Business Acquisition Due Diligence
Know exactly what you’re buying
Buy-side due diligence that verifies the numbers and surfaces the risks before you’re committed.
Why it matters
A valuation tells you what a business is worth. Due diligence tells you whether it’s actually what the seller says it is and what you’re walking into once you own it.
Most deals that go wrong don’t go wrong on price. They go wrong on what wasn’t found: earnings that weren’t as sustainable as they looked, a tax exposure no one disclosed, a single customer about to leave, a key person walking out the door, or a contract that doesn’t survive a change of ownership. By the time these surface, the money has changed hands.
Due diligence is how you find them first, while you can still renegotiate, restructure, add a warranty, or walk away..
“Due diligence is a fraction of the purchase price, and a fraction of the cost of getting the deal wrong”
Know Exactly What You’re Buying
Financial performance & quality of earnings - are the profits real, recurring and sustainable?
Tax position & hidden exposures
Working capital & debt-like items
Customer & supplier concentration
Employment & key-person risk
Material contracts, leases & compliance
Undisclosed & contingent liabilities - the part buyers really pay for
Integration readiness - what it will actually take to take it over and run it
Service Levels
Every engagement is scoped and fee-capped in advance - you won’t be surprised by the bill..
Red-Flag Review. A fast, focused look for an early go / no-go decision. We pressure-test the financials and tax position, surface the material risks, and tell you whether the deal is worth pursuing, before you spend more time and money on it. Around one week.
Standard Due Diligence. The core buy-side report. Full verification across financials, tax, working capital, customer and supplier concentration, people, and material contracts. The deliverable you take to your lender and your lawyer. Around two to three weeks.
Comprehensive Due Diligence. Everything in Standard, plus operational and systems review, commercial assessment, deeper contract analysis and integration planning. For larger or multi-entity deals. Around three to five weeks.
Call to enquire for a scoped, fixed-fee proposal.
Every valuation is scoped and fixed-fee. Call to enquire for a proposal.
The CSA difference
Most due diligence is performed by advisers who have never bought a business. Ours is performed by someone who buys and runs them. We know what actually goes wrong after settlement, and we look for it.
And we don’t just hand you a list of findings. We tell you what they mean for the deal: where to push on price, how to restructure, what to make a condition, and what to protect with a warranty.
Due Diligence from an adviser who buys and runs businesses, not just audits them.
Chartered Accountant · CFO · Active acquirer.
Looking for an acquisition? Talk to us before you’re committed