Pre-close · Auto Aftermarket

Auto Aftermarket Deals: Customer Contract Assignment Done Right

Independent sponsor counsel for auto aftermarket, focused on Customer Contract Assignment and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

EV range $8M to $90M EV EBITDA $2M to $16M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

Customer Contract Assignment on auto aftermarket deals is one of those workstreams that looks routine on a checklist and decides outcomes in practice.

The typical auto aftermarket platform sits at $8M to $90M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $16M range. The thesis runs on service-center or specialty-shop regional roll-ups. Technician shortage is the single biggest valuation risk. Underwrite the bench, not the bays.

The moves

How Customer Contract Assignment actually gets structured.

  1. Identify contracts with anti-assignment clauses, especially in government and healthcare.

  2. Plan the customer communication sequence to protect retention.

  3. Map consent collection against the closing checklist, with material thresholds defined.

  4. Address change-of-control notifications even where consent is not required.

  5. In auto aftermarket, layer in technician retention pool defined and funded as part of the Customer Contract Assignment workstream.

The common mistake

Asking every customer for consent. You alarm customers who would have been silent.

Jason's take
"Customer assignment is a sales motion, not a legal one. Lead with operations, follow with paper."
Jason Powell · Customer Contract Assignment
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Customer Contract Assignment for Auto Aftermarket, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.