Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our advisory services, engagement process, and how we work.
Acquisition operations is the buyer-side work of understanding how a business actually runs, preserving control during ownership transfer, and building the systems, governance, and operating cadence required after close. It sits between financial diligence and day-to-day management — the operational layer many buyers discover only once the deal has closed. Legacy Forward Consulting works exclusively on the buyer’s side: we help you evaluate operational risk before you commit, transfer control cleanly during handoff, and modernize the business deliberately once you own it.
The earlier, the better — though we add value at every stage. Before close, we give buyers a structured read on operational risk while there is still room to proceed, renegotiate, or walk away. During handoff, we plan access, continuity, and the first operating rhythm so control transfers without disruption. After close, we build the governance, documentation, and cadence a new owner needs. Buyers most often engage us once a specific target is identified — under LOI or approaching it — but we also support operators already running an acquired business.
It depends on the stage and the decision in front of you. For a pre-close operational read, basic target information — a CIM, financials, or equivalent documentation — is usually enough to start. For deeper diligence, access to a data room and some management availability accelerate the work. For post-close engagements, access to the current team, systems, and vendors matters most. We confirm exactly what is needed during a short scoping conversation, so scope, deliverables, and cadence are clear before any work begins.
Engagements are scoped around the decision, transaction, and operating environment — not sold as standardized hourly consulting. We may be engaged for a focused assessment, an integrated acquisition mandate, or a repeatable portfolio program. Investment is confirmed after scoping and reflects the complexity of the work, the readiness of the information, and the operating environment. We do not charge transaction-based fees, success fees, or commissions — our only incentive is the quality of your decision.
Delivery cadence is confirmed after scoping and reflects the decision at hand, the transaction timeline, information readiness, stakeholder availability, and the operating environment. A focused assessment, an integrated acquisition mandate, and a portfolio program each require a cadence appropriate to the work rather than a standardized public guarantee. We agree on cadence and milestones before we begin, so expectations are clear on both sides.
Yes. Our Field Manual System is built to scale from a single focused need to a coordinated acquisition, multiple portfolio companies, or an ongoing operating mandate. Repeat acquirers, family offices, holding companies, and PE-backed operators engage us for repeatable operational support across holdings — consistent diligence, transition, and modernization methods applied deal after deal.
We are designed to complement — not replace — your legal, tax, accounting, and financial advisors. During diligence we coordinate across workstreams and consolidate operational findings into a single decision-ready view your other advisors can build on. We do not provide legal, tax, audit, valuation, or investment advice, and we say so plainly whenever a question belongs with one of those professionals.
Clients receive finalized, decision-ready deliverables — memos, reports, plans, and recommendations — not our internal tools, templates, scoring models, or working files. Keeping our methods internal protects the quality and integrity of the work and ensures every output is polished and tailored to your specific situation. Client information is held with the same rigor; confidentiality runs in both directions.
Our frameworks are built to adapt across sectors, so fit is determined by scope and complexity rather than a fixed industry list or a public deal-size threshold. We work best with buyers acquiring owner-operated and founder-dependent businesses, where operational knowledge is concentrated, documentation is thin, and a clean transition matters. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, the fastest way to find out is a short scoping conversation.