Fees
Every engagement answers a specific situation: the size of the company, the quality of the information available and the intended use of the deliverable determine the budget.
The ranges shown here come from Hectelion's own market observations, in Switzerland as well as in France.
Publishing these benchmarks is a deliberate choice: a business owner should be able to place their budget before contacting us, without first going through a sales conversation. Each engagement is then priced precisely, and no work begins before your written agreement.
What determines the price of an engagement?
The budget for an engagement is always set before work begins, through a four-stage process. No fees are incurred without an accepted written engagement letter.
Four factors account for most of the variation in price:
- The size and complexity of the company.
- The quality and availability of the financial information.
- The intended use of the deliverable: a report that must stand up before a third party, a tax authority or a court calls for a higher level of documentation than an internal estimate.
- The timeline required.
For an identical scope, a file whose accounts are up to date and whose documents are already gathered sits at the lower end of the range; a file that requires data to be reconstructed, several financial years to be restated or two accounting frameworks to be reconciled sits at the upper end.
step 1
Rationale
Understanding your situation, the purpose of the transaction and the intended use of the deliverable.
step 2
Engagement letter
Scope, deliverable, timetable and firm price, all set out in the engagement letter.
step 3
Execution
Fixed fee or milestone retainer for valuation work; success-based for transaction mandates.
step 4
Milestone billing
Payment dates known in advance, with no hidden costs and no unilateral overrun.
How are our fees structured?
Two families of engagements, two fee logics: valuation mandates are billed per engagement, at a price agreed in advance; transaction mandates are most often remunerated on success. Ten areas of expertise, twenty-four options: expand the one that concerns you to see the detail of the ranges observed in Switzerland and in France.
Business valuation
Startup valuation
Financial due diligence
Fairness opinion
Intangible asset valuation
Financial instrument valuation
Purchase price allocation (PPA)
Impairment testing (IAS 36 / FER 27)
Financial structuring
Securities tokenisation and valuation
Transaction advisory
Full success fee
Retainer and success fee combined
Monthly fee and success fee
Full retainer
Hourly rate
Transparency at the heart of the relationship
Observed ranges
Our price benchmarks reflect the French and Swiss market and our own practice on live engagements.
An engagement letter before any work
No engagement begins without a written engagement letter and an accepted price.
Success first
On transaction mandates, retainers and monthly fees are credited against the success fee.
The range of clients we advise
Family Offices
Executives and management teams
Family shareholders
Private equity funds
Family businesses
SMEs & mid-market companies
transactions analyzed
years of expertise
clients advised
Discover our TRACK RECORD
The transactions presented were carried out by, with the contribution of, or with the participation of members of the Hectelion team in the context of functions performed currently or previously.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The first 30-minute conversation is free and without obligation. No fees are incurred until an engagement letter has been signed.
The ranges are shown excluding tax. The VAT that applies depends on the country of invoicing and on your status; it is set out in the engagement letter.
Any change of scope is covered by a written amendment, with an adjusted price accepted before the work continues. No unilateral overrun.
The retainer pays for work actually carried out at the milestones reached, so it remains earned. If a closing takes place, it is credited against the success fee on the terms of the mandate.
No. The independence of a valuation, a fairness opinion or a due diligence requires a fee that is not contingent on the outcome: a fixed fee or a milestone retainer.
On transaction mandates, the percentage success fee generally comes with a minimum agreed in the engagement letter, so that quality of execution is guaranteed whatever the size of the transaction.
Ordinary costs are included. Specific disbursements, such as long-distance travel, an external data room or third-party experts, are listed and agreed in advance in the engagement letter.
Market practice and cost structures differ between the two countries. The method is identical; the ranges reflect the levels observed locally.
By milestones defined in the engagement letter: each payment corresponds to a stage reached, known in advance.
Yes, free and confidential. It provides an indicative report; it does not replace a full signed valuation that third parties can rely on.
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