Q&A and findings
In a due diligence or procedural dataroom the counterparty asks questions. The Q&A is where those questions come in, are answered internally and only then published.
Who does what
Section titled “Who does what”| Role | What he does |
|---|---|
| Questioner | Submits a question; only sees the answer once it is published |
| Coordinator | Keeps track of the list, distributes questions and approves answers |
| Expert | Supplies the content of the answer |
So a question never goes directly from expert to counterparty. The draft stays internal until the coordinator publishes it.
Answering a question
Section titled “Answering a question”- Open the question in the list.
- Read the question, the attachment and the link to the document the question is about.
- Write a draft answer and add an internal note if necessary.
- Choose Submit for review.
- The coordinator chooses Publish, or sends it back with a comment.
After publication the questioner sees the answer and the question appears in the Q&A list with status Published.
Answering anonymously or targeted
Section titled “Answering anonymously or targeted”If an answer also applies to other parties, you can publish it as an anonymous FAQ: the other groups see the answer without the name of the original questioner. That way you do not have to give the same explanation three times.
Limits and deadlines
Section titled “Limits and deadlines”Per group a maximum number of questions can apply, with its own limit per dataroom. The system refuses a new question above the limit and reports this to the questioner.
Findings
Section titled “Findings”In a due diligence dataroom you record what you read as a finding: an observation with a severity, an explanation and a link to the document and the page where you saw it.
From a finding you open the document in the viewer with the note beside it, and on a desktop you can place two documents side by side to compare. Findings are only visible to the deal team, not to bidders.