Financing in practice
Is your project ready for a lender? An evidence checklist
Build a financing package that connects material claims to documents, owners and open questions without exposing private information.
Auf Deutsch lesenThe lender asks for a financing plan. You send a spreadsheet. The next questions concern the budget version, a conditional award and a contract nobody can identify with confidence.
A larger data room will not fix that exchange. The missing link is between each claim and the evidence supporting it.
What belongs in the first package
| Area | Prepare | Make the uncertainty visible |
|---|---|---|
| Borrower | Entity, ownership, authority and project scope | Missing authority or unclear responsibility |
| Project | Purpose, timetable and milestones | Conditions that prevent the project from starting |
| Budget | Approved version, cost basis and contingency | Competing versions or unapproved changes |
| Funding | Sources with their current status | Expected funds presented as commitments |
| Repayment | Contracts, payment conditions and forecast | Performance or acceptance still required |
| Downside | Delay and cost scenarios | No agreed response to a shortfall |
| Legal | Material agreements and unresolved questions | Unclear rights, priority or consent |
| Operations | Reporting, accounts and responsible people | No owner for obligations after closing |
This is a starting point. A lender and its advisers may require additional evidence for the sector and transaction.
Record the answer, not just the attachment
For each material question, record the document version, date, status, owner, deadline and next action. Add the intended recipients and access restrictions.
A document can exist without answering the question. A signed agreement subject to an unfulfilled condition is not the same as an unconditional receivable. Use separate fields for presence and sufficiency.
The editable evidence register provides a structure for this work.
Show contradictions before asking for a decision
If the budget and financing plan disagree, explain why. Do not silently replace a figure to make the totals match. Identify the governing version and whether the difference is an open funding need, a revised scope or a recording error.
Keep the explanation beside the change. The recipient should not have to reconstruct it from email history.
Check who can see the package
One lender's access does not justify exposing another lender's terms or private notes. Review recipients before sharing. If a redacted document is required, check the actual exported version as well as the screen view.
For the next lender conversation, send a short summary of current evidence and open questions. Ask the recipient to identify any additional requirement against a specific question.
A completed checklist is not credit approval. Its purpose is to make the next review more concrete. Open the working register.