SPSS INC
S-8 POS, 1997-03-28
PREPACKAGED SOFTWARE
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, 1997.
                                                       Registration No. 33-73130

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                      POST EFFECTIVE AMMENDMENT TO FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      Under
                           The Securities Act of 1933


                                    SPSS Inc.

             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
            Delaware                                           36-2815480
(State or other jurisdiction of                             (I.R.S. Employer
 incorporation or organization)                            Identification No.)

                            444 North Michigan Avenue
                             Chicago, Illinois 60611
               (Address, of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)


                                  Amended 1991
                         Stock Option Plan of SPSS Inc.
                              (Full Title of Plan)


                                 Edward Hamburg
                        Senior Vice President, Corporate
                     Operations and Chief Financial Officer
                                    SPSS Inc.
                            444 North Michigan Avenue
                             Chicago, Illinois 60611
                     (Name and address of agent for service)
                                 (312) 329-2400
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


                                   Copies To:
                              T. Stephen Dyer, Esq.
                                 Ross & Hardies
                            150 North Michigan Avenue
                             Chicago, Illinois 60601
                                 (312) 558-1000

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
===============================================================================
                                  Proposed          457(h)
    Title of       Amount         maximum          Proposed         Amount of
Securities to      to be       offering price     aggregate        registration
be registered(2) registered(1)    per share(2)  offering price(3)     fee(4)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock,                      $1.05           $983,440.15       $339.12
$.01 par value                     $8.00
===============================================================================

(1)   The  securities  to be  registered  include a maximum  of  426,943  shares
      issuable  upon the  exercise of options  under the SPSS Inc.  Amended 1991
      Stock  Option  Plan of  SPSS  Inc.,  assuming  full  participation  of all
      employees under such plan.

(2)   349,943  shares  are  issuable  at $1.05 per share and  77,000  shares are
          
      issuable at $8.00 per share.

(3)   Solely for the purpose of calculating the  registration  fee, the proposed
      aggregate  offering  price  has been  estimated  in  accordance  with Rule
      457(h).

(4)   Previously paid.


<PAGE>

PROSPECTUS

426,943 Shares

SPSS INC.

Common Stock
($.01 Par Value)

         This  Prospectus  relates to the offer and sale of up to 563,944 shares
of the common stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Shares" or "Common Stock"),  of
SPSS Inc.  (the  "Company").  The Common  Shares  may be  offered by  particular
stockholders  of the Company (the "Selling  Stockholders")  from time to time in
transactions on the Nasdaq National  Market,  in negotiated  transactions,  or a
combination  of such methods of sale,  at fixed  prices that may be changed,  at
market  prices  prevailing  at the  time of  sale,  at  prices  related  to such
prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.  The Selling  Stockholders may
effect  such  transactions  by the  sale  of the  Common  Shares  to or  through
broker-dealers,  and such broker-dealers may receive compensation in the form of
discounts,  concessions or commissions from the Selling  Stockholders and/or the
purchasers of the Common Shares for whom such broker-dealers may act as agent or
to whom they may sell as principal,  or both (which compensation to a particular
broker-dealer  might  be  in  excess  of  customary  commissions).  The  Selling
Stockholders  and any  broker-dealer  who  acts in  connection  with the sale of
Common  Shares  hereunder  may be  deemed to be  "underwriters"  as that term is
defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the  "Securities  Act"),  and
any commission received by them and profit on any resale of the Common Shares as
principal might be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the
Securities Act. See "Selling  Stockholders"  elsewhere in this  Prospectus.  The
Company will not receive any of the proceeds  from the sale of the Common Shares
by the Selling Stockholders.

         The Company's  Common Stock is traded and quoted on the Nasdaq National
Market under the symbol  "SPSS." On March 27, 1997, the last sale price of the
Common Stock, as reported on the Nasdaq National Market, was $24 3/8 per share.

         The Company will bear all expenses (other than  underwriting  discounts
and selling  commissions,  and fees and expenses of counsel or other advisors to
the Selling  Stockholders)  in connection with the registration of the shares of
Common  Stock  being  offered  hereby,   which  expenses  are  estimated  to  be
approximately $43,402.

See "Selling Stockholders" elsewhere in this Prospectus.

         SEE "RISK  FACTORS" FOR A DISCUSSION OF CERTAIN  FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED IN CONNECTION WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE COMMON STOCK.


                                      - 2 -

<PAGE>



THESE  SECURITIES  HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR  DISAPPROVED  BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES  COMMISSION,  NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND  EXCHANGE  COMMISSION  OR ANY STATE  SECURITIES  COMMISSION  PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.


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


                 The date of this Prospectus is March 28, 1997

                                      - 3 -

<PAGE>



                              AVAILABLE INFORMATION


         The  Company  is  subject  to  the  informational  requirements  of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934,  as  amended  (the  "Exchange  Act"),  and in
accordance therewith files reports,  proxy statements and other information with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission").  Such reports,  proxy
statements  and other  information  filed by the Company,  and the  Registration
Statement of which this  Prospectus  forms a part,  the  exhibits and  schedules
thereto  and  amendments  thereof,  may be  inspected  and  copied at the public
reference  facilities  maintained by the  Commission at 450 Fifth Street,  N.W.,
Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, Washington,  D.C. 20549, and at the regional offices
of the  Commission  located at 7 World Trade Center,  13th Floor,  New York, New
York 10048 and at Citicorp Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago,
Illinois  60661-2511.  Copies of such  material  can also be  obtained  from the
Public Reference Section of the Commission at 450 Fifth Street,  N.W., Judiciary
Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates. The Company's Common Stock is
quoted  on the  Nasdaq  National  Market,  and  therefore  such  reports,  proxy
statements  and other  information  can also be  inspected at the offices of the
National  Association  of Securities  Dealers,  Inc.,  1735 K Street,  N.W., 3rd
Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006.

     Additional  information regarding the Company and the shares offered hereby
is contained in the  Registration  Statement on Form S-8 filed December 17, 1993
and the exhibits thereto (collectively, the "Registration Statement") filed with
the Commission  under the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended (the  "Securities
Act").  As  permitted  by the  rules and  regulations  of the  Commission,  this
Prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration
Statement  and  the  exhibits  thereto,  to  which  reference  is  hereby  made.
Statements made in this Prospectus as to the contents of any contract, agreement
or other document referred to are not necessarily complete. With respect to each
such  contract,  agreement  or  other  document  filed  as  an  exhibit  to  the
Registration  Statement,  reference  is hereby  made to the  exhibit  for a more
complete  description  of the matter  involved,  and each such statement will be
deemed qualified in its entirety by such reference. For further information with
respect to the Company and the shares of Common Stock offered hereby,  reference
is hereby made to the Registration Statement, and the exhibits thereto.

         SPSS(R),  Categories(R),   SYSTAT(R),  Jandel  Scientific,   SigmaPlot,
SigmaStat,  SigmaScan  and SigmaGel are  registered  trademarks  of the Company.
SPSS/PC  + SPSS Real  Stats.  Real  Easy.(TM),  BMDP(TM),  Jandel  and CLEAR are
unregistered  trademarks  of the Company,  and the trademark QI  Analyst(TM)  is
subject to a pending application for registration. This Prospectus also includes
trade names and marks of companies other than SPSS Inc.

                 INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The Company hereby  incorporates  by reference the following  documents
previously filed with the Commission:

                  (a) The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November
         13, 1996 for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 1996.

                  (b) The Company's  Current  Report on Form 8-K and  amendments
         thereto filed with the Commission on October 11, 1996  (acquisition  of
         Clear Software).

                                      - 4 -

<PAGE>




               (c) The  Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K and  amendments
          thereto filed with the Commission on December 4, 1996  (acquisition of
          Jandel Corporation).

               (d) The description of the Company's Common Stock, $.01 par value
          (the  "Common  Stock"),   contained  in  the  Company's   Registration
          Statement  on Form 8-A  filed  with  Commission  on  August  4,  1993,
          pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

               (e) The Company's Proxy  Statement,  filed with the Commission on
          May 16, 1996, for its annual meeting of stockholders  held on June 19,
          1996,  except for the report of the Compensation  Committee  contained
          therein.

               (f) The  Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K and  amendments
          thereto filed with the Commission on March 10, 1997.

               (g)  The  Company's   Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-3  and
          amendments thereto filed with the Commission on February 4, 1997.

          In addition, the audited  financial statements contained  in the Proxy
Statement  and  Prospectus  (the  "Proxy/Prospectus") included in the  Company's
Registration  Statement on Form S-4, as amended, and  filed with the  Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b)  under the  Securities  Act are  incorporated  herein by
reference.

         All  reports  and other  documents  filed by the  Company  pursuant  to
Sections 13(a),  13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, subsequent to the date
of this Prospectus and prior to the filing of a post-effective  amendment to the
Registration  Statement,  shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in the
Registration  Statement  and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
documents.  Any  statement  contained  herein or in a document  incorporated  or
deemed to be incorporated by reference  herein shall be deemed to be modified or
superseded  for  purposes  of this  Prospectus  to the extent  that a  statement
contained  herein,  or in any  subsequently  filed  document which also is or is
deemed to be  incorporated  by reference  herein,  modifies or  supersedes  such
statement.  Any such  statement so modified or  superseded  shall not be deemed,
except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Prospectus.

         The Company will provide, without charge, to each person (including any
beneficial  owner) to whom this  Prospectus is  delivered,  upon written or oral
request of such person,  a copy of any and all of the information  that has been
incorporated  by reference in this  Prospectus  (not including  exhibits to such
information unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into
such information).  Such requests should be directed to: Edward Hamburg,  Senior
Vice President,  Corporate Operations, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, at
the Company's principal executive offices at 444 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago,
Illinois 60611, telephone (312) 329-2400.



                                      - 5 -

<PAGE>



UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE  REQUIRES,  REFERENCES IN THIS PROSPECTUS TO "SPSS"
AND THE  "COMPANY"  SHALL MEAN SPSS INC. A DELAWARE  CORPORATION,  ITS  ILLINOIS
PREDECESSOR AND ITS  SUBSIDIARIES,  COLLECTIVELY;  AND REFERENCES TO THE "COMMON
STOCK" SHALL MEAN SPSS INC.'S COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $ .01 PER SHARE.

                                   THE COMPANY

GENERAL

         SPSS Inc. ("the  Company") was  incorporated  in Illinois in 1975 under
the name "SPSS,  Inc." and was  reincorporated in Delaware in May 1993 under the
name "SPSS Inc." The Company  develops,  markets and supports an integrated line
of  statistical  software  products  that  enable  users  to  effectively  bring
marketplace and enterprise data to bear on decision-making. The primary users of
the  Company's  software are managers and data  analysts in corporate  settings,
government agencies and academic institutions. In addition to its widespread use
in survey analysis,  SPSS software also performs other types of market research,
as well as quality improvement analyses, scientific and engineering applications
and data reporting.  The current generation of SPSS Desktop products (as defined
herein)  features a  windows-based  point-and-click  graphical  user  interface,
sophisticated  statistical procedures,  data access and management capabilities,
report writing and integrated graphics. The Company's products provide extensive
analytical  capabilities not found in spreadsheets,  database management systems
or graphics packages.

         In its 21 years of operation,  SPSS has become a widely recognized name
in statistical  software.  The Company plans to leverage its current position to
take advantage of the increased demand for software  applications  that not only
provide ready access to the data that organizations  collect and store, but also
enable users to systematically  analyze,  interpret and present such information
for  use  in  decision-making.  Management  believes  that  ease-of-use  of  the
Company's  current  generation  products,  combined with the greater  processing
speed and storage capacity of the latest desktop  computers,  has  substantially
expanded the market for SPSS statistical software.

     In summer 1993,  the Company  completed  an initial  public  offering  (the
"IPO") of common stock, $.01 par value (the "Common Stock"). The Common Stock is
listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "SPSS". In early 1995, the
Company and certain selling  stockholders  sold 1,865,203 shares of Common Stock
in a public offering.

         The  Company  is  a  Delaware  corporation.   The  Company's  principal
executive  offices  are located at 444 N.  Michigan  Avenue,  Chicago,  Illinois
60611,  and its  telephone  number at its principal  executive  offices is (312)
329-2400.

SAFE HARBOR

         "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities  Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: With the exception of historical information, the matters discussed
in this  Prospectus  are  forward-looking  statements  that  involve  risks  and
uncertainties including, but not limited to, market conditions,  competition and
other risks  indicated in the  Registration  Statement of which this  Prospectus
forms a part,  and the Company's  other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

         On  September  26,  1996,  SPSS  acquired  Clear   Software,   Inc.,  a
Massachusetts  corporation ("Clear  Software"),  for SPSS Common Stock valued at
approximately  $4.5 million in a merger accounted for as a pooling of interests.
Clear Software is a developer and marketer of process  management,  analysis and
documentation  software products,  including  allCLEAR,  a software package used
primarily for describing  complex business  processes using flowcharts and other
types of diagrams. Clear Software has more than 120,000 users, and its 1995

                                      - 6 -

<PAGE>



revenues  were  approximately  $2.8  million.  SPSS will continue to operate the
Clear   Software   business   from  the  Clear   Software   offices  in  Newton,
Massachusetts.

     On November 20, 1996, SPSS acquired the outstanding shares of capital stock
of Jandel  Corporation,  a California  corporation  ("Jandel"),  for SPSS Common
Stock valued at  approximately  $9.0  million,  in a merger  accounted  for as a
pooling of  interests.  Jandel is a  developer  and  marketer of  graphical  and
statistical software products used mainly in scientific applications.  SPSS will
continue to operate the Jandel  business from the Jandel  offices in San Rafael,
California.

                                     - 7 -
<PAGE>



                                  RISK FACTORS


      In addition to the other  information  in this  Prospectus,  the following
risk  factors  should  be  considered   carefully  by  potential  purchasers  in
evaluating an investment in the Common Stock offered hereby.

     Fluctuations  in  Quarterly  Operating  Results.  The  Company's  quarterly
operating  results  can  be  subject  to  fluctuation  due to  several  factors,
including   the  number  and  timing  of  product   updates   and  new   product
introductions,  delays  in  product  development  and  introduction,  purchasing
schedules of its customers,  changes in foreign currency exchange rates, product
and market development expenditures, the timing of product shipments, changes in
product mix, timing and cost of acquisitions  and general  economic  conditions.
Because  the  Company's  expense  levels  are to a  large  extent  based  on its
forecasts of future  revenues,  operating  results may be adversely  affected if
such revenues fall below  expectations.  Accordingly,  the Company believes that
quarter-to-quarter   comparisons  of  its  results  of  operations  may  not  be
meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.
The Company has  historically  operated  with very  little  backlog  because its
products are generally shipped as orders are received. As a result,  revenues in
any  quarter  are  dependent  on orders  shipped  and  licenses  renewed in that
quarter. The Company has experienced a seasonal pattern in its operating results
with the fourth  quarter  typically  having the highest  operating  income.  For
example,  excluding acquisition and other non-recurring  charges, the percentage
of the  Company's  operating  income  realized in the fourth  quarter was 41% in
1994,  41% in 1995 and 38% in 1996.  In  addition,  the timing and amount of the
Company's  revenues are subject to a number of factors that make  estimation  of
operating results prior to the end of a quarter uncertain. A significant portion
of  the  Company's   operating   expenses  are  relatively  fixed,  and  planned
expenditures are based primarily on revenue forecasts. More specifically, in the
fourth quarter,  the variable profit margins on modest increases in sales volume
at the end of the quarter are  significant.  Should the Company  fail to achieve
such fourth quarter revenue increases, net income for the fourth quarter and the
full year could be materially affected.  Generally,  if revenues do not meet the
Company's expectations in any given quarter, operating results will be adversely
affected. Although the Company had been profitable in each of the seven quarters
up to and including the quarter ending June 30, 1994, the Company  experienced a
net loss of $331,000 in the third quarter of 1994 due to a one-time write-off of
$1,928,000 for acquired and in-process technology and other  acquisition-related
charges  recorded in connection with the Company's  acquisition of SYSTAT,  Inc.
("SYSTAT"). The Company has been profitable in the nine quarters ending December
31, 1994  through  December 31, 1996.  However,  there can be no assurance  that
profitability on a quarterly or annual basis can be achieved or sustained in the
future.

      Dependence  on a Single  Product  Category;  Declining  Sales  of  Certain
Products.  The Company derives  substantially  all of its product  revenues from
licenses of  statistical  software.  Accordingly,  any decline in revenues  from
licenses of the  Company's  statistical  software,  or  reduction  in demand for
statistical  software  generally,  could have a material  adverse  effect on the
Company.

      In recent years SPSS has experienced a significant shift in the sources of
its revenues.  Historically, the Company derived a large portion of its revenues
from licenses of its mainframe and minicomputer ("Large Systems") products. As a
result of the  general  shift by  computer  users from Large  Systems to desktop
computers, the Company has experienced an ongoing decline in revenues from Large
Systems products in the last several years,  although this decline has generally
lessened in recent quarters.  Revenues from Large Systems licenses declined from
approximately  $15.6  million in 1991 to $10.7  million in 1995,  while sales of
desktop products  increased from $21.8 million in 1991 to $56.9 million in 1995,
although  revenues from Large Systems  licenses only declined from $10.8 million
to $10.7  million  from  1994 to 1995.  Management  is  unable  to  predict  the
continuing rate of decline on Large Systems licenses,  if any. Revenues from the
Company's  products for desktop computers  ("Desktop  products") now account for
nearly three-quarters of the Company's revenues and this percentage may continue
to increase.


                                      - 8 -

<PAGE>



      Rapid   Technological   Change.   The   computer   software   industry  is
characterized by rapid technological advances, changes in customer requirements,
frequent  product  enhancements  and new product  introductions.  The  Company's
future success will depend upon its ability to enhance its existing products and
introduce new products that keep pace with technological  developments,  respond
to evolving customer requirements and achieve market acceptance.  In particular,
the Company  believes it must  continue to respond  quickly to users'  needs for
greater  functionality,  improved  usability  and support for new  hardware  and
operating  systems.  Any  failure  by  the  Company  to  respond  adequately  to
technological developments and customer requirements,  or any significant delays
in product development or introduction, could result in loss of revenues. In the
past, the Company has, on occasion,  experienced  delays in the  introduction of
new  products  and product  enhancements,  primarily  due to  difficulties  with
particular  operating  environments and problems with software provided by third
parties. The extent of these delays has varied depending upon the size and scope
of the project and the nature of the problems encountered. Such delays have most
often  resulted from "bugs"  encountered  in working with new and/or  beta-stage
versions  of  operating  systems and other  third  party  software,  and bugs or
unexpected  difficulties  in existing  third  party  software  which  complicate
integration  with the  Company's  software.  From time to time,  the Company has
discovered bugs in its products which are resolved through maintenance  releases
or through periodic updates depending upon the seriousness of the defect.  There
can be no  assurance  that the Company  will be  successful  in  developing  and
marketing  new  products or product  enhancements  on a timely basis or that the
Company will not experience significant delays or defects in its products in the
future,  which could have a material adverse effect on the Company. In addition,
there can be no assurance that new products or product enhancements developed by
the Company will achieve market  acceptance or that  developments by others will
not render the Company's products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive.

     International Operations. The Company's revenues from operations outside of
North America accounted for approximately  40%, 45% and 50% of the Company's net
revenues in 1993, 1994 and 1995, respectively. The Company expects that revenues
from  international  operations will continue to represent a large percentage of
its net revenues and that this  percentage  may  increase,  particularly  as the
Company  further  "localizes"  the SPSS product line by translating its products
into  additional  languages.  International  revenues are subject to a number of
risks, including greater difficulties in accounts receivable collection,  longer
payment  cycles,  exposure  to currency  fluctuations,  political  and  economic
instability and the burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and
regulatory requirements. The Company also believes that it is exposed to greater
levels of  software  piracy  in  international  markets  because  of the  weaker
protection afforded to intellectual property in some foreign  jurisdictions.  As
the Company  expands its  international  operations,  the risks  described above
could increase and, could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

      Potential Volatility of Stock Price. There has been significant volatility
in the  market  prices  of  securities  of  technology  companies  and  in  some
instances,  such  volatility has been unrelated to the operating  performance of
such companies. Market fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Common
Stock.  The Company also believes  factors such as announcements of new products
by the Company or its competitors,  quarterly  variations in financial  results,
recommendations  and reports of analysts and other factors  beyond the Company's
control  could  cause  the  market  price  of  the  Common  Stock  to  fluctuate
substantially.

      Reliance on Relationships with Third Parties. The Company licenses certain
software from third parties.  Some of this licensed  software is embedded in the
Company's products, and some is offered as add-on products. If such licenses are
discontinued, or become invalid or unenforceable, there can be no assurance that
the Company will be able to develop substitutes for this software  independently
or to obtain alternative  sources in a timely manner. Any delays in obtaining or
developing  substitutes  for  licensed  software  could have a material  adverse
effect on the Company.

     In  February  1993,  the  Company  entered  into  an  exclusive,  worldwide
agreement (the "Prentice Hall  Agreement")  with Prentice Hall, Inc.  ("Prentice
Hall") under which Prentice Hall publishes and  distributes  the student version
of the Company's  software and all of the Company's  publications.  As a result,
the Company is

                                      - 9 -

<PAGE>



dependent on Prentice  Hall for the  development  and support of the markets for
student software and its  publications.  The failure of Prentice Hall to perform
its  obligations  under the  Prentice  Hall  Agreement  adequately  could have a
material adverse effect on the Company.

     In  February  1993,  the  Company  entered  into  a  Software  Distribution
Agreement  (the  "IBM  Software  Distribution   Agreement")  with  International
Business  Machines  Corporation  ("IBM")  under  which  IBM is  responsible  for
manufacturing and packaging the Company's  products and distributing them to the
Company's  domestic and European  customers.  In January 1997,  the IBM Software
agreement  was  replaced  with a similar  agreement  with Banta  Global  Turnkey
("Banta").  If Banta  fails to  adequately  perform its  obligations  under this
agreement,  or if the agreement is terminated,  the Company's  operating results
could be materially adversely effected.

      Changes in Public  Expenditures  and Overall  Economic  Activity Levels. A
significant  portion  of the  Company's  revenues  comes  from  licenses  of its
products  directly to foreign and  domestic  government  entities.  In addition,
significant  amounts of the  Company's  revenues  come from licenses to academic
institutions,  healthcare  organizations  and private  businesses which contract
with or are funded by government entities.  Government  appropriations processes
are often  slow,  unpredictable  and subject to factors  outside  the  Company's
control. In addition, proposals are currently being made in certain countries to
reduce   government   spending.   Reductions  in  government   expenditures  and
termination or  renegotiation of  government-funded  programs or contracts could
have a material adverse effect on the Company. In addition,  declines in overall
levels of economic  activity  could also have a material  adverse  impact on the
Company.

      Competition.  The  market  for the  statistical  software  is both  highly
competitive  and  fragmented.  The Company  primarily  competes with one general
statistical software provider which is larger and has greater resources than the
Company,  as  well  as  with  numerous  other  companies  offering   statistical
applications  software,  many  of  which  offer  products  focused  on  specific
statistical applications. The Company considers its primary worldwide competitor
to be the larger and better-financed SAS Institute ("SAS"), although the Company
believes that SAS's revenues are derived principally from products that are used
for  purposes  other than  statistics  and operate on large  systems  platforms.
StatSoft Inc., developers of the Statistica product ("Statistica"),  Manugistics
Group, Inc., distributors of the Statgraphics Plus product ("Statgraphics"), and
Minitab,  Inc. ("Minitab") are also competitors,  although their annual revenues
from these  statistical  products are believed to be considerably  less than the
revenues of SPSS.

      In the  future,  SPSS may face  competition  from  new  entrants  into the
statistical software market. The Company could also experience  competition from
companies in other sectors of the broader market for data  management,  analysis
and  presentation  software,   such  as  providers  of  spreadsheets,   database
management  systems,  report writers and executive  information  systems.  These
companies  have  added,  or  in  the  future  may  add,   statistical   analysis
capabilities to their products.  Many of these companies have  significant  name
recognition,  as well as  substantially  greater  capital  resources,  marketing
experience and research and development capabilities than the Company. There can
be no  assurance  that the Company  will have  sufficient  resources to make the
necessary  investment in research and  development  and sales and marketing,  or
that the  Company  will  otherwise  be able to make the  technological  advances
necessary to maintain or enhance its competitive position.  The Company's future
success will also depend  significantly upon its ability to continue to sell its
Desktop  products,  to attract new customers  looking for more  sophisticated or
powerful  software  and to  introduce  additional  add-on  products  to existing
customers.  There can be no  assurance  that the Company will be able to compete
successfully in the future.

      Dependence  on Key  Personnel.  The Company is dependent on the efforts of
certain  executives  and  key  employees,  including  its  President  and  Chief
Executive Officer,  Jack Noonan. The Company's  continued success will depend in
part  on  its  ability  to  attract  and  retain  highly  qualified   technical,
managerial, sales, marketing and other personnel. Competition for such personnel
is intense.  There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue
to attract or retain such highly qualified personnel. No life insurance policies
are maintained on the Company's key personnel.


                                     - 10 -

<PAGE>



      Intellectual  Property;  Proprietary  Rights.  The statistical  algorithms
incorporated in the Company's software are not proprietary. The Company believes
that the proprietary technology constituting a portion of the Company's software
determines the speed and quality of displaying the results of computations,  the
connectivity of the Company's products with third party software and the ease of
use of its products.  The Company's success will depend, in part, on its ability
to protect the  proprietary  aspects of its  products.  The Company  attempts to
protect  its   proprietary   software   with  trade  secret  laws  and  internal
nondisclosure   safeguards,   as  well  as  copyright  and  trademark  laws  and
contractual  restrictions on copying,  disclosure and  transferability  that are
incorporated  into its software  license  agreements.  The Company  licenses its
software only in the form of executable code, with  contractual  restrictions on
copying, disclosures and transferability. Except for licenses of its products to
users of Large System products and annual licenses of its Desktop products,  the
Company  licenses its products to  end-users by use of a  "shrink-wrap"  license
that  is not  signed  by  licensees,  as is  customary  in the  industry.  It is
uncertain whether such license  agreements are legally  enforceable.  The source
code for all of the  Company's  products is  protected  as a trade secret and as
unpublished  copyrighted  work.  In  addition,  the  Company  has  entered  into
confidentiality  and  nondisclosure  agreements with its key employees.  Despite
these restrictions,  it may be possible for competitors or users to copy aspects
of the Company's  products or to obtain information which the Company regards as
a trade  secret.  The  Company  has no  patents,  and  judicial  enforcement  of
copyright  laws  may  be  uncertain,  particularly  outside  of  North  America.
Preventing  unauthorized  use of computer  software is  difficult,  and software
piracy  is  expected  to be a  persistent  problem  for  the  packaged  software
industry.  These problems may be particularly acute in international markets. In
addition,  the laws of certain countries in which the Company's  products are or
may be licensed do not protect the Company's products and intellectual  property
rights  to the  same  extent  as the  laws of the  United  States.  Despite  the
precautions  taken by the  Company,  it may be possible for  unauthorized  third
parties to reverse  engineer  or copy the  Company's  products or obtain and use
information  that the Company regards as proprietary.  There can be no assurance
that the steps taken by the Company to protect  its  proprietary  rights will be
adequate to prevent misappropriation of its technology.

      Although  the  Company's  products  have  never  been  the  subject  of an
infringement claim, there can be no assurance that third parties will not assert
infringement claims against the Company in the future or that any such assertion
will not result in costly  litigation or require the Company to obtain a license
to use the  intellectual  property of third  parties.  There can be no assurance
that such licenses will be available on reasonable  terms,  or at all. There can
also be no  assurance  that the  Company's  competitors  will not  independently
develop  technologies  that are  substantially  equivalent  or  superior  to the
Company's technologies.

      Control by Existing Stockholders; Antitakeover Effects. As of December 31,
1996,  the  Company's   executive  officers  and  directors  owned  beneficially
approximately 22.2% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. The Norman H. Nie
Revocable Trust Dated March 15, 1991 (the "Nie Trust") and affiliates of the Nie
Trust, are entitled to nominate a director for inclusion in the management slate
for election to the Board so long as the Nie Trust continues to own no less than
12.5% of the  outstanding  shares of Common Stock.  As of December 31, 1996, the
Nie Trust and affiliates of the Nie Trust beneficially owned approximately 15.9%
of the  outstanding  shares  of  Common  Stock.  The  Company's  Certificate  of
Incorporation  and Bylaws contain a number of provisions,  including  provisions
requiring  an 80% super  majority  stockholder  approval of certain  actions and
provisions for a classified Board of Directors, which would make the acquisition
of the Company,  by means of an  unsolicited  tender  offer,  a proxy contest or
otherwise, more difficult or impossible.

      Shares  Eligible  for Future Sale.  As of December  31,  1996,  there were
vested  options  outstanding  held by  management to purchase  approximately  an
additional  536,573 shares of SPSS Common Stock and unvested options to purchase
approximately an additional 140,370 shares of SPSS Common Stock, with an average
exercise  price of $5.81 per share.  The  Company has also  established  a stock
purchase plan available to employees of the Company,  which permits employees to
acquire  shares of SPSS  Common  Stock at the end of each  quarter at 85% of the
market price of SPSS Common Stock as of such date.


                                     - 11 -

<PAGE>



     In  addition  to the  Company's  currently  outstanding  shares  and  those
issuable to employees as described above,  the Company has issued  approximately
339,000  shares of SPSS Common  Stock to Jandel's  shareholders.  Such shares of
SPSS Common Stock will generally be available for resale.

      No prediction can be made as to the effect,  if any, that future sales, or
the  availability  of shares of Common Stock for future sales,  will have on the
market price prevailing from time to time. Sales of substantial  amounts of SPSS
Common  Stock by the Company or by  shareholders,  or the  perception  that such
sales may occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices for SPSS Common
Stock.

     Accumulated  Deficit. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $14,312,000
as of December 31, 1996.

                                     - 12 -

<PAGE>



                              SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

     The  following  table  sets  forth the  number  of  shares of Common  Stock
beneficially  owned by each Selling  Stockholder  as of February  28, 1997,  the
number  of  shares  of  Common  Stock  that  may  be  offered  for  the  Selling
Stockholder's  account  and  based on the  number  of  shares  of  Common  Stock
beneficially  owned as of February 28,  1997,  the  percentage  of the shares of
Common Stock to be beneficially owned by such Selling  Stockholder if they elect
to sell all of their Shares of Common Stock that are available for sale.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                 Shares of Common
                                                                                                   Stock To Be
                                                                        Maximum Number of       Beneficially Owned
                                                        Shares of       Shares Available       Assuming Sale of All
                                                      Common Stock        To Be Sold           Shares Available For
Name and Address of                                Beneficially Owned      Pursuant             Sale Hereunder(1)
Selling Stockholder                             As of February 28, 1997     Hereto            Number        Percent

Norman H. Nie, individually, as Trustee
  of the Norman H. Nie Trust and as a
  Director and President of the Norman
<S>                                                     <C>                <C>               <C>                 <C>  
  and Carol Nie Foundation(2)                           1,174,077           69,944           1,104,133           14.3%
Jack Noonan(3)                                            164,133          118,667              65,466           *
Mark Battaglia(4)                                          70,226           44,333              26,893           *
Louise E. Rehling(5)                                       87,356           57,666              29,690           *
Susan Phelan(6)                                            70,102           42,667              27,435           *
Edward Hamburg(7)                                          99,843           64,333              35,510           *
Ian Durell(8)                                              41,843           29,333              12,177           *

</TABLE>

*  The percentage of shares beneficially owned does not exceed 1% of the class.

(1)  Based upon the number of Shares of Common Stock outstanding on February 28,
     1997.  Assumes all stock that may be offered pursuant to this Prospectus is
     sold, and no other shares  beneficially  owned by the Selling  Stockholders
     are sold.

(2)  Includes 72,944 shares which are subject to currently  exercisable options;
     110,433 shares held of record by the Norman and Carol Nie  Foundation  (the
     "Nie Foundation");  and 991,200 shares held by the Nie Trust. Professor Nie
     shares voting and investment  power over the 110,433 shares held by the Nie
     Foundation with Carol Nie.

(3)  Includes 157,714 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

(4)  Includes 69,843 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

(5)  Includes 83,176 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

(6)  Includes 68,177 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

(7)  Includes 89,843 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

(8)  Mr. Durrell is the beneficial owner of these shares which consist solely of
     41,843 shares subject to currently exercisable options.

                                 USE OF PROCEEDS

          The Company will not receive any  proceeds  from the  registration  or
sale of the shares of Common Stock offered hereby.

                        DIVIDEND POLICY AND RESTRICTIONS

          The Company has never declared any cash dividends or  distributions on
its  capital  stock  and  does  not  anticipate  paying  cash  dividends  in the
foreseeable  future. The Company currently intends to retain its future earnings
to fund ongoing operations and future capital requirements of its business.

                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

          The Common Stock may be offered by the Selling  Stockholders from time
to  time  in  transactions  on  the  Nasdaq  National   Market,   in  negotiated
transactions, or a combination of such methods of sale, at fixed prices that may
be changed,  at market prices  prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related
to  such  prevailing  market  prices  or  at  negotiated   prices.  The  Selling
Stockholders may effect such transactions by the sale of the Common Stock

                                     - 13 -

<PAGE>



to or through  broker-dealers,  and such broker-dealers may receive compensation
in  the  form  of  discounts,   concessions  or  commissions  from  the  selling
Stockholders   and/or  the   purchasers  of  the  Common  Stock  for  whom  such
broker-dealers  may act as agent or to whom they may sell as principal,  or both
(which  compensation  to a  particular  broker-dealer  might  be  in  excess  of
customary commissions).  The Selling Stockholders and any broker-dealer who acts
in  connection  with the sale of  Common  Stock  hereunder  may be  deemed to be
"underwriters" as that term is defined in the Securities Act, and any commission
received by them and profit on any resale of the Common Stock as principal might
be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.

          No prediction can be made as to the effect, if any, that future sales,
or the availability of shares of Common Stock for future sales, will have on the
market price  prevailing from time to time. See "RISK FACTORS -- Shares Eligible
for Future Sale" elsewhere in this Prospectus.

                                  LEGAL MATTERS

          The  validity of the shares of Common  Stock is being  passed upon for
the Company by Ross & Hardies, Chicago, Illinois.



                                     EXPERTS

     The  supplemental  consolidated  financial  statements  of  SPSS  Inc.  and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 1995 and 1994 and for each of the three years in
the period ended December 31, 1995, have been  incorporated by reference  herein
from the  Company's  Registration  Statement  on Form S-3 in  reliance  upon the
report of KPMG Peat  Marwick  LLP,  independent  certified  public  accountants,
incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts
in accounting and auditing.

     The consolidated  financial  statements of SPSS Inc. and subsidiaries as of
December  31, 1995 and 1994 and for each of the three years in the period  ended
December 31, 1995, have been incorporated by reference herein from the Company's
Registration  Statement  on Form S-4 in  reliance  upon the  report of KPMG Peat
Marwick LLP, independent certified public accountants, incorporated by reference
herein, and upon the authority of said firm in accounting and auditing.

     With respect to SPSS Inc.'s unaudited interim  financial  information as of
September 30, 1996 and for the three months and nine months ended  September 30,
1995 and 1996,  incorporated  by reference  herein,  the  independent  certified
public  accountants  have  reported  that they  applied  limited  procedures  in
accordance  with  professional  standards  for a  review  of  such  information.
However,  their separate  report included in the Company's  quarterly  report on
Form  10-Q for the  quarter  ended  September  30,  1996,  and  incorporated  by
reference  herein,  states  that they did not audit and they do not  express  an
opinion  on that  interim  financial  information.  Accordingly,  the  degree of
reliance on their report on such  information  should be  restricted in light of
the limited nature of the review  procedures  applied.  The  accountants are not
subject to the liability  provisions of section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933
for their report on the unaudited  interim  financial  information  because this
report is not a "report" or a "part" of the registration  statement  prepared or
certified by the accountants within the meaning of sections 7 and 11 of the Act.

     The financial  statements of Clear  Software,  Inc. as of December 31, 1995
and for the year then  ended,  have been  incorporated  by  reference  herein in
reliance upon the report of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, independent  certified public
accountants,  incorporated by reference  herein,  and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

     The consolidated  financial statements of Jandel Corporation and Subsidiary
as of December 31, 1995 and 1994 and for each of the years then ended, have been
incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG Peat

                                    
<PAGE>



Marwick LLP, independent certified public accountants, incorporated by reference
herein,  and upon the  authority  of said  firm as  experts  in  accounting  and
auditing.



 
<PAGE>
    


         NO DEALER,  SALESMAN OR OTHER  PERSON HAS BEEN  AUTHORIZED  TO GIVE ANY
INFORMATION OR TO MAKE ANY  REPRESENTATIONS  OTHER THAN THOSE  CONTAINED IN THIS
PROSPECTUS IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER MADE BY THIS PROSPECTUS AND, IF GIVEN OR
MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN
AUTHORIZED BY THE COMPANY.  NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS NOR ANY SALE
MADE HEREUNDER SHALL UNDER ANY  CIRCUMSTANCES  CREATE AN IMPLICATION  THAT THERE
HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE  COMPANY  SINCE THE DATE  HEREOF.  THIS
PROSPECTUS  DOES NOT  CONSTITUTE  AN  OFFER OR  SOLICITATION  BY  ANYONE  IN ANY
JURISDICTION  IN WHICH SUCH OFFER OR  SOLICITATION IS NOT AUTHORIZED OR IN WHICH
THE PERSON MAKING SUCH OFFER OR  SOLICITATION  IS NOT AUTHORIZED OR IN WHICH THE
PERSON MAKING SUCH OFFER OR TABLE OF CONTENTS  SOLICITATION  IS NOT QUALIFIED TO
DO SO OR TO ANYONE TO WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION.

                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                               Page

Available Information............................................4
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference..................4
The Company......................................................6
Risk Factors.....................................................8
Selling Stockholders............................................13
Use of Proceeds.................................................13
Dividend Policy and Restrictions................................13
Plan of Distribution............................................13
Legal Matters...................................................14
Experts.........................................................14

426,943 Shares



SPSS INC.



COMMON STOCK
($.01 PAR VALUE)


Prospectus

Dated March 28, 1997



                                    

<PAGE>




                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.           Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference

      SPSS Inc. (the "Company")  hereby  incorporates by reference the following
documents  previously  filed with the  Securities and Exchange  Commission  (the
"Commission"):


               (a) The Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q filed  November
          13, 1996 for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 1996.

               (b) The  Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K and  amendments
          thereto filed with the Commission on October 11, 1996  (acquisition of
          Clear Software).

               (c) The  Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K and  amendments
          thereto filed with the Commission on December 4, 1996  (acquisition of
          Jandel Corporation).

               (d) The description of the Company's Common Stock, $.01 par value
          (the  "Common  Stock"),   contained  in  the  Company's   Registration
          Statement  on Form 8-A  filed  with  Commission  on  August  4,  1993,
          pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

               (e) The Company's Proxy  Statement,  filed with the Commission on
          May 16, 1996, for its annual meeting of stockholders  held on June 19,
          1996,  except for the report of the Compensation  Committee  contained
          therein.

               (f) The  Company's  Current  Report  on Form  8-K and  amendments
          thereto filed with the Commission on March 10, 1997.

               (g)  The  Company's   Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-3  and
          amendments thereto filed with the Commission on February 4, 1997.

          In addition, the audited  financial statements contained  in the Proxy
Statement  and  Prospectus  (the  "Proxy/Prospectus") included in the  Company's
Registration  Statement on Form S-4, as amended, and  filed with the  Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b)  under the  Securities  Act are  incorporated  herein by
reference.

Item 4.           Description of Securities

                           Not applicable.

Item 5.           Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

                           Not applicable.

Item 6.           Indemnification of Officers and Directors

      Delaware General  Corporation Law. The Company has statutory  authority to
indemnify its officers and directors.  The applicable  provisions of the General
Corporation  Law of the State of Delaware  (the "GCL") state that, to the extent
such  person  is  successful  on the  merits or  otherwise,  a  corporation  may
indemnify  any  person who was or is a party or who is  threatened  to be made a
party to any  threatened,  pending  or  completed  action,  suit or  proceeding,
whether civil,  criminal,  administrative or investigative (other than an action
by or in the right of the corporation),  by reason of the fact that he is or was
a director,  officer,  employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving
at the request of the corporation as a director,  officer,  employee or agent of
another  corporation,  partnership,  joint  venture,  trust or other  enterprise
("such Person"),  against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines
and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred by such Person,
if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed  to the  best  interests  of the  corporation  and with  respect  to any
criminal  action or proceeding,  had no reasonable  cause to believe his conduct
was unlawful.  In any threatened  pending or completed action by or in the right
of the  corporation,  a corporation also may indemnify any such Person for costs
actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with that action's defense
or settlement,  if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed
to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the  corporation;  however,  no
indemnification  shall be made with respect to any claim,  issue or matter as to
which such Person shall have


                                     - 16 -

<PAGE>



been  adjudged  to be liable to the  corporation,  unless and only to the extent
that a court shall determine that such indemnity is proper.

      Under the applicable  provisions of the GCL, any indemnification  shall be
made  by the  corporation  only  as  authorized  in  the  specific  case  upon a
determination  that the  indemnification of the director,  officer,  employee or
agent is proper in the circumstances  because he has met the applicable standard
of conduct. Such determination shall be made:

     (1)  By the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of
          directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding; or

     (2)  If such a quorum is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, a quorum of
          disinterested  directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a
          written opinion; or

     (3)  By the  affirmative  vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote
          thereon.

      The Company's Certificate of Incorporation provides for indemnification to
the full extent  permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware against and with
respect  to  threatened,  pending or  completed  actions,  suits or  proceedings
arising  from or alleged to arise  from,  a party's  actions or  omissions  as a
director,  officer, employee or agent of the Company or of any subsidiary of the
Company or of any other corporation,  partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise which he has served in such capacity at the request of the Company if
such acts or omissions  occurred or were or are alleged to have occurred,  while
said party was a director or officer of the Company.

      The Company  maintains a director and officer  liability  insurance policy
which indemnifies directors and officers for certain losses arising from a claim
by reason of a wrongful act, as defined,  under certain  circumstances where the
Company does not provide indemnification.

Item 7.           Exemption from Registration Claimed.

                           Not applicable.

Item 8.           Exhibits.                                      Incorporation
                                                                       by
Exhibit                                                             Reference
Number    Description of Document                                (if applicable)

4.1      Credit Agreement                                             *4.1   

15.1     Letter re: Unaudited Interim Financial Information

23.1     Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding the 
         financial statements of SPSS Inc.

23.2     Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regardng the 
         financial statements of Clear Software, Inc.

23.3     Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding the 
         financial statements of Jandel Corporation

24.1     Power of Attorney                                            ***

*    Previously  filed  with  Form 10-Q  Quarterly  Report of SPSS Inc.  for the
     Quarterly period ended March 31, 1996 (Registration No. 0-22194)

***  Included in signature pages.

     (b) The Company did not file any  reports on  Form 8-K  during  fiscal year
1995 or for the first two quarters of fiscal year 1996.


                                                        


 

                                     - 17 -

<PAGE>
Item 9.           Undertakings.

                    (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                           (1)      to file,  during any period in which  offers
                                    or sales are being  made,  a  post-effective
                                    amendment to this Registration Statement:

                                   (i)   to include any  prospectus  required by
                                         Section  10(a)(3) of the Securities
                                         Act of 1933;

                                    (ii) to     reflect    in    the prospectus
                                         any  facts  or  events  arising  after
                                         the effective date of this Registration
                                         Statement (or  the  most  recent  post-
                                         effective    amendment thereof)  which,
                                         individually   or  in   the aggregate,
                                         represent a fundamental  change  in the
                                         information  set  forth  in this 
                                         Registration Statement;
                                                     
                                    (iii)   to include any material  information
                                            with   respect   to  the   plan   of
                                            distribution      not     previously
                                            disclosed   in   this   Registration
                                            Statement or any material  change to
                                            such     information     in     this
                                            Registration Statement;

                                    provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i)
                                    and   (a)(1)(ii)   do  not   apply   if  the
                                    information  required  to be  included  in a
                                    post-effective amendment by those paragraphs
                                    is  contained in periodic  reports  filed by
                                    the  Registrant  pursuant  to  Section 13 or
                                    Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
                                    of 1934 that are  incorporated  by reference
                                    in this Registration Statement.

                           (2)      that,  for the  purpose of  determining  any
                                    liability  under the Securities Act of 1933,
                                    each such post-effective  amendment shall be
                                    deemed  to be a new  registration  statement
                                    relating to the securities  offered therein,
                                    and the offering of such  securities at that
                                    time shall be deemed to be the initial  bona
                                    fide offering thereof.

                           (3)      to remove  from  registration  by means of a
                                    post-effective    amendment   any   of   the
                                    securities  being  registered  which  remain
                                    unsold at the termination of the offering.

                    (b)  that for purposes of  determining  any liability  under
                         the  Securities  Act  of  1933,   each  filing  of  the
                         Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or
                         Section  15(d) of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934
                         (and,  where  applicable,  each  filing of an  employee
                         benefit plan's annual report  pursuant to Section 15(d)
                         of  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934)  that  is
                         incorporated   by   reference   in  this   Registration
                         Statement  shall  be  deemed  to be a new  registration
                         statement  relating to the securities  offered  herein,
                         and the offering of such  securities at that time shall
                         be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                    (c)  that,  insofar  as   indemnification   for  liabilities
                         arising  under  the  Securities  Act  of  1933  may  be
                         permitted  to  directors,   officers  and   controlling
                         persons of the  registrant  pursuant  to the  foregoing
                         provisions,  or  otherwise,  the  registrant  has  been
                         advised  that  in the  opinion  of the  Securities  and
                         Exchange  Commission  such  indemnification  is against
                         public   policy  as   expressed  in  the  Act  and  is,
                         therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
                         indemnification  against such  liabilities  (other than
                         the payment by the  registrant of expenses  incurred or
                         paid by a director,  officer or  controlling  person of
                         the registrant in the successful defense of any action,
                         suit or  proceeding)  is  asserted  by  such  director,
                         officer or  controlling  person in connection  with the
                         securities  being  registered,   the  registrant  will,
                         unless in the  opinion  of its  counsel  the matter has
                         been  settled  by  controlling  precedent,  submit to a
                         court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of

                                     - 18 -

<PAGE>



                         whether such  indemnification by  it is against  public
                         policy as  expressed  in the Act and  will be  governed
                         by the  final adjudication of such issue.
                         
                                     - 19 -

<PAGE>




                                   SIGNATURES


     Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
has  duly  caused this Post-Effective  Amendment  Number  1 to the  Registration
Statement  to be  signed  on its  behalf  by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly
authorized, in the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, on March 28, 1997.

                                                                       SPSS INC.

                                                                    Jack Noonan*
                                                                 By: Jack Noonan
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer




 
     Pursuant  to  the   requirements  of  the  Securities  Act  of  1933,  this
Post-Effective  Amendment Number 1 to the Registration Statement has been signed
by the following  persons in the capacities  indicated on March 28, 1997.

Signature                                     Title(s)

Jack Noonan*                                  President, Chief Executive Officer
Jack Noonan                                   and Director

/s/ Edward Hamburg
Edward Hamburg                                Senior Vice President,
                                              Corporate Operations, 
                                              Chief Financial Officer 
                                              and Secretary

/s/ Robert Brinkmann                          Controller
Robert Brinkmann


Norman H. Nie*                                Chairman of the Board of
Norman H. Nie                                 Directors

Bernard Goldstein*                            Director
Benard Goldstein


Fredric W. Harman*                            Director
Fredric W. Harman


Merritt Lutz*                                 Director
Merritt Lutz

*    By /S/ Edward Hamburg
        Edward Hamburg
        Attorney-in-Fact

<PAGE>



















                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549




                               EXHIBITS FILED WITH

                    THE POST EFFECTIVE AMMENDMENT ON FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT

                                      UNDER

                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933



                                    SPSS INC.










<PAGE>




                                    SPSS INC.

                                  



                                                                 Location    
                                                                   Of        
                                                                 Document    
                                                                   in        
                                                                Sequential   
                                                                Numbering    
                                                                 System      
                                                            
Exhibit No.          Description

 
  15.1               Letter re: Unaudited Interim 
                       Financial Information.
                       
  23.1               Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding
                       the financial statements of SPSS Inc.

  23.2               Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding 
                       the financial statements of Clear Software, Inc.

  23.3               Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP regarding
                       the financial statements of Jandel Corporation

  24.1               Powers of Attorney.*



                 *Powers of attorney are contained in signature.




                                                                    EXHIBIT 15.1

               LETTER RE: UNAUDITED INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The Board of Directors
SPSS Inc.:

     With  respect  to the  subject  registration  statement  on  Form  S-8,  we
acknowledge  our  awareness of the use therein of our report  dated  October 28,
1996 related to our review of interim financial information.

     Pursuant to Rule 436(c) under the  Securities  Act of 1933,  such report is
not  considered  part of a  registration  statement  prepared or certified by an
accountant or a report prepared or certified by an accountant within the meaning
of sections 7 and 11 of the Act.

                                                     /s/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP
                                                     
Chicago, Illinois
March 26, 1997


                                   


                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1

                          INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT



The Board of Directors
SPSS Inc.:


     We consent to incorporation  by reference in the registration  statement on
Form S-8 of SPSS Inc. and  subsidiaries  of our report dated  November 20, 1996,
relating  to the  supplemental  consolidated  balance  sheets of SPSS  Inc.  and
subsidiaries  as of  December  31, 1994 and 1995,  and the related  supplemental
consolidated statements of income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each
of the years in the  three-year  period ended  December  31, 1995,  which report
appears in the Registration  Statement on Form S-3 of SPSS Inc. and subsidiaries
and to reference to our firm under the heading "Experts" in the Prospectus.

     We consent to incorporation  by reference in the registration  statement on
Form S-8 of SPSS Inc. and  subsidiaries  of our report dated September 26, 1996,
relating to the consolidated  balance sheets of SPSS Inc. and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 1994 and 1995, and the related  consolidated  statements of income,
stockholders'  (deficit)  equity,  and cash  flows  for each of the years in the
three  year  period  ended  December  31,  1995,  which  report  appears  in the
Registration Statement on Form S-4 of SPSS Inc. and subsidiaries.

                                                       /s/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP

                                                          



Chicago, Illinois
March 26, 1997

                             


                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.2

                          INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT


The Board of Directors
SPSS Inc.:

We consent to incorporation  by reference in the registration  statement on Form
S-8 of SPSS Inc. and  subsidiaries of our report dated August 9, 1996,  relating
to the balance  sheet of Clear  Software,  Inc. as of December  31, 1995 and the
related  statements of income and retained  earnings and cash flows for the year
then ended,  which report appears in the Form 8-K of SPSS Inc. and  subsidiaries
dated  October  11,  1996 and to the  reference  to our firm  under the  heading
"Experts" in the Prospectus.

                                                       /S/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP


                                                          

Boston, Massachusetts
March 26, 1997

 


                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.3

                          INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT


The Board of Directors
SPSS Inc.:


We consent to incorporation  by reference in the registration  statement on Form
S-8 of SPSS Inc. and  subsidiaries  of our report  dated  August 30, 1996,  with
respect to the consolidated  balance sheets of Jandel Corporation and subsidiary
as of  December  31, 1994 and 1995 and the related  consolidated  statements  of
operations, shareholders' equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, which
report  is  incorporated  by  reference  in  the  Form  8-K  of  SPSS  Inc.  and
Subsidiaries  dated  December 4, 1996 and to the reference to our firm under the
heading "Experts" in the Prospectus.



                                                       /s/ KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP


                                                           


San Jose, California
March 26, 1997



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