Financial Due Diligence

Typically 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the target and how quickly the data room is populated. Red-flag findings are reported as soon as we find them, so the critical issues reach you well before the final report.

It depends on the scope: the size of the target, the number of entities and jurisdictions, and how deep the work needs to go. We agree a fixed fee for a defined scope before we start.

An analysis of whether the profit a business reports is sustainable. It adjusts reported EBITDA for one-off items, owner-related costs and accounting choices to reach a normalised figure, which is usually the number the price is based on.

Buy-side due diligence is commissioned by the acquirer to test the target. Vendor due diligence is commissioned by the seller before the sale, so the issues are found and dealt with before buyers see them, and the process moves faster.

Mostly mid-market transactions of $5 million to $250 million in deal value, across the UK, the GCC, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the US and Canada, including cross-border deals.

Yes, routinely. Our findings feed directly into the purchase agreement, so we work closely with legal counsel on net debt definitions, the working capital mechanism, warranties and indemnities, and with tax advisers where specialist opinion is needed.

We cover tax and regulatory exposure as part of the financial work and flag where specialist tax opinion is needed. Commercial due diligence on the market and competitive position is a separate discipline; if the deal needs it, we will say so at scoping and work alongside whoever provides it.

We tell you immediately, quantify it and set out the options: renegotiate the price, change the structure, seek specific protection in the purchase agreement, or walk away. In our experience the most valuable diligence is the kind that changes the deal.