Business valuation cost in the UAE: what drives the price

The price of a valuation depends on what you need: a guide for a decision or a document that a court or a regulator will accept. These are different products and comparing them by price makes little sense.

Three formats

• a formal valuation by a licensed valuer: needed for courts, tax authorities and regulators; done under a contract, with price and timing depending on the size and complexity of the business;
• an advisory valuation by an M&A advisor: for deal preparation and negotiations, usually takes a few weeks and includes a review of documents;
• a quick model-based valuation: a fast guide in minutes, without official standing.

What drives the price

• the size and complexity of the business: several legal entities, products, branches;
• the quality of the documents: clean accounts speed the work up;
• the purpose: negotiations need one level of detail, a court needs another;
• urgency;
• whether an official document is needed.

What to choose for your task

• a guide before a decision: a quick valuation (at ValueUp it is the $29 a month subscription);
• preparing a deal and wanting to go through the result with an expert: a one-off review with a call (ValueUp Review, $990);
• working on the business for a month: ValueUp Growth, $2,990 a month with four weekly meetings;
• an official document for a court or the tax authority: a licensed valuer, which ValueUp does not replace.

How not to overpay

• first state what the valuation is for and who will see it;
• collect the accounts and contracts in advance;
• ask what exactly is in the price: the calculation, the review, calls, revisions.