The PwC Private Deals team supports Private businesses and founders prepare for and execute M&A transactions. We are specialist private company M&A and due diligence advisors and we understand the complexities that come with taking on external investment or exiting the business you have built, often over multiple generations.
Our team from PwC’s Private business uniquely brings the expertise of a leading global accounting firm, with a team dedicated to helping private companies and family business owners navigate transaction processes. We are integrated with our broader PwC Private team and can introduce other specialty teams into the process as required - this may include tax structuring, tax due diligence, HR due diligence, wealth management and legal services.
Is your business ready for investment / exit?
Australian private and family businesses are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation event. Over the next few years, a significant amount of responsibility and wealth will change hands as owners retire, sell up, or pass the reins on to the next generation. But….. are you ready?
The knowledge and skills required to prepare a business for exit can be quite different from those required to operate it. As with any important decision which impacts your business or the value of equity in it, better decisions are made if you do your homework and give yourself time.
“Private Equity are professional business buyers and sellers and they typically take 3-5 years to prepare their investments for sale”
- What is your strategy for selling part/all of your business or transitioning ownership?
- Does your strategy align with personal and family objectives?
- What is the value of your business to a buyer?
- Do you understand the factors that can enhance or diminish value?
- Can you respond quickly to market conditions to maximise price – are you deal ready?
The PwC Private team has a proven diagnostic methodology to help you assess your ‘exit readiness’ and create an action plan to ensure your deal proceeds are maximised. We bring together a team of specialists across M&A, Transaction Services, Tax, Strategy Consulting, HR, Legal and Wealth planning to ensure you’re prepared for that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event.
Transaction services
Our PwC Private transaction services team is dedicated to working on private transactions, helping our clients understand and uncover the financial DNA of businesses earlier, so they can make informed decisions that optimise their sale or purchase. Financial information for private transactions can be complex, unaudited and unsophisticated - we thrive in this complexity and focus on providing high-quality, commercial perspectives, while delivering at pace and under pressure.
We perform due diligence early in the process for both buyers and sellers. A trusted advisor for our clients, we work together to connect our clients to the right solutions to support their transactions. As a community of solvers across both PwC Private and Deals, we collaborate with other due diligence solutions and deliver as an integrated team. This may include taxation due diligence, HR due diligence, Operational due diligence or Legal due diligence.
- Buy side due diligence
- Vendor due diligence (VDD)
- Vendor assistance (VA)
- SPA services
- PwC Private - M&A Advisory
Buy side due diligence
Buy side due diligence is a full and thorough review of the target company that a buyer wants to acquire. In this instance, if you’re a buyer, you need to get a full understanding of the target company and the situation it’s in. We’ll analyse and validate key assumptions you’re making when doing a deal. This allows you to understand what you’re buying, modify your valuation, negotiate terms, structure your deal, and plan your integration.
Vendor due diligence (VDD)
The seller (or vendor) asks us to act independently, provide business due diligence on what they’re selling before we share our findings with potential buyers. Both the seller and the buyer benefit from a vendor due diligence. The seller benefits because they are made aware of issues early on, and their management team will not be inundated with several potential purchasers. The buyer will save time and costs of doing this diligence. VDD offers vendors greater control and positioning over the sales process and timing.
Vendor assistance (VA)
Our vendor assistance services support our clients to get ready for due diligence. For example, we can prepare a ‘fact book’ – something similar to a VDD – but it does not include our views. Potential buyers and their advisors can then do their diligence – using the fact book as a starting point.
SPA services
Our business purchase and sale agreement service helps clients with:
- Getting the most out of the completion mechanism options
- Focusing in on the value impact of working capital and net debt
- Drafting the key financial aspects of the SPA
- Preparing/reviewing completion accounts and negotiating completion accounts disputes
PwC Private - M&A Advisory
We help out private businesses successfully prepare for and execute a sales transaction through managing the entire sale process:
- Identifying the best buyers / investors;
- Preparing marketing materials and negotiating sale terms;
- Co-ordinating the due diligence processes (financial, tax, legal, etc); and
- Providing advice on transaction documentation in order to maximise value.
Contact us
Chelsie Harris
PwC | Private | National Leader - Deals, PwC Australia
Tel: +61 3 8603 1231
Jeremy Bransgrove
PwC | Private | Partner - Deals, Melbourne, PwC Australia
Tel: +61 438 232 459
Iain Tan
PwC | Private | Partner - Deals, Melbourne, PwC Australia
Tel: +61 413 866 182