Service 03 · Separate mandate

Buy-sideMandates

Acquire · Sourced search

We source and qualify UK businesses that fit your mandate, many of them prepared and de-risked through our own exit work before they ever reach the open market.

— What you getHover or tap to explore

01 · The mandate

We define what good looks like.

Before we search, we get precise about the target: sector, size, geography, margin profile and the shape of the deal you want. A sharp mandate is the difference between a steady stream of opportunities worth your time and a flood of noise that wastes it.

Sector, size and geographyWe pin down exactly where you want to buy and how big, so the search points at real targets rather than a wish list.
Margin and quality thresholdsWe agree the financial and operational bar a business must clear before it reaches you, so weak opportunities are filtered out early.
Deal structure and appetiteWe establish how you want to fund and structure an acquisition, from outright purchase to earn-out, before we approach anyone.
A written, agreed mandateThe brief is set down in writing, so the search is disciplined and accountable rather than a scattergun of whatever happens to be available.

02 · The search

Sourced, not advertised.

The best businesses are rarely on the open market. We source and qualify targets directly, including companies we have prepared and de-risked through our own exit work, and approach them discreetly on your behalf, so you see opportunities your competitors never will.

Direct, off-market sourcingWe approach owners who are not actively for sale but would consider the right offer, which is precisely where the best businesses are found.
Access to businesses we have preparedSome targets are companies we have already taken through exit preparation, so you are buying a business we understand from the inside.
Discreet approaches on your behalfWe open conversations quietly and professionally, protecting your intent and your name until a deal is genuinely worth pursuing.
Qualified before you meetEvery target is checked against the mandate and the numbers before it reaches you, so your time goes only to real prospects.

03 · Approach to completion

Carried through to signing.

We manage the approach, run diligence properly, and negotiate the deal through to signing on terms that protect you, with the same discipline we bring to the sell-side. Buy-side is always a separate mandate, on a separate deal. We never sit on both sides at once.

A managed, discreet approachWe handle first contact and early negotiation, so the relationship starts well and your position is never given away too soon.
Diligence run in your interestWe pressure-test the target the way a careful buyer should, surfacing the risks that justify a lower price or a different structure.
Negotiated to protect the buyerWe structure price, terms and warranties so the risk you take on is one you have chosen deliberately, with your eyes open.
A clean line: one side onlyWe act for you alone. We never represent the seller of a business we are helping you buy, so the advice you get is never compromised.

Side we act for, per deal

Buy-side is always a separate mandate on a separate deal. We never sit on both sides of the same table at once.

Steps, mandate to completion

Mandate, search, approach and diligence to completion, run with the same discipline we bring to a sell-side engagement.

Off-market

Where the best targets sit

The strongest businesses rarely reach a public listing. We find and qualify them directly, often before your competitors see them at all.

The best businesses are rarely on the open market. Quality companies avoid public listings, so we approach them discreetly. You are buying a business we already understand, with much of the risk taken out before you ever sign.

"In a market where the same firm will quietly take a fee from buyer and seller at once, a clean line is rare. Buy-side mandates are separate clients, on separate deals."
— ClyOps

Four steps, run for serious, funded acquirers: the mandate, the search, the approach, and diligence to completion. Engaged on a search retainer and success fee, or through equity participation.

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