Templates

Templates let you save request list structures so you can apply them to new deals instantly. Instead of rebuilding from scratch every time, start with a proven framework and customize from there.

Overview

Every transaction type has a common set of requests. M&A transactions need financial statements, tax returns, and corporate documents. SBA loans need borrower applications, collateral documentation, and business financials. Building these request lists from scratch for each new deal wastes time and risks missing important items.

Templates solve this by letting you save a request list structure once and reuse it across deals. When you create a new deal, pick a template and your full request list is populated instantly — categories, individual requests, descriptions, and assignee roles are all ready to go. Then customize as needed for the specific transaction.

Over time, templates become a living record of your firm’s institutional knowledge. Each deal teaches you what to ask for, how to organize it, and what matters most. Templates capture those lessons so your process improves with every transaction.

Standard Templates

Vetting Vault includes built-in templates for common transaction types so you can get started immediately:

• M&A Due Diligence — A comprehensive request list covering financials, legal, operations, HR, tax, IP, and more. Built from patterns across hundreds of small and mid-market transactions.
• SBA Lending — Structured around the SBA loan application process, including borrower information, financial documents, collateral, and third-party reports.
• Commercial Real Estate — Covers property financials, leases, environmental reports, title and survey, and tenant information.
• General Due Diligence — A flexible starting point for any investigation or review process. Includes common categories that apply across transaction types.

Creating a Custom Template

After running a few deals, you will have refined your request list to match exactly how your firm operates. Save that structure as a custom template:

1. Build your request list — In any deal, set up the request list with your preferred categories, requests, descriptions, and assignee roles. This is the structure you want to reuse.
2. Save as template — From the deal settings or request list menu, click “Save as Template”. This captures the entire structure — categories, requests, descriptions, and role assignments.
3. Name and describe your template — Give it a clear name (e.g., “PE Add-On Acquisition” or “SBA 7(a) Loan”) and a brief description so your team can identify the right template later.
4. Template is saved — Your custom template is now available in your template library. It can be applied to any new deal you create.

Custom templates capture everything about your request list structure, including:

• Categories and subcategories
• Individual request items with titles and descriptions
• Assignee roles (not specific people, but roles like “Seller” or “Buyer Counsel”)
• Request ordering and grouping

Applying a Template

When creating a new deal, applying a template populates the full request list in seconds:

1. Create a new deal — Start the deal creation process as usual.
2. Choose a template — You will see your template library, including both standard templates and any custom templates you have saved. Select the template that best fits this deal.
3. Request list is populated — The template’s full structure is applied to the new deal. All categories, requests, and descriptions are in place.
4. Customize as needed — Add, remove, or modify requests to fit the specific transaction. The template gives you a strong starting point, but every deal is different, so adjust freely.

Applying a template does not lock you into anything. It is simply a starting point. You have full control to change anything after the template is applied.

Template Evolution (AI-Powered)

One of the most powerful aspects of Vetting Vault templates is that they get smarter over time. After closing deals, the AI analyzes what worked and what was missing to help you evolve your templates.

• Post-deal review — After closing a deal, review the final request list against the template you started with. Vetting Vault highlights what was added, removed, or modified during the deal.
• AI suggestions — Based on patterns across your deals, the AI suggests improvements. For example, if you have added a “Cybersecurity Policy” request to the last five deals, it may suggest adding this to your template permanently.
• One-click updates — Accept or dismiss suggestions individually. When you accept a suggestion, the template is updated immediately and the improvement applies to all future deals that use it.
• Institutional knowledge — Over time, your templates become a living repository of your firm’s deal knowledge. New team members benefit from the accumulated experience of every deal that came before.

Managing Your Template Library

Your template library is accessible from your account settings and during deal creation. Here is what you can do:

• View all saved templates — See a list of your standard and custom templates with their names, descriptions, and the number of requests in each.
• Edit template details — Update the name, description, or structure of any custom template. Changes only affect future deals that use the template, not deals already created from it.
• AI rewrite for requests — When editing a template, click the AI button on any individual request to rewrite its title and description. This helps you quickly polish request language to be clear and specific without writing everything from scratch.
• Duplicate and modify — Use an existing template as a starting point for a new variation. For example, duplicate your “M&A Due Diligence” template and add healthcare-specific requests to create a “Healthcare M&A” template.
• Share templates across your team — Templates created by any team member are available to all members of your organization. This ensures consistency across deals managed by different people on your team.

Best Practices

Getting the most from templates is about building a habit of continuous improvement:

• Start with a standard template — Do not try to build the perfect custom template before you run your first deal. Start with a standard template and refine it based on real experience.
• Customize for your niche — If you specialize in a particular transaction type (e.g., SBA loans for restaurants, PE add-ons in manufacturing), customize a template specifically for that niche. The more specific the template, the less work you need to do per deal.
• Save your customized version — After your first few deals, save a custom template that reflects your refined process. This becomes your default starting point.
• Iterate after each deal — Take five minutes after each deal to review the AI suggestions. Small, incremental improvements compound over time into a significantly better process.
• Name templates clearly — Use descriptive names that make it obvious which template to choose. “SBA 7(a) Under $2M” is much more useful than “Template 3”.