Acquisition briefs
What acquirers are actually looking for
Twelve published buyer requirements across fire and life safety, compliance, testing and inspection, building services and healthcare services. Each one is written from what registered acquirers have told us they want.
Most owners never find out who wants their business until they run a sale process and hope the right buyer turns up. This register works the other way around. The demand is published first, and an owner can see whether their business is what a serious acquirer is already searching for.
This is a buyer requirement, not a company for sale. DealFlowAgent acts for owners. Briefs describe what registered acquirers are looking for.
Priority demand
Fire, compliance, testing and inspection
These are the eight profiles acquirers ask about most often. Statutory, recurring, accredited work with contracted renewal cycles.
Fire detection and alarm maintenance
Acquirers want the maintenance book. Recurring inspection and servicing revenue under contract, with install work as a secondary line rather than the engine.
Revenue sought £3M to £12M · EBITDA £400K to £2.5M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Fire stopping and passive fire protection
Post-Grenfell remediation demand has made accredited passive fire capability one of the most requested profiles on the register.
Revenue sought £3M to £15M · EBITDA £400K to £3M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Fire risk assessment and compliance
Assessment and inspection work is bought for its renewal cycle. Buyers want a book that comes back every twelve months without a sales effort.
Revenue sought £1M to £8M · EBITDA £250K to £2M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Lift and elevator service and maintenance
The unit of value is the maintained portfolio. Buyers count units under contract before they look at anything else.
Revenue sought £2M to £13M · EBITDA £400K to £3M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Testing, inspection and certification
TIC is the most contested profile on the register. Accredited, recurring, statutory work with pricing power attracts the deepest buyer pool we hold.
Revenue sought £2M to £16M · EBITDA £500K to £4M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Water hygiene and legionella compliance
Statutory water safety work renews on a fixed cycle. Buyers want the monitoring contract, not the reactive plumbing.
Revenue sought £1.5M to £10M · EBITDA £300K to £2.5M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Electrical compliance and EICR
Fixed wire testing runs on a five-year cycle with annual portfolio slices. Buyers want the programme, not the day rate.
Revenue sought £1M to £9M · EBITDA £250K to £2M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Multi-discipline compliance maintenance
The most requested platform profile: one supplier holding several statutory disciplines across the same client estate.
Revenue sought £5M to £20M · EBITDA £700K to £4M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Active demand
Building services and healthcare services
HVAC and mechanical maintenance
Buyers separate planned maintenance from project installation and pay very differently for each.
Revenue sought £2M to £12M · EBITDA £350K to £2.5M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Security systems and monitoring
Monitoring and maintenance revenue is the asset. Hardware installation is treated as a route to it.
Revenue sought £2M to £11M · EBITDA £350K to £2.5M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Building envelope and access
Buyers here want the inspection and maintenance programme attached to the envelope, not one-off construction packages.
Revenue sought £2M to £10M · EBITDA £300K to £2M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
Healthcare compliance services
Healthcare estates carry the strictest statutory regime in the sector. Buyers want providers who already pass that audit.
Revenue sought £1.5M to £10M · EBITDA £300K to £2.5M
United Kingdom and United States, roughly 60% of registered demand is US
Registered demand is published once this brief clears three acquirers.
For owners
If your business matches a brief
01
Find out what it is worth
Start with a free valuation report. No approach is made, nothing is disclosed and you are not on the market.
02
See the real demand
We tell you how many acquirers are registered against the brief you match, what they have evidenced on funding, and what structures they have stated.
03
Decide in your own time
If you want to go further, we act for you. If you do not, the conversation ends there and your name never leaves our office.
Questions
What this register is, and is not
Is an acquisition brief a company for sale?
No. A brief describes what registered acquirers are looking for. It is a buyer requirement. Nothing on these pages is a company, a mandate or a sale process, and no owner is identified anywhere on the register.
Who writes the briefs?
We do, from what acquirers tell us when they register: revenue and profit bands, disciplines, accreditation, geography, contract mix and the structure they can offer. We publish the requirement, never the acquirer.
Why do some briefs show no registration count?
A count is only published once a brief has at least three registered acquirers. Below that, the number is withheld by the database itself. We do not publish estimated, aspirational or rounded figures.
I own a business that matches a brief. What happens if I get in touch?
Nothing is disclosed and nothing is committed. Start with a free valuation report. If the figure and the timing work for you, we will tell you exactly how many acquirers are registered against the brief you match and what they have evidenced about funding and track record.
Does registering against a brief mean an offer is guaranteed?
No. Registration records what an acquirer says they are looking for. It is not a bid, an offer or a commitment by anyone.
Is the readiness screening the same as KYC or AML?
No. It is buyer readiness screening, so we can describe an acquirer accurately to an owner. Regulated verification happens separately, through the transaction advisers, at the point it is legally required.
Related reading: valuation guides, the Off-Market Register and public market benchmarks.