{
  "name": "Comprehensive Due Diligence (100 items)",
  "description": "Full-scope M&A due diligence checklist covering financial, legal, tax, commercial, operational, IT, HR, environmental, and insurance.",
  "items": [
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.01", "title": "Audited financial statements for the last 3 fiscal years", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.02", "title": "Unaudited interim financial statements (YTD current year)", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.03", "title": "Monthly P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow for trailing 24 months", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.04", "title": "Revenue breakdown by product/service line, geography, and customer", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.05", "title": "Gross margin analysis by product/service line", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.06", "title": "Detail of all non-recurring, one-time, or extraordinary items", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.07", "title": "Accounts receivable aging schedule and bad debt history", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.08", "title": "Accounts payable aging schedule", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.09", "title": "Inventory detail by category, location, and obsolescence reserve", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Financial — Historical", "item_number": "1.10", "title": "Capital expenditure history and current commitments", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Financial — Projections", "item_number": "2.01", "title": "Management financial projections/budget for next 3 years", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Financial — Projections", "item_number": "2.02", "title": "Key assumptions underlying projections (growth rates, margins, headcount)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Projections", "item_number": "2.03", "title": "Monthly revenue and EBITDA bridge (actual vs. budget vs. prior year)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Projections", "item_number": "2.04", "title": "Pipeline/backlog report and conversion rate history", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Financial — Projections", "item_number": "2.05", "title": "Working capital normalization analysis", "priority": "high" },

    { "section": "Financial — Debt & Obligations", "item_number": "3.01", "title": "Schedule of all outstanding debt, credit facilities, and guarantees", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Financial — Debt & Obligations", "item_number": "3.02", "title": "Copies of all loan/credit agreements with covenants and amendment history", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Debt & Obligations", "item_number": "3.03", "title": "Off-balance sheet liabilities (leases, guarantees, earn-outs, contingencies)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Debt & Obligations", "item_number": "3.04", "title": "Related party transactions and intercompany balances", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Financial — Debt & Obligations", "item_number": "3.05", "title": "Schedule of all capital and operating leases (with remaining terms)", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.01", "title": "Corporate organizational chart (all entities, jurisdictions, ownership %)", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.02", "title": "Articles/certificate of incorporation, bylaws, operating agreements", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.03", "title": "Capitalization table (all classes of equity, options, warrants, convertibles)", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.04", "title": "Shareholder/partnership agreements, voting agreements, rights of first refusal", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.05", "title": "Board and shareholder meeting minutes for last 3 years", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.06", "title": "List of all jurisdictions where the company is qualified to do business", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Legal — Corporate", "item_number": "4.07", "title": "Good standing certificates for all entities", "priority": "low" },

    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.01", "title": "All material contracts (>$100K annual value or non-cancellable >1 year)", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.02", "title": "Contracts with change-of-control or assignment provisions", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.03", "title": "Joint venture, partnership, or co-development agreements", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.04", "title": "Government contracts and related compliance obligations", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.05", "title": "Non-competition, non-solicitation, and exclusivity agreements", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Contracts", "item_number": "5.06", "title": "Distribution, agency, franchise, or licensing agreements", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Legal — Litigation", "item_number": "6.01", "title": "Summary of all pending or threatened litigation, arbitration, or regulatory proceedings", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Legal — Litigation", "item_number": "6.02", "title": "Settled or resolved litigation in the last 5 years (with amounts)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Litigation", "item_number": "6.03", "title": "Outstanding consent decrees, judgments, or injunctions", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Litigation", "item_number": "6.04", "title": "Legal opinion letters or memoranda on material risk areas", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Legal — Regulatory", "item_number": "7.01", "title": "All material permits, licenses, and regulatory approvals", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Regulatory", "item_number": "7.02", "title": "Correspondence with regulators in the last 3 years", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Legal — Regulatory", "item_number": "7.03", "title": "Industry-specific compliance programs (FDA, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, etc.)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Legal — Regulatory", "item_number": "7.04", "title": "Anti-corruption/FCPA compliance program and training records", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Legal — Regulatory", "item_number": "7.05", "title": "Data privacy policies and breach notification history", "priority": "high" },

    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.01", "title": "Federal and state income tax returns for the last 3 years", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.02", "title": "Schedule of all open tax audits, disputes, or assessments", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.03", "title": "Transfer pricing documentation and intercompany pricing policies", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.04", "title": "Net operating loss and tax credit carryforward schedules", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.05", "title": "Sales/use tax compliance and nexus analysis", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.06", "title": "Tax provision workpapers and deferred tax asset/liability schedule", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.07", "title": "R&D tax credit studies and documentation", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Tax", "item_number": "8.08", "title": "International tax structure overview (if applicable)", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.01", "title": "Top 20 customers by revenue with contract terms and renewal dates", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.02", "title": "Customer concentration analysis (% of revenue from top 1/5/10)", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.03", "title": "Customer churn/retention rates for the last 3 years", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.04", "title": "Net revenue retention and expansion revenue metrics", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.05", "title": "Customer satisfaction scores or NPS data", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.06", "title": "Pricing strategy, discount policies, and recent price changes", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Customers", "item_number": "9.07", "title": "Sales pipeline by stage, expected close date, and probability", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Commercial — Suppliers", "item_number": "10.01", "title": "Top 10 suppliers/vendors with contract terms and spend", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Suppliers", "item_number": "10.02", "title": "Single-source or sole-source supplier dependencies", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Suppliers", "item_number": "10.03", "title": "Supply chain risk assessment and contingency plans", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Commercial — Market", "item_number": "11.01", "title": "Market size, growth rate, and competitive landscape overview", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Market", "item_number": "11.02", "title": "Competitive positioning and key differentiators", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Commercial — Market", "item_number": "11.03", "title": "Market share estimates and trend analysis", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.01", "title": "Organization chart with reporting structure and headcount by function", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.02", "title": "Key employee list with compensation, tenure, and retention risk assessment", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.03", "title": "Employment agreements for all C-suite and key personnel", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.04", "title": "Non-compete, non-solicitation, and IP assignment agreements", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.05", "title": "Employee handbook and HR policies", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.06", "title": "Headcount trend and turnover rates for the last 3 years", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.07", "title": "Open positions and hiring plan", "priority": "low" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.08", "title": "Pending or threatened employment-related claims or disputes", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.09", "title": "Union/CBA agreements and labor relations history", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "HR & Management", "item_number": "12.10", "title": "Contractor/consultant arrangements (1099 vs. W-2 classification risk)", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Benefits & Compensation", "item_number": "13.01", "title": "Summary of all employee benefit plans (health, retirement, equity)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Benefits & Compensation", "item_number": "13.02", "title": "Equity incentive plan documents and outstanding grant schedules", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Benefits & Compensation", "item_number": "13.03", "title": "Bonus/commission structures and accrued obligations", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Benefits & Compensation", "item_number": "13.04", "title": "Pension/ESOP obligations and funding status", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Benefits & Compensation", "item_number": "13.05", "title": "Change-of-control or severance trigger provisions", "priority": "critical" },

    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.01", "title": "Schedule of all patents (granted and pending) with jurisdictions and expiry dates", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.02", "title": "Trademark and trade name registrations", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.03", "title": "Copyright registrations and material unregistered copyrights", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.04", "title": "Trade secret protection policies and procedures", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.05", "title": "IP license agreements (inbound and outbound)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.06", "title": "IP infringement claims (made by or against the company)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Intellectual Property", "item_number": "14.07", "title": "Open source software usage inventory and license compliance", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.01", "title": "Technology stack overview (infrastructure, platforms, key applications)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.02", "title": "IT systems architecture diagram", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.03", "title": "Cybersecurity policies, penetration test results, and incident history", "priority": "critical" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.04", "title": "Business continuity and disaster recovery plans (and test results)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.05", "title": "SaaS/cloud vendor contracts and data residency requirements", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.06", "title": "Software development lifecycle and release management process", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "IT & Technology", "item_number": "15.07", "title": "Technical debt assessment and planned remediation", "priority": "medium" },

    { "section": "Real Estate & Facilities", "item_number": "16.01", "title": "Schedule of owned and leased properties with terms and costs", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Real Estate & Facilities", "item_number": "16.02", "title": "Copies of all real estate leases", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Real Estate & Facilities", "item_number": "16.03", "title": "Property condition assessments and pending capital improvements", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Real Estate & Facilities", "item_number": "16.04", "title": "Zoning compliance and land use permits", "priority": "low" },

    { "section": "Environmental", "item_number": "17.01", "title": "Phase I/II environmental site assessments", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Environmental", "item_number": "17.02", "title": "Environmental permits and compliance history", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Environmental", "item_number": "17.03", "title": "Known environmental liabilities or remediation obligations", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Environmental", "item_number": "17.04", "title": "ESG/sustainability reporting and commitments", "priority": "low" },

    { "section": "Insurance", "item_number": "18.01", "title": "Summary of all insurance policies (type, carrier, limits, deductibles, premium)", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Insurance", "item_number": "18.02", "title": "Claims history for the last 5 years", "priority": "high" },
    { "section": "Insurance", "item_number": "18.03", "title": "Pending insurance claims and coverage disputes", "priority": "medium" },
    { "section": "Insurance", "item_number": "18.04", "title": "D&O, E&O, cyber, and product liability coverage details", "priority": "high" }
  ]
}
