M&A Due Diligence Services
Due diligence is a process of verification, investigation, or audit of a potential deal or investment opportunity to confirm all relevant facts and financial information and to verify anything else that was brought up during an M&A deal or investment process. Due diligence is completed before a deal closes to provide the buyer with an assurance of what they’re getting.
Importance of Due Diligence
Transactions that undergo a due diligence process offer higher chances of success. Due diligence contributes to making informed decisions by enhancing the quality of information available to decision-makers.
From a buyer’s perspective
Due diligence allows the buyer to feel more comfortable that their expectations regarding the transaction are correct. In mergers and acquisitions (M&A), purchasing a business without doing due diligence substantially increases the risk to the purchaser.
From a seller’s perspective
Due diligence is conducted to provide the purchaser with trust. However, due diligence may also benefit the seller, as going through the rigorous financial examination may, in fact, reveal that the fair market value of the seller’s company is more than what was initially thought to be the case. Therefore, it is not uncommon for sellers to prepare due diligence reports themselves prior to potential transactions.
Reasons For Due Diligence
There are several reasons why due diligence is conducted:
- To confirm and verify information that was brought up during the deal or investment process,
- To identify potential defects in the deal or investment opportunity and thus avoid a bad business transaction,
- To obtain information that would be useful in valuing the deal,
- To make sure that the deal or investment opportunity complies with the investment or deal criteria.
Tax due diligence examines the company’s tax affairs and ensures that all tax liabilities have been paid in full to date. Tax due diligence considers how a merger will impact the tax liabilities of the new entity formed by the transaction.
Financial due diligence examines the company’s financial performance up to the present day and ensures that the numbers presented in the financial statements are accurate and sustainable.
Operational due diligence examines the company’s operations, specifically how it converts inputs into outputs. This is generally regarded as the most forward-thinking type of due diligence.
ICS’s corporate due diligence and sell-side advisory services can help organizations pinpoint portfolio value and minimize disruptions.
