Creating an asset-sale handover for another decision-maker
- Reading time
- 3 minutes
- Last reviewed
On this page
Give a new decision-maker the current sale position, the authority under which it operates and the decisions they must make next. A handover should let them act on verified information without replaying every conversation from the beginning.
Start by confirming that they are authorised for the role. A project handover does not itself create legal authority. Where the previous decision-maker cannot act, use the unavailable-owner guide to organise the question that needs professional confirmation.
Put this cover sheet at the front
| Heading | Essential content |
|---|---|
| Purpose | What is being sold and the agreed business objective |
| Authority | Confirmed decision role, limits and supporting reference |
| Current scope | Dated inventory, retained items and ownership holds |
| Appointments | Sale manager and relevant agreements |
| Existing instructions | Approved route, reserves, exclusions and changes |
| Current status | Marketed, offered, sold, paid or removed by lot |
| Fixed dates | Access, remaining work and premises deadlines |
| Next decisions | Exact question, evidence, deadline and person to consult |
| Key contacts | Site, sale, finance and professional advisers |
| Record location | Where the current evidence and earlier instructions are kept |
Keep the cover sheet short. Link to the documents rather than pasting their full contents into a document that will be difficult to maintain.
Separate decided, proposed and unknown
Use those labels explicitly. An old email suggesting a reserve is not the same as an approved reserve instruction. A proposed collection date is not a confirmed appointment. The incoming person needs to see the difference without judging the tone of a message chain.
Use the internal approval guide to identify the evidence behind decisions. Retain the earlier record when instructions change, and make the replacement date clear.
Include verbal discussions that still need written confirmation. Label them as unconfirmed rather than presenting them as settled terms. Ask the relevant party to confirm through the agreed process.
Test the handover with three questions
Can the new person identify the next decision due? Can they find the evidence needed for it? Can they tell who must be consulted before changing the instruction?
If any answer is no, fix that gap before adding more background. A fictional example is an imminent offer deadline with no clear record of whether tooling is included. The useful handover task is to confirm the offer scope, not to write another page describing the workshop.
Use the internal sale-manager guide for day-to-day coordination and the adviser role map for questions outside the decision-maker's expertise.
Tell UK Auction Group when the confirmed instruction contact changes and provide the relevant authority information through the agreed route. The handover is complete when the new person and sale team are working from the same current scope and decisions.
Explore the retirement and closure guides.
Sources
This guide gives general information. Equipment-specific, legal, tax and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser or competent specialist. The guides do not promise sale prices, fees or results.