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Scope the QoE

Build the Brief

Quality of earnings is the workstream you outsource, and comparable quotes start with a comparable brief. Build the one every provider can price the same way, then send it with the engagement inquiry, which asks for scope and a fee before exclusivity is burning.

From October 1, 2026 this stops being optional on the deals this site is written around: SOP 50 10 8.1 requires a quality of earnings alongside the business valuation on any outright purchase priced at $3 million or more, measured before any equity or seller debt, and the lender has to underwrite coverage off its findings. What else changes that day.

State of the Books
Areas You Already Want Examined
QUALITY OF EARNINGS - SCOPE REQUEST

Target: small business under evaluation.
Size: roughly $2,000,000 revenue, $500,000 reported SDE.
Stage: under signed LOI.
Records: 3 years of financials available. Clean: accrual books that tie to the tax returns.
Timeline: report needed within 4 weeks.

Please quote scope, price, and turnaround for an engagement matching the above, and note what you would exclude at that price.

What Came Back

Enter what each firm quoted against this brief. Two is enough to compare; nothing you type here leaves your browser.

Pre-LOI screen

$199 to $750 · Days

  • A practitioner's read of the listing or CIM numbers
  • The obvious red flags: trend breaks, margin claims, add-back bloat
  • A go or no-go signal before diligence money burns

Anchors: Centurica's published Quick Deal Review at $199; Rapid Diligence's preliminary vetting report at $750.

Express or lite review

$5,000 to $11,200 · About one to two weeks

  • Bank-statement tie-out of reported revenue
  • A verified earnings figure lighter than a full workpaper set
  • The add-back schedule read line by line

Anchors: Bedrock's published express review at $5,000 to $10,000 for deals under $2M or pre-LOI; Rapid Diligence's QoE Lite from $11,200.

Standard QoE

$12,000 to $30,000 · Two to four weeks

  • Full proof of cash and revenue recognition testing
  • Verified SDE or EBITDA with a documented add-back opinion
  • Working-capital analysis the peg negotiation leans on
  • The workpapers a lender's file and investors expect

Anchors: Midwest CPA's published $12,000 to $23,000 and above; Bedrock's published $15,000 to $30,000 for $1M to $30M deals; Rapid Diligence's QoE from $16,500; Guardian's published $20k light and $25k full QoE under $2M of price.

When the Number Comes Back Different

The Multiple You Agreed

3.00x

Price over the SDE the seller showed

Same Multiple, Verified SDE

$1,290,000

The defensible new price

If You Hold the Price

3.49x

The multiple you would actually pay

The LOI's own multiple prices the verified earnings at $1,290,000. Holding $1,500,000 means paying 3.49x for a business both sides priced at 3.00x.

Track this deal in the Pipeline