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                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                              --------------------
                                  SCHEDULE TO-C
                                 (RULE 14d-100)
       Tender Offer Statement Pursuant to Section 14(d)(1) or 13(e)(1) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                        Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
                            (Name of Subject Company)

                        Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
                       (Names of Filing Persons - Offeror)

           Options to Purchase Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share
                         (Title of Class of Securities)
                         ------------------------------


              ----------------------------------------------------
                                 Peter J. Beshar
              Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                        Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
                           1166 Avenue of the Americas
                          New York, New York 10036-2774
                                 (212) 345-5000
   (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices
                 and Communications on Behalf of Filing Persons)

                                   Copies to:
                            Richard D. Truesdell, Jr.
                              Davis Polk & Wardwell
                              450 Lexington Avenue
                            New York, New York 10017
                            Telephone: (212) 450-4000


                           CALCULATION OF FILING FEE*
        Transaction valuation                     Amount of filing fee
-------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

*No filing fee is required because this filing contains only preliminary
communications made before the commencement of a tender offer.

|_| Check the box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule
    0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was
    previously paid. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
    number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

Amount Previously Paid:   ___________________  Filing Party: ___________________
Form or Registration No.: ___________________  Date Filed:   ___________________

|X| Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications
    made before the commencement of a tender offer.

Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the
statement relates:
|_| third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.
|X| issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.
|_| going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.
|_| amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results
of the tender offer: |_|

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This  schedule and attached  exhibit  relate to a proposal to be  considered  by
stockholders  of  Marsh & McLennan Companies,  Inc. ("MMC") at  the 2005  Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 19, 2005 (the "2005 Annual  Meeting").
The proposal  concerns  amendments to certain  employee stock benefit plans that
would permit MMC to make an offer to its employee optionholders (other than it's
most senior executive officers) to  tender certain  outstanding stock options in
exchange  for stock options  to purchase a lesser number of shares of MMC common
stock.


MMC has not commenced the exchange offer referred to in this communication. When
the exchange offer is commenced,  MMC will provide eligible  optionholders  with
written materials explaining the terms and conditions and timing of the exchange
offer.  The tender offer  materials and the proxy  statement for the 2005 Annual
Meeting will contain  important  information for optionholders and stockholders,
respectively, and should be read carefully by them prior to tendering or voting.
The  proxy statement  has been  filed  by  MMC with the  Securities and Exchange
Commission.  The tender offer materials will be filed by MMC with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.  These  written  materials  and  other documents may be
obtained free of charge from the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at
www.sec.gov.


MMC  stockholders  may obtain a written copy of the proxy statement and eligible
MMC  optionholders  may obtain free of charge a written copy of the tender offer
statement,  when  available,  by contacting  MMC Corporate  Development at (212)
345-5475.



Item 12. Exhibit.

       99.1  Letter to Employees from Michael A. Petrullo, senior vice president
and chief administrative officer of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.





                                    SIGNATURE

       After  due  inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify
that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.



                                        /s/ Bart Schwartz
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        (Signature)


                                        Bart Schwartz, Deputy General Counsel
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        (Name & Title)


                                        April 13, 2005
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        (Date)





                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS


       99.1  Letter to Employees (filed herewith).