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Due Diligence Checklist

A due diligence checklist for vendor evaluation, partnerships, and business decisions. Covers legal, financial, operational, and reputational review areas.

6 sections 36 items

Checklist preview

Legal & Corporate 7 items
  • Entity type and registration verified
  • Certificate of incorporation or business registration obtained
  • Ownership structure and ultimate beneficial owners identified
  • No outstanding litigation or legal disputes found
  • Intellectual property ownership confirmed
  • Existing contracts and obligations reviewed
  • Regulatory licenses and permits verified
Financial 6 items
  • Financial statements reviewed for last 2-3 years
  • Revenue, margin, and cash flow trends assessed
  • Outstanding debts and liabilities identified
  • Tax compliance status confirmed
  • No undisclosed financial obligations found
  • Banking relationships and credit history reviewed
Operational 7 items
  • Core business processes documented and understood
  • Key personnel identified and retention risk assessed
  • Technology stack and infrastructure reviewed
  • Data handling and privacy practices assessed
  • Cybersecurity posture reviewed
  • Business continuity and disaster recovery plans verified
  • Supply chain and key dependencies identified
Reputational 5 items
  • Media and press coverage reviewed
  • Online reviews and reputation signals checked
  • Sanctions and watchlist screening completed
  • References from existing clients or partners obtained
  • No ESG or ethical controversies identified
Compliance 5 items
  • GDPR or applicable data protection compliance confirmed
  • Industry-specific regulatory compliance verified
  • Anti-bribery and corruption policy in place
  • Health and safety compliance confirmed
  • Export controls and trade compliance checked (if applicable)
Contract & Closing 6 items
  • All representations and warranties agreed
  • Indemnification clauses reviewed
  • Termination and exit clauses confirmed
  • SLA and performance obligations documented
  • Signature authorities confirmed on both sides
  • Fully executed agreement filed and accessible

A due diligence checklist ensures that every evaluation follows the same structured process — whether you’re onboarding a new vendor, entering a partnership, or reviewing a supplier. It prevents decisions from being made on incomplete information and creates an auditable record of what was reviewed.

This checklist covers six areas: legal and corporate structure, financials, operations, reputation, compliance, and contract closure. Use it in full for high-stakes decisions, or run specific sections for lighter-touch reviews.

Who uses this due diligence checklist

Procurement and operations teams running vendor due diligence checklists before signing contracts. Legal and compliance teams doing legal due diligence checklist reviews for partnerships or acquisitions. HR teams conducting hr due diligence checklist reviews during mergers or when inheriting a workforce. Finance teams assessing the financial health of a counterparty. Risk managers building an auditable record of third-party evaluations.

How to run it

Open CheckRun in your browser, select this template, and start a run at the beginning of a due diligence process. Work through each section as evidence is gathered — mark items Pass when verified, Fail when a red flag is found, N/A when the item does not apply. Add comments on Fail items with the specific finding.

Each run saves with a timestamp, creating a dated record of the review. Export as CSV for inclusion in a due diligence report or compliance file.

Adapting this due diligence process checklist

  • Simplify to Legal, Financial, and Contract sections for a lightweight vendor checklist review
  • Add an “IT Security” section for SaaS vendor evaluations: SOC 2 report, penetration test results, data residency confirmed
  • Add a “Cultural Fit” section for strategic partnership reviews
  • Add M&A-specific items for acquisition due diligence: cap table review, option pool, employee agreements, IP assignments
  • Use the contract review checklist approach for the Contract & Closing section: review each clause against your standard terms
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