Mandate
Scope: if you are selling, the buyer profile; if you are buying, the target profile.
CC-09 · M&A transactions
M&A advisory
Sell well, buy carefully. The most costly piece of information in a deal is always what surfaces in legal due diligence.
In an M&A transaction, the factor that most often depresses the price or kills the deal is not EBITDA: it is the regulatory contingencies that surface in due diligence — poorly implemented GDPR, lapsed ENS, expired ISO certification, no compliance programme.
We support the seller in preparing the business for sale before the first contact with buyers, or the buyer through comprehensive due diligence. Multi-method valuation, investor or target search, organised data room, legal and compliance due diligence, negotiation support.
We work on a mandate basis — fixed fees plus a success fee — and never on pure success: a firm that only charges if the deal closes has the wrong incentive.
Month 0MandateScope, buyer profile or target profile.
Months 1–3ValuationMultiple methods, information memorandum.
Months 3–8Due diligenceLegal, tax, operational, compliance.
Months 9–18ClosingNegotiation, signing, post-closing.
The M&A advisory process.
The process · four stagesValuation
Multiple methods: discounted cash flow, comparables, asset-based.
Search
Active search with competitive process management.
Due diligence
Support throughout legal, tax, operational and compliance DD. And negotiation.
What is included
What M&A advisory includes.
The operational detail: what we deliver as part of the engagement and what we keep active afterwards.
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Information memorandum or target profile
Technically sound and commercially effective master document.
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Multi-method valuation
Three methods. If they converge, a defensible range. If not, you need to understand why.
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Organised data room
Documents in order, indexed, with appropriate access controls.
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Legal and compliance DD coordination
What holds deals back most: poorly documented regulatory contingencies.
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Negotiation support
At the table, defending value with technical backing.
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Post-closing
Support during the first 100 days.
Summum cluster
How it intersects with related services.
DD spans several disciplines. We structure the sell side so it passes without price reductions.
Frequently asked questions about M&A advisory.
Do you charge on a success-only basis?
No. Fixed fees by phase plus a success variable at closing. Success-only has the wrong incentive.
Seller and buyer at the same time?
Yes, but not in the same transaction. No conflict of interest.
How long does it take?
9–18 months from mandate to closing.