Having built up your business over many years you have finally made the big step and decided it’s time to hang up your boots. You have a buyer and an offer has been made and accepted and now the due diligence process is under way. You are becoming increasingly frustrated by the questions you are being asked but, through gritted teeth, you have gathered together all the information and provided it to the other side. The hardest part was finding all the contracts with your customers and suppliers, making sure they were signed and current, but you got there in the end and gave yourself and your team a metaphorical pat on the back. One of the questions asked was: Are there any “change of control” provisions in any contract with a customer (or a supplier) such that the contract can be cancelled by the customer (or supplier) if they wish if the ownership in the company changes? And this is the point at which you realise you have a … [Read more...]
