Due Diligence Site Visits: Transport for Deal Teams
Site visits put advisers on industrial estates and rural approach roads. Planning notes for the deal team travelling to them.
Where site visits actually take you
Due diligence rarely happens in a glass tower. It happens at a distribution centre off a junction of the M1, a manufacturing site on the edge of a Midlands town, a depot at the end of a single-track approach road, or a laboratory on a science park with a barrier and a visitor log. These are addresses where a mapping pin lands in a car park rather than at a gate, and where the last two hundred metres matter more than the previous eighty miles.
Discretion at the target site
On many transactions the workforce at the site does not know a sale is being contemplated. A row of identical black cars parked outside the main entrance is not discreet, and a driver waiting in the visitor bay with the engine running attracts attention. It is usually better to agree a holding point away from the site, with the vehicle called forward when the group is ready to leave.
- Agree a holding location out of sight of the main entrance
- Avoid name boards or company references at the gate
- Confirm whether the chauffeur needs to sign a visitor log
- Establish how the group will call the vehicle forward
Mixed teams and split departures
A site visit usually gathers people from different firms: corporate finance, legal, an environmental consultant, sometimes a technical specialist who has come independently. They arrive from different places and leave at different times, and the working assumption that everyone travels together often fails by mid-afternoon. Deciding in advance which vehicle carries whom, and whether one waits for stragglers, prevents the awkward end-of-day negotiation in the car park.
Timing the return leg
Site visits overrun more often than they finish early, because someone always asks to see one more part of the operation. A return leg booked as a fixed departure invites a rushed ending; an as-directed arrangement lets the group leave when the visit is genuinely finished. Where a train or flight home is fixed, the sensible approach is to name a hard departure time to the host at the start of the visit rather than trying to enforce it at the end.
Practical detail worth confirming
Rural and industrial addresses reward a little preparation. Confirm the exact gate, whether there is a weight or height restriction on the approach, whether the site requires advance notice of vehicle registration numbers for security, and what the parking situation is if the group is on site for several hours. Where equipment or sample cases are being carried, say so when booking so the vehicle allocated has the space.
Plan your chauffeur journey
London Chauffeurs provides itinerary-led private travel for airport transfers, executive travel, private aviation, events and long-distance UK journeys. Availability and pricing are confirmed for the requested itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Can the chauffeur wait on site for the whole visit?
Sometimes, but not always. Many operational sites restrict where a non-employee vehicle may stand, and some require advance registration. Where waiting on site is not practical or not discreet, a holding point nearby is agreed and the vehicle is called forward when the group is ready.
How is confidentiality handled on a site visit?
The working assumption is that the purpose of the visit is not discussed and no company or transaction references are used at the gate. If the deal team requires a written confidentiality undertaking from the transport supplier, that is arranged when the booking is made rather than on the day.
What if the visit finishes far later than planned?
An as-directed arrangement is the usual answer, because it removes the pressure of a fixed departure. Where a hard onward connection exists, tell the chauffeur early in the day so the return route and timing can be planned around it rather than reconstructed at short notice.