CRA International Advises Jordan on Significant Concession Agreement for Exploration and Development of its Oil Shale Deposits

BOSTON--(Business Wire)--
CRA International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing
management, economic, and financial consulting services, today announced that
the Company advised the government of Jordan in the structuring and negotiation
of an oil shale concession agreement that will allow Jordan Oil Shale Company BV
(JOSCo), a wholly owned affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc, to explore and
potentially develop oil shale resources in Jordan. The concession agreement was
signed in Amman on May 17, 2009. It will be submitted to the Jordanian
Parliament, and, subject to its approval, passed into law.

The concession agreement provides JOSCo the right, under a tax and royalty
regime, to use Shell`s proprietary oil shale in-situ conversion process
technology to assess and develop subsurface oil shale deposits that may be
suitable for production. The concession agreement is designed so that Jordan
will receive early benefits, including agreed fiscal revenues for each project
phase, local employment and procurement opportunities, development of Jordanian
oil shale expertise, and infrastructure investments. Jordan`s oil shale deposits
are approximately the fourth largest in the world.

CRA provided commercial advice to the government to develop an effective deal
structure which is sustainable throughout the duration of the concession
agreement. The advice focused on promoting successful resource development
through effective sharing of project revenue and management and mitigation of
project risks.

James C. Burrows, CRA's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "CRA has
been actively engaged in a number of advisory consulting assignments for the
exploration and development of natural resources throughout the Middle East.
Jordan`s concession agreement allows for the use of a new technology in the
exploration of one of the world`s largest oil shale deposits, and we are pleased
to have been able to offer the expertise of our consultants to help broker this
agreement."

Dr. Maher Hijazin, the Director General of the Natural Resources Authority,
added, "The development of these domestic oil shale deposits is an important
element of Jordan`s national energy policy. The ultimate objective is to produce
clean high quality transportation fuels and other energy products from Jordan`s
oil shale resources in a responsible manner. We believe this agreement
effectively balances the benefits for commercial exploration of Jordan`s natural
resources with the needs of the Jordanian people and sustainable development."

CRA worked in partnership with Trowers & Hamlins on this project. Trowers &
Hamlins, an international law firm with offices throughout the United Kingdom
and the Middle East, served as legal advisor to the government of Jordan.
Trowers & Hamlins and CRA have worked together on several other successful
assignments advising the government of Jordan. The two firms are currently
advising on a series of smaller oil shale concessions. They also collaborated on
the Jordan Gas Transmission Pipeline project and the related long-term purchase
of Egyptian gas; the development of Jordan`s Energy Master Plan; restructuring
of the Natural Resources Authority; and early stage development of Jordan`s wind
energy projects.

CRA consultants in Bahrain and London advised on the concession agreement, led
by Vice President Nicholas Braley and Principal Richard Bass.

About CRA International

Founded in 1965, CRA International is a leading global consulting firm that
offers business management, economic and financial expertise to major law firms,
businesses, accounting firms and governments. CRA's consultants combine uncommon
analytical rigor with practical experience and in-depth understanding of
industries and markets. CRA is adept at handling critical, tough assignments
with high-stakes outcomes. CRA's analytical strength enables it to reach
objective, factual conclusions that help clients make important business and
policy decisions and resolve critical disputes. Headquartered in Boston, CRA has
offices throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Detailed
information about CRA is available at http://www.crai.com.

Statements in this press release concerning the expected use of CRA`s expertise,
the JOSCo concession agreement, the future business, operating results,
estimated cost savings, and financial condition of the Company and statements
using the terms "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "should," or similar
expressions, are "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.These statements are based upon
management's current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and
uncertainties. Information contained in these forward-looking statements is
inherently uncertain and actual performance and results may differ materially
due to many important factors. Such factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from any forward-looking statements made by the Company
include, among others, the Company`s restructuring costs and attributable annual
cost savings, changes in the Company`s effective tax rate, share dilution from
the Company`s convertible debt offering and stock-based compensation, dependence
on key personnel, attracting and retaining qualified consultants, dependence on
outside experts, utilization rates, factors related to its acquisitions,
including integration of personnel, clients, offices, and unanticipated expenses
and liabilities, the risk of impairment write downs to the Company`s intangible
assets, including goodwill, if the Company`s enterprise value declines below
certain levels, risks associated with acquisitions it may make in the future,
risks inherent in international operations, the performance of NeuCo, changes in
accounting standards, rules and regulations, changes in the law that affect its
practice areas, management of new offices, the potential loss of clients, the
ability of customers to terminate the Company`s engagements on short notice,
dependence on the growth of the Company`s business consulting practice, the
unpredictable nature of litigation-related projects, the ability of the Company
to integrate successfully new consultants into its practice, general economic
conditions, intense competition, risks inherent in litigation, and professional
liability. Further information on these and other potential factors that could
affect the Company`s financial results is included in the Company`s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cannot guarantee any future
results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The Company undertakes
no obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements after the date of
this press release.

CRA International, Inc.
Andrea Goodman, 617-425-3333
Director of Communications
or
Sharon Merrill Associates
Jim Buckley, 617-542-5300
Executive Vice President

Copyright Business Wire 2009