What field gear and sampling equipment should I count when buying an environmental consultancy?
Count every instrument the field staff carry, from sampling tools and meters to safety gear, vehicles and storage, and match the list to what you see. Check calibration records, condition and ownership for each item. Ask what is shared, rented or personally owned by staff before you assume it transfers.
Ask for an inventory, and then walk the storage room, the vehicles and the lab bench to match it. Equipment lists tend to drift from reality. Note what is missing, what is broken and what is stored but never used. Ask staff which items they actually rely on, since their answer will differ from the list.
Pay special attention to anything that must be calibrated. Meters and monitors drift, and unrecorded checks leave the firm’s results open to doubt. Ask for the calibration logs and for how the firm handles a unit that fails its check. Safety gear matters too: ask when it was last inspected and who is responsible for it.
Then settle ownership. Some tools may belong to employees, be on loan or be leased, and some may be pledged to a lender. Ask your lawyer how to confirm what you are getting. An equipment appraiser can explain what each item is useful for, and your accountant can help you plan replacements so they do not surprise you in the first busy season. Ask the field staff which tools they would replace first, and why, and note their answers. Their priorities often reveal which items are worn.
Key takeaways
- Match the written inventory against what you can actually see and touch.
- Review calibration and inspection logs for monitors and safety gear.
- Confirm which items are owned, leased, borrowed or pledged.
Related reading
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Due diligence
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentEquipment valuation: How to do it
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
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