Merger Readiness Review

Who this is for

The Merger Readiness Review is designed for owners and boards of private firms who are actively considering a merger or acquisition, or who have received an approach and need to understand their position before engaging legal and financial advisers.

Typical clients include family-owned businesses with 20–200 staff, professional services partnerships preparing for consolidation, and regional firms where the owner-founder is planning a partial or full exit within the next 12–24 months.

What you receive

This engagement produces a comprehensive readiness report covering five areas:

1. Financial documentation — completeness of accounts, management reporting, and variance explanations for the past three years
2. Contract inventory — customer agreements, supplier contracts, employment arrangements, and lease obligations indexed and flagged for review
3. Operational dependencies — key-person risks, systems documentation, and process knowledge held outside formal records
4. Stakeholder map — identification of shareholders, board members, senior staff, and external parties whose positions need to be understood before negotiations
5. Gap analysis — specific items that would slow due diligence or weaken negotiating position, with recommended remediation steps and timelines

Process and timeline

Week 1: Initial briefing with ownership and key management. Document request issued. On-site visit to understand operations and culture.

Week 2: Review of submitted materials. Follow-up interviews with finance, operations, and HR leads as needed.

Week 3: Draft readiness report circulated for factual review.

Week 4: Final report presentation to board or ownership group, including prioritised action plan.

What is not included

This engagement does not provide legal advice, tax structuring, or valuation services. We work alongside your existing advisers and can recommend specialists where gaps exist. The readiness review does not guarantee a successful transaction — it ensures you enter the process with eyes open and documentation in order.

Location and delivery

The assessment includes at least one on-site visit to your primary operating location. For firms outside Canberra, we travel nationally. Remote document review and video briefings supplement on-site work.

Next step

Contact us to discuss your firm’s situation and whether a Merger Readiness Review is appropriate at your current stage. We will provide a scoped proposal with fixed fee within five business days of our initial conversation.