U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, Procurement And Contracts Branch, Mail Stop O-20, 6432 General Green Way, Alexandria, Virginia 22312

B -- BANK, BANK HOLDING COMPANY, SAVINGS AND LOAN, AND S & L HOLDING COMPANY, RISK RATING SYSTEMS POC Gary Fontaine, Contract Specialist, 202-942-4995; Linda Sudhoff, Contracting Officer, (202) 942-4990. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intends to award a sole source contract to Thomson Bankwatch, Inc., P.O. Box 95746, Chicago, Il 60694, for a base year and four one-year options, commencing October 1, 1998. The SEC's Division of Corporation Finance will use this vendor's risk rating system in connection with its responsibilities to ensure full disclosure of material information regarding publicly traded companies. The SEC is not funding the development of a database or purchase of hardware. Specifically, the SEC requires: (a) a risk rating system that will identify and analyze, on a comparable basis, Bank Holding Companies and Savings and Loan Holding Companies that report to the SEC. This risk rating shall take into account the financial condition of the constituent banks and savings institutions and all other segments of Bank Holding Cos. and S & L Holding Cos. such as affiliated real estate operations. An analysis which uses only standard deviation from an industry average is unacceptable. The analysis shall be based on considerations other than only standard peer group comparisons and/or standard deviations from an industry average. Risk ratings are required on all SEC reporting Bank Holding Cos. and S & L Holding Cos.; (b) peer group financial ratio reports for constituent banks and savings institutions which can be used by the SEC to analyze the financial performance and condition of constituent banks and savings institutions. The reports shall contain current data and ratios applicable financial annual and quarterly data for constituent banks and savings institutions and the peer groups; (c) an introductory course on how to analyze the annual financial performance and condition of constituent banks and savings institutions, detailing how such analyses may be used to analyze their bank and S & L holding companies. The SEC has surveyed the market and believes that Thomson Bankwatch is the only available source meeting the above requirements. Accordingly, the SEC intends to solicit and negotiate with only this source for these services.(See Note 22). Posted 07/28/98 (W-SN229304). (0209)

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