Our firm sale process is similar to an acquisition search. We leverage our reputation in the architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting industry and our access to decision-makers to quickly and effectively develop the market for our client's organization, while at all times maintaining strict confidentiality. The goal of the process is to put the seller in the driver's seat, where he controls his own destiny.

The process begins with an honest evaluation of a firm's marketability and options. We will not take on a project that we do not feel has a reasonable likelihood of success, or if the seller has an unrealistic idea of the firm's value.

Next, we build a targeted list of potential buyers and present it to our client for review and approval. Depending on our client's size, services, and market position, this group of potential buyers can contain anywhere from 100- to 200-plus firms, including international and non-architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting industry firms when appropriate. The target list is comprised of firms that have expressed to us an interest in acquisitions in the past, firms that have grown through acquisition, those who we and our client feel are a good match or complement for our client, and those who have responded to our annual Merger and Acquisition Survey of A/E/P and Environmental Consulting Firms.

Concurrent with building the target firm list, we develop a comprehensive sales memorandum that describes our client's firm. The memorandum is designed to present all relevant information concerning our client's markets, services, capabilities, and finances, while focusing the attention of the buyer on the strengths and opportunities the firm presents.

Next, we prepare a confidential, one-page letter that presents a general description of our client in terms of size, services, and geographic region. The letter provides enough information to allow decision-makers to determine if this is an opportunity that they want to pursue, without revealing our client's identity. With our client's approval we send this letter to the key M&A decision-maker at each of the targeted firms.

We field responses to the letters, then follow-up by phone with each company that does not respond initially. We develop a profile on each potential buyer that allows our client to establish whether they are interested in the opportunity. The profile educates our client on the revenue and staff size of the potential buyer, where their operations are, what markets they serve, what is their strategic intent and how this acquisition would fit in with their strategic plans, what particularly appeals to them about this opportunity, what potential negatives would there be with any deal, and how they would consider structuring a deal. Essentially, the profile, combined with our industry knowledge, helps the client assess whether the potential buyer has the "will and the wallet" to do the deal.

Bear in mind that, up to this point, none of the potential buyers know our client's identity. We review those firms that express an interest in the opportunity, eliminate those that are unacceptable, and prioritize those that the client wants to speak with. Then, with our client's approval we contact each of the short-listed firms to introduce them to our client and have them execute a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement. It is only after they execute this agreement that we send them a copy of the prospectus on our client. We then arrange introductory meetings between our client and the potential buyers.

We are actively involved in all phases of the sale process, from playing a key role in negotiations, deal structuring, and valuation—in addition to working with the seller's attorney and accountant, to expedite the sale.

Our fee is structured as a combination up-front cost (fixed-fee or hourly) with a success fee. This fee structure ensures that we can commit full resources to your project while still having an incentive to reach the same goal as you—finding a buyer for your company. In short, it means that we are committed to finding the right buyer for our clients, not just the most convenient one.

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