Selling an Electrical Utilities business

Utility deals move when you can prove three things quickly: how you earn returns under your rate order or contract terms, how reliable the system is, and what the next decade of capital work will cost. Buyers underwrite safety performance, outage metrics, asset condition, and obligations that survive closing. EBITDA matters, but they will sanity-check it against filings, reliability reports, and the capital plan.

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What buyers evaluate, and how to prepare

Can you show clean financials and reconcile EBITDA to what really happened in the field (storm costs, riders/trackers, and true pass-throughs)?
Deal-critical
Financial Proof

What buyers determine

Buyers are validating that earnings are repeatable and bankable for an electrical utility, including how riders/trackers, storm deferrals, and power supply pass-throughs flow through the P&L. They will test whether the numbers tie back to rate orders, fuel/power adjustment clauses, and operating reports. When those links are missing, they price in hidden downside and push for a retrade or tighter terms.

How to prepare

  • Tie revenue and expense lines to riders/trackers and pass-through clauses. Document how you normalized major events.
  • Build an add-backs schedule with invoices, policies, and approvals for each item.
  • Create a monthly bridge from reliability metrics and capex activity to financial results.
  • Assemble lender-ready schedules: AR/AP aging, working-capital trends, and capex versus depreciation.
Great answer
We have 36 months of monthly financials and a bridge that separates fuel/power pass-through from margin items and normalizes major events. Each add-back is supported by invoices and policy documentation, including storm overtime and one-time regulatory/legal spend. The P&L ties to our rider and tracker mechanisms, so you can see what is recurring versus timing.
Good answer
We can share the financials and explain the main drivers, but our storm normalization and pass-through mapping are not fully documented yet.
Red flag
The books are fine. Storm years are just different. We will explain it in the meeting, and we do not separate pass-through from margin consistently.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg organizes financials, add-backs, and utility support files in a buyer-ready data room so diligence does not turn into weeks of requests.
How do you earn returns, and who sets the rules? What was the last rate case outcome, and what is still open (audits, disallowances, prudence reviews)?
Deal-critical
Regulatory Engine

What buyers determine

They are underwriting whether costs and capital will be recovered, and how long recovery takes in your jurisdiction. Rate case outcomes show the commission’s posture on ROE, O&M (Operations and Maintenance), and capital additions, plus the risk of disallowances or prudence challenges. Open dockets and audits create timing risk that can change cash flow and closing conditions.

How to prepare

  • Summarize the last rate order: allowed ROE, revenue requirement, key adjustments, and implementation timing.
  • List open dockets, audits, and investigations with dates, current status, and next milestones.
  • Explain each rider/tracker, what it covers, and what portion of revenue depends on it.
  • Write a plain-English earnings narrative and cite the exact filings and orders that support it.
Great answer
In our last rate order (March 2024), the commission approved an ROE of 9.7% and a revenue requirement of $95 million, with adjustments focused on the depreciation study and cost of debt. Those points were addressed in follow-up compliance filings that were accepted on August 15, 2024. We have one open docket on our grid modernization plan with a published procedural schedule, and counsel’s current view is a likely approval, with outcomes ranging from full recovery to a modest disallowance. Trackers cover fuel, storm, and vegetation-management costs and represent about 20% of revenue, with consistent approvals over the last 6 filings.
Good answer
We can provide the last order and talk through it, but we have not packaged a clear summary of what drives earnings and what is still open.
Red flag
Regulation is politics and unpredictable. The buyer can deal with filings after closing.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg lets you share rate orders, testimony, and docket timelines to NDA-signed buyers while keeping sensitive stakeholder material controlled.
What does reliability look like in your territory? What is the outage history, what is driving it (storms, equipment, vegetation), and what changed over the last few years?
Deal-critical
Reliability Story

What buyers determine

Reliability trends drive near-term capex, O&M strain, and commission attention. Buyers want to separate major-event volatility from underlying feeder and program issues, such as vegetation cycle slippage or aging underground. They also price the investment needed to stabilize SAIDI/SAIFI and reduce repeat outages.

How to prepare

  • Create a multi-year outage view with a major-event log and any changes to counting rules.
  • Break outages into drivers: vegetation, equipment, underground, substation, protection, and human error.
  • Identify top feeders and top causes, then show the corrective work scheduled for the next 24 months.
  • Document restoration performance, mutual aid agreements, and post-event review practices.
Great answer
We track SAIDI and SAIFI for the past five years and annotate every major event so spikes are easy to explain. The biggest controllable drivers are vegetation on circuits A/B and underground failures in area C, and our 24-month plan targets those circuits with scoped work, dates, and expected impact. We also have storm playbooks, staging plans, and post-event reviews that show how we restore and what we change afterward.
Good answer
We can share outage reports and talk through storms, but we have not fully quantified the drivers or tied fixes to a specific 24-month program.
Red flag
Outages are weather. We do not consistently track causes or link them to corrective work.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg helps you package reliability metrics, major-event context, and the linked capex and vegetation evidence buyers ask for.
What is the real condition of the system, beyond book value? Where are the worst-performing feeders, substations, or transformer risks?
Deal-critical
Asset Condition

What buyers determine

They are looking for deferred inspection and replacement that makes cash flow look better than it is. They also focus on high-consequence failure points, including major transformers, breakers, and critical feeders that can create a large outage or safety event. A candid condition view reduces retrades because it turns surprises into scoped work tied to recovery and reliability impact.

How to prepare

  • Summarize inspection cycles, defect rates, triage rules, and completion performance.
  • Provide a risk-ranked list of assets: poles, underground segments, breakers, and major transformers, with mitigations.
  • Share condition proof: oil tests, infrared results, pole loading studies, and failure trends, plus actions taken.
  • Link the top risks to the capital plan and the reliability benefit expected.
Great answer
We can show condition by asset class and a ranked risk register with the highest-risk feeders, substations, and transformers called out. Inspection findings go through a defined triage process with target timeframes, and we track completion monthly. The next 24 months of corrective work are scoped with unit costs and outage-window assumptions.
Good answer
We have an asset list and inspection records, but they are not yet consolidated into a clear, risk-ranked view.
Red flag
Nothing major has failed recently, so the system is fine. Book value should be enough.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg keeps inspection summaries, condition evidence, and risk-ranked asset lists organized so you are not sending grid details over email.
The capex backlog is the business plan. What has to be built, when it has to be built, and what happens if it slips?
Deal-critical
Capex Reality

What buyers determine

For electrical utilities, the buyer is underwriting whether the plan can be executed with real constraints, including outage windows, permitting, crew availability, and equipment lead times. They also test recovery assumptions, since approved recovery differs from planned recovery. When the plan reads like a wish list, valuation drops, and terms shift toward holdbacks, escrow, or contingent payments.

How to prepare

  • Present a 5 to 10-year plan split into must-do and discretionary projects with clear drivers.
  • Show recovery status for each project: approved, in the next filing, or dependent on policy or funding.
  • List execution constraints: materials lead times, relay and switching resources, permitting, and mitigations.
  • Report delivery history: on-time and on-budget performance, plus unit cost improvements from lessons learned.
Great answer
Our plan separates mandatory replacement and compliance work from discretionary modernization, and each project has a driver, unit cost basis, and scope. We can show which items are already approved for recovery versus planned for the next filing, including timing sensitivities. We also track delivery performance and the constraints we plan around, including switchgear lead times, outage windows, and crew capacity.
Good answer
We have a multi-year capex forecast, but we have not split must-do versus discretionary or pressure-tested it against execution constraints.
Red flag
The plan changes every year based on funding. We will set priorities after closing.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg lets you attach approvals, scopes, and unit-cost support to the capex plan so buyers diligence an executable program.
What is your safety record and safety culture in practice? Who can stop work, how do you enforce switching and LOTO, and what changed after incidents?
Deal-critical
Safety Culture

What buyers determine

Safety drives litigation exposure, regulator action, insurance cost, and workforce retention. Buyers listen for field-level enforcement, supervisor ownership, and contractor controls, since paper programs do not prevent incidents. They also look for repeat patterns and whether corrective actions were verified over time.

How to prepare

  • Compile recordables and serious incidents with root-cause findings and verified corrective actions.
  • Document switching authority, energized-work qualifications, LOTO practices, and stop-work rights.
  • Summarize contractor safety: prequal, audits, and removal process when vendors fail requirements.
  • Provide near-miss and lessons-learned examples that show changes made in the field.
Great answer
We can show our incident history, root-cause analysis, and the operational changes we made, including procedure updates, supervisor coaching, and training, plus verification that the changes stuck. Switching and LOTO are enforced through clear qualification rules and stop-work authority in the field. Contractor safety is audited, and we have documentation of vendors removed when they failed standards.
Good answer
We track incidents and hold safety meetings, but our documentation on enforcement and contractor oversight is still being tightened.
Red flag
Incidents happen in this line of work. The safety program is in a binder if you want it.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg lets you share safety metrics, investigations, and corrective-action proof securely with vetted buyers.
How exposed are you to wildfire, storms, and climate-driven operating changes, and what happens operationally and financially when a major event hits?
Important
Climate & Events

What buyers determine

They price long-term hardening costs and the downside from a single severe season, which varies by geography and vegetation conditions. They also test whether your documentation would stand up in a wildfire or storm review, and whether mutual aid and materials planning are realistic. Insurance can help, but buyers will read deductibles, exclusions, and claims history closely.

How to prepare

  • Map territory exposure and hardening priorities. Track completion by circuit, miles, and asset class.
  • Provide storm playbooks: mutual aid, staging, materials readiness, and post-event review templates.
  • Summarize insurance terms, deductibles, exclusions, and claims history with remediation actions taken.
  • Show defensibility proof: vegetation and inspection records, QA audits, photos, and work orders.
Great answer
We can show event history, total cost, and what we changed afterward, and we have a standing storm plan with mutual aid, staging sites, and materials readiness. Hardening progress is tracked by circuit, and we can prove vegetation and inspection work with QA records and work-order history. Insurance is summarized with deductibles, exclusions, and claims history so diligence does not uncover surprises.
Good answer
We handle storms well and have insurance, but our hardening tracking and defensibility proof are not packaged cleanly yet.
Red flag
We have not had a big event recently, so exposure is probably fine. Insurance should cover it.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg helps you organize major-event history, claims documents, and defensibility records into a single evidence pack buyers can review.
How do you run protection and control operations, including cybersecurity? Who has access, how are changes approved, and how do you keep one mistake from becoming a system event?
Important
OT Cyber

What buyers determine

They treat OT as a safety and reliability issue that can cause outages, equipment damage, and restoration delays. Buyers look for disciplined access control, network segmentation, vendor remote access rules, and tested response procedures. The level of formality depends on your size and NERC applicability, but buyers still expect clear accountability.

How to prepare

  • Inventory OT systems: SCADA, relays, remote switching, and comms. Document roles and access review cadence.
  • Document change control, patching and monitoring, and vendor remote access approvals and logging.
  • Summarize OT incidents and near-misses with response timelines and lessons learned.
  • Share a funded roadmap for gaps, with budget, timing, and operational constraints.
Great answer
OT access is role-based with regular access reviews, vendor access is time-bound and logged, and configuration changes require documented approval. We can show how our network is segmented and how we patch and monitor without disrupting operations. We run incident-response drills and have a funded roadmap for remaining gaps.
Good answer
We have basic controls and trusted vendors, but we are still formalizing access reviews and a clear OT roadmap.
Red flag
IT handles cybersecurity. Our control systems are not a likely target.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg limits OT exposure by sharing system maps and policies only with vetted, NDA-signed buyers through controlled access.
How deep is leadership in operations, engineering, and safety, and can you run storms and a capital program without the owner acting as dispatcher and relationship manager?
Important
Bench Strength

What buyers determine

They are underwriting whether the utility will run safely and consistently after the owner steps back. Key-person risk is highest around storm command, switching discipline, standards engineering, and commission and municipal relationships. Buyers want named backups and a transition plan that has been practiced, not an org chart that looks good on paper.

How to prepare

  • Assign named owners and backups for storm command, dispatch or control room, engineering standards, and safety.
  • Document SOPs for day-to-day operations and major events, including switching orders and escalation paths.
  • Create a 6 to 12-month transition plan with delegation milestones and decision-rights handoffs.
  • Reduce owner dependence in regulator, municipal, and master-contract relationships by introducing the next-in-line leaders.
Great answer
Operations, engineering, and safety have named leaders, and we have backups for storm command and control room coverage. The owner does not run daily dispatch, and decision rights and escalation paths are documented and used during events. We have a 6 to 12-month plan to hand off the remaining relationships and approvals in stages.
Good answer
We have strong people, but the owner still drives storms and key relationships. We are starting to formalize backups and SOPs.
Red flag
The team cannot run it without me. I still handle dispatch and the key calls during storms.
How Rejigg helps:Rejigg’s Owner’s Guide walks you through a practical transition plan that reduces key-person risk in the buyer’s model.

Straight from buyer evaluations

“Over half the revenue comes from service contracts and monitoring subscriptions, and renewal rates have been above 90 percent for three years running. That kind of steady, repeat revenue in electrical services is exactly what gave me confidence to make a strong offer.”
Repeat RevenueBuyer impressed by high renewal rates at an electrical services company
“Every foreman started as an electrician on the floor and worked their way up. That kind of team depth means I'm not buying a company that falls apart when the owner steps back. I'm buying a real operation with people who know the work inside and out.”
Deep TeamBuyer seeing strong team development at an electrical contractor
“The distributor relationships were what sealed it. Approved vendor status with two national distributors, products in over forty locations, and a pipeline of new installations. You can't build that kind of channel access without years of proving yourself in the field.”
Strong PartnershipsBuyer impressed by strong distributor relationships
“They showed me ten years of financials through two oil downturns and COVID, and the service and repair side never dropped below 70 percent of the prior year. That kind of resilience through tough times is rare and exactly what I was looking for.”
Stays Strong in Tough TimesBuyer reviewing steady performance through economic cycles
“They've carved out a sweet spot doing commercial electrical work that's too specialized for the big national companies but too complex for general handymen. The pipeline of signed contracts gave me confidence this wasn't a one-year story.”
Smart Market PositionBuyer impressed by a well-positioned niche electrical contractor

How buyers value this type of business

Where you land in that range depends on how much of your revenue comes from repeat service contracts versus one-off projects, and whether the business runs without you handling every estimate and customer call.

3x–8x
annual profit
Depending on service contracts, team, and how much runs without you

What drives a premium

  • Service contracts that renew year after year
    Maintenance and monitoring contracts with documented renewal rates give buyers confidence in steady, predictable income.
  • Approved vendor relationships with distributors or utilities
    Being an approved vendor creates loyalty and repeat work that takes years to earn. Buyers see this as a real advantage that transfers with the business.
  • Licensed, experienced electricians on staff
    Journeymen and master electricians with years of experience reduce hiring risk and show buyers they're getting real capacity.
  • Revenue that holds up in tough economic times
    Service, repair, and inspection work that stayed steady through downturns proves the business is resilient.

Common add-backs

Your personal vehicles and fuel that run through the fleet accountFamily members on payroll who won't continue after the saleRent above market rate paid to yourself for shop or warehouse spaceOne-time equipment purchases that were expensed instead of spread over time

What the process looks like

5–8 months from listing to closemedian 201 days across closed deals
  1. 1
    Listing
    The day your business goes live on Rejigg.
  2. 2
    First messageMedian: 4 days later
    A buyer requests a conversation by sending a first pitch.
  3. 3
    First callMedian: 7 days later
    Your first completed call with a buyer to answer questions about your business.
  4. 4
    Letter of intentMedian: 59 days later
    A buyer submits an LOI and you choose to accept, decline, or negotiate.
  5. 5
    Deal closeMedian: 89 days later
    Assuming all is well in due diligence, you close the deal.
See the data behind this timeline in the 2026 Insight Report
Typical buyer types
Electrical and utility services companies looking to expand into your territoryLarger electrical contractors looking to add service lines like monitoring and maintenanceEquipment distributors wanting to add field service capabilitiesFirst-time buyers with operations backgrounds attracted to steady, contracted revenue

Common questions about selling an Electrical Utilities business

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