Independent Sponsor Quality of Earnings in Waste & Recycling
Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors coordinating waste and recycling transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.
An independent sponsor closing waste and recycling transactions in the $12M to $150M EV range has a defined set of moves at the Quality of Earnings stage. Most of them are not in a generic M&A textbook.
The typical waste and recycling platform sits at $12M to $150M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on regional hauler or transfer station consolidation. Permitted volume is the asset, not the trucks. Diligence the permits before the EBITDA.
How Quality of Earnings actually gets structured.
Engage QofE within five business days of LOI signing.
Scope to include working capital normalization, deferred revenue, and customer concentration.
Share preliminary findings with the seller before final report, to surface disputes early.
Coordinate QofE findings into both the purchase agreement and the LP commitment package.
In waste and recycling, layer in permit transfer applications filed before LOI signing as part of the Quality of Earnings workstream.
Treating QofE as a back-office exercise. It is the basis for the price, the working capital peg, and the LP pitch.
"The QofE is the deal book. Read it twice before you negotiate anything."Jason Powell · Quality of Earnings
The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.
Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.
Related deal pages.
Independent Sponsor Economics for Waste & Recycling
The package of deal-by-deal carry, management fees, and transaction fees that compensates the independent spo…
Management Fee Structuring for Waste & Recycling
The annual fee paid by the deal entity to the independent sponsor for ongoing oversight, board service, and p…
Transaction Fee Structuring for Waste & Recycling
The fee paid at closing to the independent sponsor for sourcing, structuring, and closing the platform deal a…
Equity Rollover for Waste & Recycling
The portion of seller proceeds reinvested into the post-close entity, aligning seller with buyer.
Quality of Earnings for Healthcare Services
roll-up of physician practices and ancillary service lines
Quality of Earnings for Home Services
regional roll-ups of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical operators
An LOI on the desk, a waste and recycling target, and a Quality of Earnings question worth a real conversation.
Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.