A Company Sale NDA is Different

A common misperception is that all Confidential Disclosure and Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) are virtually the same. In other words, many people think that it doesn’t matter whether an NDA is for a vendor, customer, employee, strategic, or potential sale transaction—a standard NDA should be sufficient. The truth is, they are and should be different. This is especially true in the company sale context.
Here are some ways that company sale NDAs can be different:

(1) Definition of confidential information

The description of what constitutes confidential information in typical NDAs does not include a number of things that a seller often wants kept confidential in the sale context—most notably, the fact that the seller is considering selling the business or that the buyer and the seller are interested in a sale transaction.

(2) Permitted use of confidential information

A general use restriction seen in “standard” NDAs is often insufficient as a limitation on use of confidential information shared in the company sale context. Moreover, if the buyer is in private equity or is another type of financial sponsor, a limitation on using the confidential information only in connection with the consideration of a potential acquisition of the seller may not be adequate. It often does not limit the disclosure of confidential information to other potential buyers as part of a “clubbing” deal, which sometimes is counter to the seller’s desire to create competition among suitors.

(3) Who the buyer can share the information with

Many NDAs typically restrict disclosure of information by the recipient to those within the recipient’s organization who “need to know” for the stated purpose. Often, in the company sale context, buyers need to also share that information with financing sources, investment bankers, transaction consultants, lawyers, and others.

(4) Non-solicitation of seller’s employees and customers

While it is uncommon to see restrictions on solicitation of a party’s employees and customers in the typical NDA, it is more common to see the matter covered in a company sale NDA as those relationships are more vulnerable in the sale context, especially if the employees and customers know that the seller is interested in selling.

(5) Antitrust requirements

If the buyer is a competitor, provisions and processes should be included that address antitrust concerns.

(6) Seller point person

It is somewhat common to see an individual within the seller’s organization designated as a point person for whom the buyer must work through to obtain confidential information. The intentional procedural bottleneck is designed to ensure that relevant people within the seller’s organization are appropriately briefed, that certain people within the seller’s organization are not contacted by the buyer, and to some extent, keep track of the confidential information that is disclosed.

(7) Seller’s form of NDA

A common issue in many commercial transactions is whose form NDA should be used. In the company sale context, however, use of the seller’s form of NDA is the norm. Also, it is more common to see the NDA in the form of a letter, countersigned by the potential buyer, rather than the standard form of two-party agreement.

Because of some of the unique issues that arise in company sale transactions, sellers should craft the form of NDA they use with those unique issues in mind and not rely on forms or templates used in other contexts.