Define the work before comparing firms.
Acquisition work should be tied to an actual target, transaction structure, and timetable. Ask what the provider will examine, which information it needs, and how findings will reach the negotiating team.
Why the operating context matters.
For ai startups, the brief needs to explain product investment, funding, and commercial contracts. Explain the actual products, customers, and financing arrangements rather than relying on the startup label.
Use that context to request a transaction-specific diligence scope. Identify the decision still open, the date it becomes binding, and which existing advisors are already responsible for part of the work.
Prepare a decision-ready record list.
- Funding documents
- Product budget
- Customer agreements
- Letter of intent
- Target financials
- Diligence request list
Mark each item as available, incomplete, or held by another professional. Ask the candidate what it needs before quoting or performing analysis. A record gap should become an assigned task with a deadline, rather than an assumption that the information is complete.
Interview the person who would do the work.
- Which financing and intellectual-property questions need a specialist review?
- Which tax records will be reviewed?
- Who communicates issues to counsel?
- What happens if the transaction structure changes?
- Which information is missing, and who will obtain it?
- What are the complete fees, exclusions, and support dates for this work?
What a useful proposal should settle.
Request a named professional, the records reviewed, a defined output, implementation assignments, support dates, and the complete fee. Ask which work requires a separate engagement with a preparer, attorney, administrator, or specialist. Match every important deadline to a responsible person.
Compare the answer with the work you actually need. An impressive firm name or a broad service description cannot settle scope. If the proposal is unclear, record the open question and ask for clarification before engaging.
Your scope comparison worksheet
Use public business context here. Keep tax returns and private financial records for a secure process agreed with your advisor.
Download the comparison worksheet (CSV). Notes stay in this page while it is open and are not submitted by this form.
Research the provider as well as the proposal.
Browse sourced firms, review credential checks, and use the proposal comparison tool. This brief supports hiring research; it does not establish that any strategy applies or that every firm covers this work.