What is vendor assistance?

Increasingly, on large M&A transactions, our clients are demanding a wider range of services from their advisers to support the disposal process. Deloitte has developed a separate Vendor Assistance service in order to provide a comprehensive offering to mitigate potential impediments to sale whilst de-risking and shortening the transaction process.  It can be either a precursor or instead of a vendor due diligence, depending upon the specific circumstances of the transaction.

Vendor Assistance is the provision of any combination of a number of value add services, including:

What are the benefits?

The aim of Vendor Assistance is to provide ongoing support to a company that is considering the sale of all or part of its business. We are able to provide support in all areas to:

• Assess whether or not the business or business units are ready for separation and divestment, following an initial diagnostic.
• Identify the major areas where separation activity is required.
• Understand the applicability of existing or past plans for proposed separation.
• Work with the vendor to establish and execute a carefully coordinated operational carve out plan.
• Provide assistance to prepare standalone financial information for the carved out business, including tax and pensions information, that is robust and fit for a sale purpose in terms of audited carve out financials, vendor due diligence, data room and valuation model.
• Help to keep lines of communication open by providing resource centrally and in country.
• Keep control over the timetable as all stages of the project, including due diligence if vendor due diligence is undertaken.
• Advise on best practice during a disposal process e.g. restrictions on communications with potential purchasers.
• Provide hands on support through all stages of the sale process, including bidder meetings, advice on the sale and purchase agreement and completion accounts.