Contract still under negotiation
You want to check risks and weak spots before signing — while edits still cost nothing.
Deal Analysis
Independent review of your deal — before the bank says no
We review the existing or planned foreign trade contract from every angle: counterparty, settlement route, currency and tax setup, customs, and documents. The output is a written memo with a risk map, weak spots, and targeted edits that make the deal bankable.
When we step in
Four situations where an independent review pays back at the cost of a single problem you didn't run into.
Contract signed, questions raised
Bank query, doubt about customs classification, a new lawyer flagged ambiguous wording.
New counterparty or jurisdiction
First deal with a supplier, new country, changed settlement or logistics structure.
Bank or customs already refused
Payment didn't go through, cargo is stuck, tax authority sent a query — you need to understand the cause and the options.
What's included in the analysis
Six expertise tracks. Inputs — the contract and supporting documents. Output — a memo with concrete conclusions on each track.
Counterparty and ownership chain check
Corporate registries, beneficial owners, affiliated entities, sanctions lists, market reputation.
Contract and specification audit
INCOTERMS, currency, deadlines, penalties, force majeure, governing law, dispute resolution.
Bankability — clearance through the bank
Settlement route review, compliance requirements, willingness of correspondent banks to work with this structure.
Currency control and tax setup
Deal passport, currency control, VAT on import/export, double taxation risks, tax-ready documentation.
Customs review
HS-code classification, duty and VAT calculation, customs value, certification and licensing requirements.
Documents review
What documents are needed, what's missing, what needs to be redrafted — for the bank, customs, currency control, and tax authority.
What you'll get
Analysis is a document, not a conversation. Each artefact below is delivered in writing, with sources and references to applicable regulations.
Deal memo (5–10 pages)
A concise opinion with conclusions across all six tracks. Wording is calibrated for a CEO read, not just legal counsel.
Risk map
A table: deal stage → risk → likelihood → impact → recommendation. Helps prioritise fixes.
Contract edit list
Specific wording in «current → proposed» format, with rationale for each change.
Settlement structure recommendations
Where the payment route has weak spots, we provide 1–2 alternative routes with the trade-offs of each.
Bank and customs brief
Pre-prepared answers to standard compliance and customs queries — cuts response time and the risk of refusal.
What we don't do
For the analysis to be useful, it's important to understand its boundaries.
We don't issue legal opinions with standing in court — our expertise complements the work of your lawyer, not replaces it.
We don't guarantee outcomes — we build a risk map and recommendations, not insurance. The final call on the deal is yours.
We don't take deals without real underlying goods or services, without a commercial purpose, or with signs of fictitiousness.
We don't help circumvent sanctions, currency controls, or tax regulations — but we'll tell you plainly where the red lines are and what alternatives exist.
How we work
Standard analysis — 7–10 business days. Rush mode available on request.
- 01
Brief and documents
We capture the task: what kind of deal, what stage, what's worrying you. We collect the contract, counterparty details, and settlement chain.
1 business day - 02
Analysis
We work the six tracks in parallel. We pull corporate registries, run sanctions screening, and stress-test contract wording against banking and customs practice.
3–5 business days - 03
Memo preparation
We assemble the memo, risk map, edit list, and recommendations. Delivered in Word and PDF.
2–3 business days - 04
Presentation of findings
One-hour call: we walk you through the memo, answer questions, agree priority of edits.
1 business day - 05
Edits support
We help implement the changes — rewrite contract clauses, agree them with the supplier, prepare documents for the new settlement route. Billed separately.
On request
Case from practice
All details are anonymised — client confidentiality matters more than a portfolio.
Pre-signing analysis — sanctions risk surfaced
Situation
A Russian importer was ready to sign a contract for equipment supply. The supplier presented as a Chinese manufacturer; negotiations had run for two weeks, and price and timing were in line. One day before signing, the client requested «a quick external view».
What we did
We ran extended due diligence through corporate registries. The legal entity was registered not in mainland China but in Hong Kong, and an EU company on the sanctions list appeared in the chain of ultimate beneficial owners. We prepared a memo with a risk map and a shortlist of three alternative manufacturers in mainland China, all cleared in our checks. We supported negotiations and contract signing with one of them.
Result
The client avoided a payment block by the bank and reputational consequences. The deal cleared the bank without any compliance queries. The cost of the analysis was under 1% of the deal value.
Frequently asked questions
The fee depends on deal complexity, document volume, and urgency. Standard analysis starts from a level that makes it economically meaningful — i.e. it pays back when the deal is commercially material. We fix the exact figure in a written offer after the initial brief.
Standard — 7 to 10 business days. Rush mode (3–5 business days) is available with a premium and when all documents are on the table from day one. Spot consultation on a single aspect — 1–2 business days.
Minimum: the contract or its draft, counterparty details, planned settlement chain. Plus specifications, invoices, correspondence with the bank if any. The full list is fixed in the brief.
No. Deal analysis is a technical foreign-trade review focused on bankability, customs, and currency control. It complements the work of legal and tax counsel, it doesn't replace them. If the analysis surfaces questions that require a legal position, we flag this clearly in the memo.
The memo presents three types of scenarios: edits to the current contract, replacement of the counterparty or settlement route, or stepping back from the deal in its current form. For each option we score the trade-offs — what you gain, what you lose, what timing applies. The decision is yours.
Yes. If you need a single aspect — counterparty check, bankability, or customs classification — we deliver an express format of 2–3 pages. It's cheaper and faster, but narrower in scope.
Describe the deal — we'll come back with timing and a fee for the analysis
Initial brief is free of obligation. Within 1 business day you'll get a clear answer: which format of analysis fits and how much it will cost.