This CPD session will cover:
- What diligence is actually for, and how buy-side, sell-side, and vendor diligence differ in practice;
- Scoping the job properly i.e. terms of reference, materiality, and managing what the client expects;
- Quality of earnings: stripping out the one-offs, testing whether the EBITDA being sold is the EBITDA the buyer will inherit;
- Working capital and net debt completion accounts versus locked box, and where the real money moves;
- Tax: spotting historical exposures and knowing when warranties aren't enough and you need a tax deed;
- Commercial issues that matter customer concentration, key contracts, supplier risk, integration;
- Legal red flags worth flagging on, even if they're not yours to opine on;
- Writing it up so it's useful separating what kills a deal from what chips the price, and tying findings back to warranties, indemnities, retentions, and earn-outs;
- Case studies from recent Irish mid-market deals, including ones where diligence saved the buyer and ones where it should have.
