Due diligence is the one and only opportunity to get under the skin of a business, before the buyer goes ahead and signs on the dotted line. Until this point in negotiations, the seller has probably held most of the cards. If you’re the buyer, you now need to be satisfied that (as far as possible) you know exactly what it is you’re buying. 

And if you’re the seller, you don’t want the buyer to uncover any nasty surprises you weren’t aware of. This could reduce the price and affect the terms you’ve both agreed to. Whichever side of the fence you’re sitting, we can guide you through this process.

For buyers

Together we need to identify the risks, pitfalls and opportunities of your transaction. Once we understand these factors, we’ll then pull together a programme of work which concentrates on the high-risk areas for you.

In the excitement of looking at new opportunities, it’s easy to overlook hidden costs and to get carried away. Our job is to make sure that the synergies you’ve identified do exist. Someone once said that synergies are like unicorns – everyone knows what they look like but surprisingly no-one has actually seen one!

When you considering the purchase of a company, it’s the time to get any awkward questions on the table, and you can use us as a buffer between yourself and the seller.

It’s also a good time to be shaping your implementation plan. You need to be thinking about your announcements, quick wins, eliminating duplication, integrating systems and so on. There’s a great deal to do, and the most successful acquisitions are often those with a well thought out implementation plan.

For sellers

Naturally you will want the best possible price and terms when you come to sell your business. You need to avoid (as much as possible) the buyer uncovering something you don’t know about, because this can be used to reduce your price and might even frustrate the deal completely. To help you get ‘sale ready’, we’re here to perform sell-side due diligence and pre-sale tax planning.