Acquisition Playbook

Legal

Mergers and acquisitions are complex and involve a strategy that includes many teams and multiple steps of critical importance. Use this template to help ensure consistency, have immediate visibility into a critical transaction, and ensure that you follow every step and have full accountability. This is designed to be used by corporate and business development teams, attorneys, and entrepreneurs. Feel free to add or edit the steps and reuse with your team or company.
Mergers and acquisitions are complex and involve a strategy that includes many teams and multiple steps of critical importance. Use this template to help ensure consistency, have immediate visibility into a critical transaction, and ensure that you follow every step and have full accountability. This is designed to be used by corporate and business development teams, attorneys, and entrepreneurs. Feel free to add or edit the steps and reuse with your team or company.

Acquisition Playbook

Source + Identify Potential Targets

  • Establish deal team
  • Set strategic objectives and criteria
  • Identify + engage potential targets (NDAs)
  • Develop concepts + deal thesis
  • Create M&A committee
  • Funnel approach

Engagement + Term Sheet

  • Commercial model
  • Operations + technical analysis
  • Financial models
  • Valuation + key terms development
  • Preliminary negotiation strategy
  • M&A committee review
  • Submit term sheet + no-shop

Deal Terms Negotiation

  • Negotiate term sheet for no-shop
  • Project management
  • Engage DD team
  • MBOs/owners deal
  • Deal deck
  • Review M&A board communication
  • Finalize term sheet

Dilligence + Validation

  • DD kick-off
  • Key/hotlist issues
  • Identify key employees
  • Finalize pre-signing checklist
  • Lockdown meetings
  • Communications planning
  • Financial review lockdown

Contract Negotiation + Finalization

  • Key/hotlist issue closure
  • DD package
  • Pre-signing lockdown
  • Negotiate contract documents
  • M&A committee/board approvals
  • Announce transaction

Post Signing + Integration

  • Fairness hearing (if applicable)
  • Closing approvals
  • Functional mentorships
  • Integrations engagement
  • Finalize deal MBOs
  • Close deal
  • Wrap closing contingencies