SYSTEM SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES INC
S-3MEF, 1997-09-09
PREPACKAGED SOFTWARE
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<PAGE>
 
   AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1997
 
                                                  REGISTRATION NO. 333-31271.01
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
                                ---------------
 
                                   FORM S-3
                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
 
                                ---------------
 
                       SYSTEM SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES, INC.
            (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
 
                                                 36-3144515
              DELAWARE                (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION
  (STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF                   NO.)
   INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)
 
      500 W. MADISON, 32ND FLOOR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60661 (312) 641-2900
  (ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE, OF
                   REGISTRANT'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES)
 
                                ROGER E. COVEY
                     PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
      500 W. MADISON, 32ND FLOOR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60661 (312) 641-2900
(NAME, ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE,
                             OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)
 
                                ---------------
 
                                  COPIES TO:
       WILLIAM N. WEAVER, JR.               WILLIAM J. GRANT, JR., ESQ.
      SACHNOFF & WEAVER, LTD.                 WILLKIE FARR & GALLAGHER
   30 S. WACKER DRIVE, 29TH FLOOR              153 EAST 53RD STREET
      CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606                NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10022
         (312) 207-1000                           (212) 821-8000
 
                                ---------------
 
  APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF THE PROPOSED SALE OF THE SECURITIES TO
THE PUBLIC: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
Registration Statement.
 
                                ---------------
 
  If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on
a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of
1933, check the following box. [_]
  If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following
box and list the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective
registration statement for the same offering. [X] 333-31271
  If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act
registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the
same offering. [_]
  If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434,
please check the following box. [_]
 
                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 TITLE OF EACH CLASS OF        AMOUNT       PROPOSED MAXIMUM   PROPOSED MAXIMUM        AMOUNT
       SECURITIES               TO BE           OFFERING           AGGREGATE             OF
    TO BE REGISTERED        REGISTERED(1)   PRICE PER NOTE(2)  OFFERING PRICE(2)  REGISTRATION FEE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                       <C>               <C>                <C>                <C>
7% Convertible Subordinated
 Notes..................     $23,000,000          100%            $23,000,000          $6,970
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, $.0033 par
 value
 (including Purchase
 Rights)................         (3)              None               None               None
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
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(1) Includes $3,000,000 principal amount of Notes that the Underwriters have
    the option to purchase to cover over-allotments, if any.
(2) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457, solely for the purposes of computing the
    registration fee.
(3) The Common Stock (plus an indeterminate number of shares of Common Stock
    issuable as a result of the antidilution provisions of the Notes) is
    issuable upon conversion of the Notes. Pursuant to Rule 457(i), no
    registration fee is required for the Common Stock because it will be
    issued for no additional consideration.
 
               INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
 
  This Registration Statement is being filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by System Software Associates, Inc. (the
"Company"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission").
This Registration Statement hereby incorporates by reference the contents of
the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-31271) relating to the
offering of up to $115,000,000 principal amount of 7% Convertible Subordinated
Notes due 2002 and shares of common stock of the Company filed on July 15,
1997, as amended.
 
                                 CERTIFICATION
 
  The Company hereby certifies to the Commission that it has instructed its
bank to pay the Commission the filing fee of $6,970 for the additional
securities being registered hereby as soon as practicable (but in any event no
later than the close of business on September 9, 1997); that it will not
revoke such instructions; that it has sufficient funds in the relevant account
to cover the amount of the filing fee; and that it undertakes to confirm
receipt of such instructions by the bank on September 9, 1997.
 
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<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES
 
  PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, THE COMPANY HAS
DULY CAUSED THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT TO BE SIGNED ON ITS BEHALF BY THE
UNDERSIGNED, THEREUNTO DULY AUTHORIZED, IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ON SEPTEMBER 9,
1997.
 
                                          System Software Associates, Inc.
 
                                                  /s/ Roger E. Covey
                                          By: _________________________________
                                                      Roger E. Covey
                                               President and Chief Executive
                                                          Officer
 
  PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, THIS
REGISTRATION STATEMENT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY THE FOLLOWING PERSONS IN THE
CAPACITIES INDICATED ON THIS 8TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1997.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                 SIGNATURE                                     TITLE
                 ---------                                     -----
 
 
 
<S>                                         <C>
          /s/ Roger E. Covey                Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
___________________________________________  Board of Directors (Principal Executive
              Roger E. Covey                 Officer)
 
         /s/ Joseph J. Skadra               Chief Financial Officer, Vice President -
___________________________________________  Finance and Secretary (Principal Financial
             Joseph J. Skadra                and Accounting Officer)
 
        /s/ Andrew J.Filipowski             Director
___________________________________________
           Andrew J. Filipowski
 
           /s/ John W. Puth                 Director
___________________________________________
               John W. Puth
 
      /s/ William N. Weaver, Jr.            Director
___________________________________________
          William N. Weaver, Jr.
 
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
 
                               INDEX TO EXHIBITS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
  EXHIBIT
    NO.                            DESCRIPTION
  -------                          -----------
 <C>       <S>                                                          <C>
  5.1      Opinion of Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd.
 23.1      Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
 23.2      Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP
 23.3      Consent of Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd. (contained in its opin-
           ion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto)
</TABLE>

<PAGE>
 
                                                                    EXHIBIT 5.1
 
                            SACHNOFF & WEAVER, LTD.
                       30 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE, 29TH FLOOR
                            CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606
                                (312) 207-1000
 
 
 
                               September 9, 1997
 
System Software Associates, Inc.
500 West Madison Street
32nd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60661
 
 Re: Supplemental Registration Statement on Form S-3 
 
Gentlemen and Ladies:
 
  We have acted as counsel for System Software Associates, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the preparation and filing of a
supplemental registration statement on Form S-3 (the "Supplemental Registration
Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Supplemental Registration
Statement relates to the Company's public offering (the "Offering") of up to
$23,000,000 principal amount of the Company's 7% Convertible Subordinated Notes
(the "Notes"), and the shares of the Company's common stock, par value $0.0033
per share, which may be issued upon conversion of the Notes (the "Conversion
Shares"). In connection with this opinion, we have relied as to matters of fact,
without investigation, upon certificates of public officials and others and upon
affidavits, certificates and written statements of directors, officers and
employees of, and the accountants and transfer agent for, the Company. We have
also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our
satisfaction, of such instruments, documents and records as we have deemed
relevant and necessary to examine for the purpose of this opinion, including (a)
the Supplemental Registration Statement and the Registration Statement on Form 
S-3 (File No. 333-31271) incorporated therein (the "Original Registration
Statement"), (b) the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended,
(c) the By-Laws of the Company, (d) resolutions adopted by the Board of
Directors of the Company in connection with the Offering, (e) the form of
Indenture between the Company and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, as Trustee,
relating to the Notes (the "Indenture"), (f) the form of Note attached as
Exhibit A to the form of Indenture, and (g) the form of Underwriting Agreement
between the Company and Hambrecht & Quist, LLC and Lazard Freres & Co., LLC as
representatives of the several Underwriters. We have assumed the genuineness of
all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals,
the conformity to original documents of all the documents submitted to us as
certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such
latter documents.
 
  Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we advise you that, in our opinion:
 
    (1) The $23,000,000 in principal amount of Notes covered by the Supplemental
  Registration Statement (including the up to $3,000,000 in principal amount
  of Notes issuable upon exercise of the Underwriters' over-allotment
  option), when issued by the Company pursuant to the Indenture, will be
  legally issued and binding obligations of the Company under the terms of
  the Indenture, except (i) as enforceability may be limited by the effects
  of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium and
  other similar laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors
  generally; (ii) as enforceability may be limited by the effects of general
  principles of equity, whether applied by a court of law or equity; (iii) as
  rights to indemnity or contribution under the same may be limited by
  federal or state securities laws or the public policy underlying such laws;
  and (iv) that we express no opinion as to the waiver of the defense of
  usury; and
 
    (2) The Conversion Shares, when issued by the Company upon the conversion
  of outstanding Notes in accordance with their terms and the terms of the
  Indenture, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

    Our opinions expressed above are limited to the General Corporation Law
  of the State of Delaware and the laws of the State of Illinois, and we do
  not express any opinion concerning any other laws. This opinion is given as
  of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to advise you of changes
  that may hereafter be brought to our attention.
 
  We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the above-
referenced Supplemental Registration Statement and the reference to this firm
under the caption "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus constituting a part of the
Original Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not hereby admit
that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7
of the Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
 
                                          Very truly yours,
                                            


                                          --------------------------- 
                                          /s/ Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd.

 

<PAGE>
 
                                                                    Exhibit 23.1

                      CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

     We hereby consent to the use in the Prospectus constituting part of this
Registration Statement on Form S-3 of our report dated January 7, 1997, except
as to Notes 6, 7 and 11, which are as of January 29, 1997, relating to the
consolidated financial statements of System Software Associates, Inc. as of
October 31, 1995 and for the two years then ended which appears in such
Prospectus. We also consent to the references to us under the headings "Experts"
and "Selected Financial Data" in such Prospectus. However, it should be noted
that Price Waterhouse LLP has not prepared or certified such "Selected Financial
Data."

      /s/ PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
- --------------------------------------
          Price Waterhouse LLP


Chicago, Illinois
September 8, 1997



<PAGE>
 
                                                                    Exhibit 23.2

                        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

      We consent to the use of our report dated January 7, 1997, except as to 
Notes 6, 7, and 11 which are as of January 29, 1997, relating to the 
consolidated balance sheet of System Software Associates, Inc. and subsidiaries 
as of October 31, 1996, and the related consolidated statements of operations, 
stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended included herein and
to the reference to our firm under the headings "Selected Financial Data" and 
"Experts" in the prospectus.

                                         /s/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP
                                   ----------------------------------------
                                             KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

Chicago, Illinois
September 8, 1997






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