and the proposed system
modifications or updates. As soon as reasonable commercial after receipt of the
eBenX notice, Howard Johnson shall provide to eBenX written notice of an
estimate of the expected costs for such modifications or updates. eBenX may at
its option either authorize Howard Johnson to effect the modification or notify
Howard

                                       10
<PAGE>

Johnson that it will terminate the Service in question on or before the
effective date of the Regulatory Change. Any such authorization or notification
by eBenx will be made in writing, and any failure to provide such authorization
or notification within 7 days prior to the effective date of the Regulatory
Change will be deemed to be an election by eBenx to terminate the Services in
question on the effective date. Any such authorization to make modifications
shall be provided to Howard Johnson promptly in order to afford Howard Johnson
sufficient time to make such modifications or updates prior to the effective
date of the Regulatory Change. Howard Johnson shall bear no responsibility for
any consequences stemming from eBenX's failure to provide timely authorization.

         SECTION 1.06 Employees. From time to time, Howard Johnson shall
designate such number of employees as it reasonably deems appropriate to perform
the Services during normal Howard Johnson operating hours; provided, however,
that Howard Johnson exercises reasonable care in the selection of personnel and
monitoring of the provision of Services and the employees so designated have
skills and training sufficient to provide the Services as required by this
Agreement.

         SECTION 1.07 Records. (a) During the term of this Agreement, and for a
period of 90 days thereafter, each party shall maintain complete and accurate
books and records relating to the Services and shall provide to the other party
copies of such records as may be reasonably requested by the other party.

         (b) In the event that any Service is terminated pursuant to Section
1.04 of this Agreement, eBenX shall, within 30 days of such termination, return
to Howard Johnson all documents, materials (including copies of all software
provided to eBenX) and records relating to such terminated Services (and not
used in connection with any continuing provision of Services by eBenX) and
certify to eBenX that it has complied with this Section 1.07 in all respects.

                                   ARTICLE II

                                  ACCESS RIGHTS

         SECTION 2.01 Grant of Access. Subject to the terms and conditions of
this Agreement, Howard Johnson grants to eBenX a non-exclusive, limited right
during the period set forth in Section 1.01 to access authorized areas of Howard
Johnson's proprietary network system (the "Network") as determined by Howard
Johnson solely in connection with the provision of Services by Howard Johnson.
eBenX shall access the Network from its desktops through a secure bridge or
interface ("Interface") provided by Howard Johnson.

         SECTION 2.02 Scope of Access; Monitoring. eBenX shall ensure that only
its employees on a need-to-know basis shall access authorized portions of the
Network, in each

                                       11
<PAGE>

case, solely in connection with the Services. eBenX shall not, and shall ensure
that no third party will, attempt to access the Network without the express
written permission of Howard Johnson. Howard Johnson shall have the right, but
not the obligation, to have any of its personnel, including any of its database
administrators, (i) audit and monitor eBenX's access to the Network through any
means available internally to Howard Johnson, and (ii) otherwise ensure that
eBenX complies with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

         SECTION 2.03 Restrictions. Nothing herein shall limit the right of
Howard Johnson to limit eBenX's access to authorized areas of the Network or
deny access to unauthorized areas of the Network. Nothing herein shall be
construed as granting eBenX any right to access the Network for purposes other
than in connection with the Services, or in any manner other than as expressly
set forth herein. Except to the extent expressly permitted herein, or by prior
written permission of Howard Johnson, eBenX shall not, and shall not allow any
third party to: (a) sublicense, transfer, assign, rent, lease, or otherwise
convey any right of access, or any right with respect thereto, to any third
party; (b) disassemble, decompile or otherwise reverse engineer all or any
portion of any software provided by Howard Johnson in connection with the
Services; or (c) reproduce any such software on any media without the written
permission of Howard Johnson. eBenX shall ensure the security of access to the
Network from any unauthorized access or use.

         SECTION 2.04 Access Protections. All interconnectivity by either party
to the computing systems and/or networks of the other party, and all attempts at
such interconnectivity, shall be only through the security gateways/firewalls of
the other party and through other security systems, protocols or devices as
agreed to by the parties. Neither party shall access, and will not permit
unauthorized persons to access, the computing systems and/or networks of the
other party without the other party's express written authorization, and any
such actual or attempted access shall be consistent with any such authorization.

         SECTION 2.05 Viruses. eBenX shall use the latest Virus definition
updates available of a mutually agreed Virus detection/scanning program in
connection with the access of the Network, and transmission of data or software
to eBenX systems will be performed from Virus protected systems and computers.
Howard Johnson shall, in accordance with its customary practices, use a Virus
detection/scanning program in connection with performing its Service obligations
hereunder. Upon detecting a Virus that is not immediately eliminated, all
attempts to access the other party's computing systems and/or networks shall
immediately cease and shall not resume until any such Virus has been eliminated.
Without limiting the foregoing, each party shall use reasonable commercial
efforts to avoid the transmission of any Virus from its own systems to the other
party's systems. In the event that a party determines that a Virus has been
transmitted to the systems or computers of the other party, such party shall
promptly notify such other party of the transmission and the nature of the
Virus. For purposes hereof, "Virus" means any computer instructions, devices or
techniques that can or were designed to threaten, infect, assault, vandalize,
defraud, disrupt, damage, disable, alter, inhibit or shut down software and/or a
processing environment.

         SECTION 2.06 Disabling Access. Each party shall have the right to
disable the other party's access to such party's computing systems and/or
networks to protect such party's computing systems and/or networks from a Virus
or Disabling Device on the other party's

                                       12
<PAGE>

computing systems and/or networks. In the event of such disabling access, the
party disabling such access shall give the other party notice of such disabling
access as soon as possible thereafter. For the purposes hereof, "Disabling
Device" means any computer software or device maliciously intended to or capable
of causing software to cease functioning after a specific period of time or on a
specific date or event.

                                  ARTICLE III

                            CONFIDENTIALITY; SECURITY

         SECTION 3.01 Confidentiality Obligations. The parties acknowledge that
each party (in this capacity, a "Disclosing Party") has disclosed or will
disclose certain Confidential Information to the other party (in this capacity,
a "Receiving Party"). The Receiving Party acknowledges the confidential and
proprietary nature of the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party and
agrees not to reveal or disclose any Confidential Information of the Disclosing
Party for any purpose to any other person, or to use any Confidential
Information of the Disclosing Party for any purpose other than as contemplated
under this Agreement, in each case, without the prior written consent of the
Disclosing Party. The Receiving Party agrees to maintain adequate security
procedures and take reasonable precautions (no less rigorous than what the
Receiving Party takes with respect to its own comparable Confidential
Information) to prevent misuse, unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure or loss
of the Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party. For purposes hereof,
"Confidential Information" means any information, oral or written, relating to
or disclosed in the course of the performance of this Agreement, that is not
generally known to the public or in the trade and is or should be reasonably
understood to be confidential or proprietary to the Disclosing Party, including
without limitation, compilations, data, studies or other documents incorporating
or developed from Confidential Information. "Confidential Information" of Howard
Johnson includes all software and data accessed by eBenX hereunder and access
codes or other security devices used in connection with such access.
"Confidential Information" does not include information that: (a) is, or
becomes, known to the Receiving Party by lawful means; (b) is generally
available to the public through no act or omission by the Receiving Party; (c)
is developed by Receiving Party independent of any Confidential Information it
receives from the Disclosing Party; or (d) is obtained by the Receiving Party
from a Third Party free to make such a disclosure without breach of any legal
obligation.

         SECTION 3.02 Disclosure. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section
3.01, Confidential Information may be disclosed pursuant to any statute,
regulation, order, lawful subpoena or lawful document discovery request,
provided that prior written notice of such disclosure obligation or request is
furnished to the Disclosing Party as soon as practicable in order to afford the
Disclosing Party a reasonable opportunity to seek a protective order. If the
Disclosing Party is unable to obtain or does not seek a protective order and the
Receiving Party is legally compelled to disclose Confidential Information,
disclosure of such information, to the extent compelled or required under the
applicable statute, regulation, order, lawful subpoena or lawful document
discovery request, may be made without liability.

                                       13
<PAGE>

         SECTION 3.03 Unauthorized Disclosure. The Receiving Party shall
immediately notify the Disclosing Party upon discovery of any prohibited use or
disclosure of the Confidential Information, or any other breach of this Article
III by the Receiving Party, and shall fully cooperate with the Disclosing Party
to help the Disclosing Party regain possession of the Confidential Information
and prevent the further prohibited use or disclosure of the Confidential
Information.

         SECTION 3.04 Irreparable Injury. The Receiving Party acknowledges that
unauthorized disclosure of any Confidential Information will cause irreparable
injury to the Disclosing Party, and the Receiving Party hereby agrees that in
addition to monetary damages therefor, the Disclosing Party will be entitled to
an injunction or other equitable and provisional remedies to prevent or limit
that disclosure, without any obligation to post bond or other undertakings.

         SECTION 3.05 Privacy and Security. Without limiting the generality of
the foregoing confidentiality obligations, eBenX shall comply with all privacy
and security procedure and policies set forth by Howard Johnson regarding any
access to the Network.

                                   ARTICLE IV

                                 RESPONSIBILITY

         SECTION 4.01 Relationship of the Parties. The parties hereto are
independent contractors and no party is an employee, partner or joint venturer
of the other party. Under no circumstances shall any of the employees of either
party hereto be deemed to be employees of the other party for any purpose. No
party shall have the right to bind the other party to any agreement with a third
party or to represent itself as a partner or joint venturer of the other party.
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as: (a) an assumption by Howard
Johnson of any obligation to maintain or increase the sales or profits of eBenX,
or otherwise to assume responsibility for eBenX's operations; (b) an assumption
by Howard Johnson of any financial obligation of eBenX; (c) the creation of any
relationship of employment or agency between eBenX and employees or consultants
of Howard Johnson, its subsidiaries or associated companies; (d) an assumption
by Howard Johnson of any responsibility for the work performed by outside
suppliers employed by eBenX at the suggestion or recommendation of Howard
Johnson; or (e) the delegation of any function or authority of eBenX to Howard
Johnson. In all matters relating to this Agreement, each party hereto shall be
solely responsible for the acts of its own employees, and employees of one party
shall not be considered employees of the other party. Except as specifically
permitted by this Agreement, no party hereto or any of its employees shall have
any authority to negotiate, enter into any contract or incur any obligation, on
behalf of the other party.

         SECTION 4.02 Limitation on Liability.

         (a) Neither Howard Johnson nor any of its officers, directors,
employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or Affiliates shall be liable for any
action taken or omitted to be taken by it or such person under or in connection
with this Agreement, except that Howard Johnson shall be liable for direct
losses incurred by eBenX arising out of the gross negligence, willful

                                       14
<PAGE>

misconduct or bad faith of Howard Johnson or any third party retained by it or
their respective officers, directors, employees, agents or attorneys-in-fact in
the performance of the Services; provided, however, that, except as expressly
limited in Article VI, with respect to the Transferred Clients and those
Terminated Clients whose termination is not effective until after Closing who
are receiving services under agreements originally executed by Howard Johnson
(the "Retained Clients"), Howard Johnson shall be liable for direct losses
incurred by eBenX relating to any claims by such Transferred Clients and such
Terminated Clients against eBenX arising out of the negligence, willful
misconduct or bad faith of Howard Johnson or any third party retained by it or
their respective officers, directors, employees, agents or attorneys-in-fact in
the performance of the Services.

         (b) Neither Howard Johnson nor its Affiliates nor any of their
respective officers, directors, employees, agents or attorneys-in-fact shall be
liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by any third party, other
than such third parties retained by Howard Johnson or any of its Affiliates to
perform any of the Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Howard Johnson,
without good cause, intentionally refuses to provide the Services which Howard
Johnson is obligated to provide under this Agreement, Howard Johnson will be
liable to eBenX for an amount equal to 150% of the amount by which the expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by eBenX to obtain the Services that Howard
Johnson refused to provide exceed the amount eBenX reasonably expected Howard
Johnson to charge for such Services.

         (c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, in the event that
Howard Johnson commits an error with respect to or incorrectly performs or fails
to perform any Service, at eBenX's request, Howard Johnson shall use reasonable
commercial efforts to correct such error, re-perform or perform such Service.

         (d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, neither Howard
Johnson nor its Affiliates or any of their respective officers, directors,
employees, agents or attorneys-in-fact shall be liable for losses incurred by
eBenX for any action taken or omitted to be taken by Howard Johnson or such
person under or in connection with this Agreement to the extent such action or
omission directly arises from actions or inactions of eBenX, including, without
limitation, the failure of eBenX to perform any function or any other function
not included in the Services.

         (e) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, howard johnson MAKES NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES OF ANY KIND, NATURE
OR DESCRIPTION, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND HOWARD JOHNSON
HEREBY DISCLAIMS THE SAME. HOWARD JOHNSON HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION OR
WARRANTY THAT ACCESS TO THE NETWORK AND THE TRANSMISSION OF DATA THERETO AND
THEREFROM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE.

         (f) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, NEITHER PARTY SHALL IN ANY
EVENT HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR
PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE

                                       15
<PAGE>

PERFORMANCE OF THE SERVICES OR THIS AGREEMENT.

                                   ARTICLE V

                                  FORCE MAJEURE

         SECTION 5.01 Force Majeure. The obligations of Howard Johnson to
provide Services shall be suspended during the period and to the extent that
Howard Johnson is prevented or hindered from complying therewith by any Law or
Governmental Order, rule, regulation or direction of any Governmental Authority,
whether domestic or foreign, or by any cause beyond the reasonable control of
Howard Johnson, including acts of God, civil disturbances, accidents, acts of
war or conditions arising out of or attributable to war (whether declared or
undeclared), shortage of necessary equipment, materials or labor, or
restrictions thereon or limitations upon the use thereof ("Event of Force
Majeure"). In such event, Howard Johnson shall give notice of suspension as soon
as reasonably practicable to eBenX stating the date and extent of such
suspension and the cause thereof, and Howard Johnson shall resume the
performance of such obligations as soon as reasonably practicable after the
removal of the cause, and Howard Johnson shall so notify eBenX. In no event
shall eBenX be obligated to pay for any Services which are not being provided to
eBenX pursuant to this Section 5.01.

         SECTION 5.02 Written Notice. Howard Johnson can only claim an Event of
Force Majeure as an excuse from its performance hereunder if Howard Johnson has
given written notice to eBenX of such claim and if Howard Johnson makes a
continuing and good faith effort to lessen or avoid the effects of such Event of
Force Majeure on eBenX. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
Howard Johnson shall be liable for such failure or delay in the performance of
its obligations to the extent that such failure or delay was caused by the fault
or negligence of Howard Johnson.

                                   ARTICLE VI

                                 INDEMNIFICATION

         SECTION 6.01 Indemnification.

         (a) Howard Johnson hereby agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless
eBenX and its Affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees and
agents (collectively, "eBenX Indemnitees") from and against any and all
liabilities, losses, claims, damages and expenses of any nature, including
reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or resulting from any default or
breach by Howard Johnson in the performance of its obligations under this
Agreement or any failure by Howard Johnson to perform its covenants hereunder or
any third party claim against any eBenX Indemnitee.

         (b) eBenX hereby agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Howard
Johnson and its Affiliates and their respective officers, directors, employees
and agents (collectively, "Howard Johnson Indemnitees," and together with eBenX
Indemnitees, the "Indemnitees") from and against any and all liabilities,
losses, claims, damages and expenses of

                                       16
<PAGE>

any nature, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or resulting
from (i) any default or breach by eBenX in the performance of its obligations
under this Agreement or any failure by eBenX to perform its covenants hereunder
or any third party claim against any Howard Johnson Indemnitee or in the
provision of services by eBenX to its customers, including, without limitation,
any and all loss, liability, damage, cost or expense of a customer of eBenX and
(ii) except for such claims that arise out of the gross negligence, willful
misconduct or bad faith of Howard Johnson or its Affiliates, Section 1.01(a)(ii)
hereof.

         (c) Claims for indemnification under Sections 6.01(a) and 6.01(b) shall
be made pursuant to the procedures set forth in Sections 9.02(b) or 9.03(b) of
the Asset Purchase Agreement, as is appropriate. Nothing herein shall limit the
rights to indemnification, or the obligations to indemnify, of the parties under
the Asset Purchase Agreement.

         (d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
Agreement, the maximum amount of indemnifiable Losses which may be recovered
from an Indemnitee arising out of or resulting from the causes set forth in (i)
Section 6.01(a) shall be an amount equal to 100% of the total annual charges to
eBenX by Howard Johnson for the related Services provided pursuant to this
Agreement, except that with respect to claims by Retained Clients arising out
of, other than as set forth in this Article VI, the direct actions of Howard
Johnson pursuant to this Agreement, such claims shall also be covered by the
Insurance Policy described in subsection (e) hereof in addition to the amount
set forth in this subsection (d), and (ii) Section 6.01(b) shall be amount equal
to 100% of annual revenues from Client Agreements with Clients transferred from
Howard Johnson.

         (e) eBenX shall amend the current insurance policy of eBenX or purchase
a new indemnification insurance policy from a third-party provider (the
"Insurance Policy") to cover all claims by Retained Clients arising out of,
other than as set forth in this Article VI, the direct actions of Howard
Johnson. The fees, if any, for the Insurance Policy shall be divided equally
between eBenX and Howard Johnson. In the event of a claim under the Insurance
Policy, Howard Johnson will pay any deductible charges required by the Insurance
Policy up to a maximum amount of $50,000 per claim.

         (f) eBenX acknowledges and agrees that (i) Howard Johnson and its
personnel shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever for any actions or
omissions by eBenX or made at the request, initiation or under the direction of
eBenX, including, without limitation, any errors or omissions arising out of or
related to processes or programming, or modifications thereof, requested,
initiated or directed by eBenX that have not been reasonably verified by eBenX,
and (ii) for the avoidance of any doubt, the indemnity obligations of Howard
Johnson hereunder shall not apply to any liabilities, losses, claims, including
third party claims, damages, expenses of any nature, including attorney's fees,
arising out of or relating to such actions or omissions set forth in clause (i)
above.

                                       17
<PAGE>

                                  ARTICLE VII

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

         SECTION 7.01 Expenses. Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement,
all costs and expenses, including, without limitation, fees and disbursements of
counsel, financial advisors and accountants, incurred in connection with this
Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party
incurring such costs and expenses.

         SECTION 7.02 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other
communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and
shall be deemed to have been duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in
person, by an internationally recognized overnight courier service, by telecopy
or by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested)
to the respective parties at the following addresses (or at such other address
for a party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this
Section 7.02):

                  (a)      if to Howard Johnson:

                           Howard Johnson & Company
                           c/o Merrill Lynch & Co.
                           222 Broadway
                           17th Floor
                           New York, NY  10019

                           Telecopy:  (212) 670-4819
                           Attention:  Mark B. Goldfus, Esq.

                           with a copy to:

                           Shearman & Sterling
                           599 Lexington Avenue
                           New York, NY  10022-6069
                           Telecopy:  (212) 848-7179
                           Attention:  John A. Marzulli, Jr., Esq.

                                       18
<PAGE>

                  (b)      if to eBenX:

                           eBenX, Inc.
                           605 North Highway 169
                           Suite 1200
                           Minneapolis, MN  55441
                           Telecopy:  (763) 614-2025
                           Attention:  Chief Financial Officer

                           with a copy to:

                           Klehr, Harrison, Harvey, Branzburg & Ellers LLP
                           260 South Broad Street
                           Philadelphia, PA  19102
                           Telecopy:  (215) 568-6603
                           Attention:  Lawrence D. Rovin, Esq.

         SECTION 7.03 Public Announcements; Confidentiality. Each party agrees
to comply with Section 11.03 of the Asset Purchase Agreement and each will use
reasonable best efforts, including notifying their respective employees, to keep
confidential the contents of the other party's respective information systems to
which such party's employees may have access.

         SECTION 7.04 Headings. The descriptive headings contained in this
Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect in any way
the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

         SECTION 7.05 Severability. If any term or other provision of this
Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any law or
public policy, all other terms and provisions of this Agreement shall
nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal
substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner
materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other
provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto
shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the
original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in
order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally
contemplated to the greatest extent possible.

         SECTION 7.06 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire
agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and
supersedes all prior agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, with
respect to the subject matter hereof.

         SECTION 7.07 Assignment. This Agreement may not be assigned by
operation of law or otherwise without the express written consent of Howard
Johnson and eBenX (which consent may be granted or withheld in the sole
discretion of Howard Johnson or eBenX); provided, however, that eBenX may assign
this Agreement or any of its rights and obligations hereunder to one or more
Affiliates of eBenX without the consent of Howard Johnson, however, eBenX
remains liable hereunder; provided further that this Agreement may, due to the
sale of all or substantially all the assets of a party to a third party
purchaser, be assigned to such third party

                                       19
<PAGE>

purchaser without the written consent of the other party hereto. Any attempted
assignment in violation of this provision is void.

         SECTION 7.08 No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement shall be
binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
permitted assigns and nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or
shall confer upon any other Person, including, without limitation, any union or
any employee or former employee of Howard Johnson, any legal or equitable right,
benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, any
rights of employment for any specified period, under or by reason of this
Agreement.

         SECTION 7.09 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and
construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York applicable to
contracts executed in and to be performed in that State.

         SECTION 7.10 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or
more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts,
each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which
taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

         SECTION 7.11 Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby
waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any right it may have
to a trial by jury with respect to any litigation directly or indirectly arising
out of, under or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement. Each of the parties hereto (a) certifies that no
representative, agent or attorney of any other party has represented, expressly
or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of litigation, seek
to enforce that foregoing waiver and (b) acknowledges that it and the other
party hereto have been induced to enter into this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, as applicable, by, among other things, the
mutual waivers and certifications in this Section 7.11.

         SECTION 7.12 Arbitration. Except for the right to injunctive relief
under Section 6 of this Agreement, for which judicial relief shall remain
available, any dispute, controversy or claim (a "Claim") that cannot be resolved
by the parties arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the services
covered by this Agreement shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the
Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA")
upon notice (the "Arbitration Notice") of submission given by either Howard
Johnson or eBenx to the other in accordance with subsection (i) hereof, and
judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be entered in any court
having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitration shall be held Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, if a claim is brought by Howard Johnson or in New York County, New
York, if a claim is brought by eBenX or in such other location as the parties
may mutually agree upon. The arbitration will be conducted before a panel of
three arbitrators, with one arbitrator named by each party within 15 days of
receipt of Arbitration Notice by the non-initiating party and the third named by
the two party-appointed arbitrators, or (if they should fail to agree on the
third within 15 days after the two party-appointed arbitrators have been named)
by the AAA. The arbitrators may not award non-monetary or equitable relief of
any sort. They shall have no power to award punitive damages or any other
damages not measured by the prevailing party's actual damages. The decision of
the arbitrators made in writing shall be final and binding upon the parties
hereto; provided, however, that the award and judgment of the

                                       20
<PAGE>

arbitrators shall have no binding or precedential effect with respect to any
other controversy not before the arbitrators, whether or not similar to or
related to the specific controversy decided by the arbitrators. All aspects of
the arbitration shall be treated as confidential. Neither the parties nor the
arbitrators may disclose the existence, content or results of the arbitration,
except as necessary to comply with legal or regulatory requirements. Before
making any such disclosure, a party shall give written notice to all other
parties and shall afford such parties a reasonable opportunity to protect their
interests. The expenses of arbitration, including reasonable compensation to the
arbitrators, shall be borne equally by the parties hereto, except that each
party shall bear the compensation and expenses of its own counsel and employees.

                                       21
<PAGE>

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
executed by their respective authorized signatory thereunto duly authorized as
of the date first above written.

                                        HOWARD JOHNSON & COMPANY

                                            By:  /s/  Paul T. Dully
                                                 ------------------------------
                                                 Paul T. Dully
                                                 Chief Financial Officer

                                        EBENX, INC.

                                            By:  /s/  John J. Davis
                                                 ------------------------------
                                                 John J. Davis
                                                 President and Chief
                                                 Executive Officer

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