Last-mile logistics due diligence

Challenge

A private equity firm retained New Harbor Consultants to conduct a detailed IT technical due diligence of a specialized e-commerce last-mile and white-glove delivery and installation services platform company. With the investment thesis highly dependent on the sustainable competitive advantage of the target company’s IT platform-driven business model, our client sought an expert IT due diligence assessment spanning functionality, technical architecture, scalability, security, support, and risk.

Approach

• Data collection: Reviewed technical documentation and live software operations and interviewed the target company’s senior management, CIO and technical staff
• Functional assessment: Evaluated the system capabilities against competition and current and future needs of stakeholders: customers, partners, and internal users
• Technical assessment: Considered hardware, software, and technical architecture
• Organizational assessment: Evaluated the ability of the IT organization to maintain and enhance the IT platform
• Risk assessment: Analyzed and scored such factors as: third-party software licenses and support, security, stability, scalability, and business continuity
• Budget assessment: Evaluated current expenditures and projected future investments to maintain and enhance the IT platform

Results

• Clear and concise strategic advice for our client’s investment committee, combined with a detailed assessment and roadmap for post-investment actions
• Investment in the target company was successfully completed