Assess whether a top customer is actually sticky (da39c4)
August 31, 2026 · SmartSolo
Situation
After an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary, carve-out stranded-cost model is what integration-risk PMO can touch in a roll-up of three regional service companies. M&A Due Diligence will live with Proceed versus Reprice on this Legal, IP, and Regulatory file.
Decision
Integration-risk PMO in a roll-up of three regional service companies must choose Proceed / Reprice / Walk / Hold using carve-out stranded-cost model after an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary.
Hypotheses to test
- The population in carve-out stranded-cost model is the one an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary named, so Proceed follows for this Legal, IP, and Regulatory file.
- The population in carve-out stranded-cost model is adjacent only to an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary; Reprice is the honest M&A Due Diligence call.
- A roll-up of three regional service companies already contained an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary before carve-out stranded-cost model arrived; no new Legal, IP, and Regulatory path.
- Provenance on carve-out stranded-cost model after an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary is broken; do not pick Proceed or Reprice yet.
Analysis required
- Tie quality-of-earnings, working-capital, and contingent items in carve-out stranded-cost model to a top customer is actually sticky.
- Name the document integration-risk PMO still needs before signing.
- Test whether an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary is a diligence gap, a price chip, or a walk-away.
- For this M&A Due Diligence Legal, IP, and Regulatory file, read carve-out stranded-cost model against an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary and write the one fact that would move a top customer is actually sticky for integration-risk PMO.
Recommendation
Choose Proceed / Reprice / Walk / Hold on this M&A Due Diligence / Legal, IP, and Regulatory packet (carve-out stranded-cost model after an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary). Lead with the M&A Due Diligence option carve-out stranded-cost model can support after an earnout based on 'adjusted EBITDA' with no dictionary, then the two facts that force it, then the Monday action for integration-risk PMO in a roll-up of three regional service companies.
Explore more
More M&A Due Diligence prompts
- Assess whether integration costs were sandbagged in the CIM (ac0b5f)
- Assess whether related-party sales should be backed out of valuation (247d71)
- Assess whether the carve-out is operable on day one (955185)
- Assess whether to re-trade, restructure, or drop (9ee9a0)
- Assess whether working capital should be a walk-away (aff177)
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