Valuation is a general discipline applied to very specific businesses. Ours are the ones where value sits in contracts, credentials, licensure and recurring service relationships rather than in equipment or inventory — and where the buyer is underwriting a book of work, not a balance sheet.
Trade Contractors
The maintenance book is usually the asset. Contracted share of revenue, retention, route density and whether agreements are portable on a change of control drive the range far more than revenue does.
Examples include
- HVAC and building temperature control systems
- Elevator maintenance
- Plumbing installation and maintenance
- Structural steel fabrication and erection
- General contracting
- Commercial remodelers installing ATMs, EV charging and self-service kiosks
- Cabinet and countertop design and installation
- Building envelope remediation
Building Maintenance and Support Services
Recurring contract portfolios where labor dependency, customer concentration and margin durability are the first three questions any buyer asks.
Examples include
- Physical security systems — cameras, access control and barriers
- Security door maintenance for hospitals and secure facilities
- Pest control
- Landscaping
- Canine security services
Architecture, Design and Engineering
Professional practices where value is tied to licensure, backlog quality, key-person dependency and the transferability of client relationships. Ownership transitions in these firms are their own discipline.
Examples include
- Ship engineering and design
- Building envelope remediation engineering
- Engineering and design supporting the intelligence community
Federal Government Contractors
Contract vehicles, set-aside status, and funded versus unfunded backlog — plus FAR compliance considerations and settlement valuation for terminated contractors.
Examples include
- IT infrastructure support
- Cybersecurity
- Biomedical testing services
- NOAA research and IT support
- Cleared contractors supporting the intelligence community in software development, engineering and cybersecurity
- IT and construction programs for DHS, DOD and the VA
Technology and Intellectual Property
Patent portfolios, licensing programs and proprietary technology valued for sale, license negotiation, litigation or financing — the practice this firm was built on.
Examples include
- Patent portfolios and licensing programs
- Commercial cybersecurity
- Value-added resellers of rugged vehicle technology for police, fire and emergency fleets
Not sure where your business fits? Most of our engagements start with a conversation rather than an engagement letter. Get in touch and we will tell you plainly whether we are the right people for it.
Sector Valuation Notes
Current market notes on what companies in each sector are selling for and what drives the multiple. New sectors are added weekly.