Practice and SME sales
Data room for selling an accounting practice
Short answerAccounting and corporate services firms are valued on recurring client fees and staff. Share fee data by client in anonymised form, then named data only with the final buyer, keeping client confidentiality throughout.
How it works in Singapore
Many small Singapore accounting and corporate secretarial firms are merging or selling as owners retire and regulation grows. Buyers are larger firms and consolidators.
Best data rooms for accounting firm sales
Our five measures re-weighted for this use case, with a small bonus for rooms built for it. Prices before 9% GST.
- 1
Ellty ~S$191/mo 9.4 Visit Ellty - 2
iDeals On quote 8.5 - 3
Ansarada On quote 8.4 - 4
Datasite On quote 8.4 - 5
Firmex On quote 8.3 - 6
Citrix ShareFile ~S$70/mo 8.3 - 7
Drooms On quote 8.1 - 8
SecureDocs ~S$320/mo 8.1 - 9
Box ~S$19/user/mo 8.1 - 10
CapLinked ~S$382/mo 8.0
21%Security19%Deal tools19%Permissions21%Ease of use21%Cost
Folder index for accounting firm sales
01
Fee baseAnonymised fees by service and client.
02
Engagement lettersStandard terms.
03
StaffTeam and qualifications.
04
ComplianceAML policies and inspections.
05
SystemsSoftware and records.
Singapore rules that apply
Professional confidentiality
Client information is confidential; share anonymised data until the buyer is chosen.
ACRA registered filing agents
Filing agent registration and AML obligations apply to corporate service providers.
Features you need
| Feature | Why it matters here | Rooms in our top 10 that list it |
|---|---|---|
| View and download control | Each file can be set to view-only, print or download, and the setting can be changed later. | 9 of 10 |
| Redaction | NRIC numbers, salaries or client names are blacked out on the platform, with no second copy of the file to manage. | 4 of 10 |
| Audit trail | Time-stamped history of who opened, printed or downloaded each document, exportable for a dispute, insurer or regulator. | 10 of 10 |
How to set it up
- Anonymise the client listUse client codes until exclusivity.
Mistakes to avoid
- Revealing client names too early.
- Key staff leaving during the process.
Questions people ask
How are accounting practices valued?
Often as a multiple of recurring fees, adjusted for client retention and staff.
When can the buyer see client names?
Usually after exclusivity and with confidentiality terms in place.
Do AML obligations transfer?
The buyer must meet AML requirements for the clients it takes on.