How do you manage critical trade creditors and suppliers in a distressed situation without breaching even-handed treatment?
A core Restructuring interview question — asked in analyst and associate interviews across IB, PE, and the Big 4.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Some suppliers are genuinely critical — sole-source, or able to halt operations by stopping delivery — and losing them would destroy going-concern value, so they need careful handling. But you can't simply pay favored creditors when insolvent (clawback/Anfechtung and priority risks). The approach: identify and rank truly critical vendors, negotiate continued supply on revised terms (shorter terms, partial pre-payment for new supply, standstill on old balances) ideally within a framework that's defensible, and where a formal process exists use mechanisms that legitimately permit critical-vendor or essential-supplier treatment. Communicate transparently and consistently, document the commercial rationale (preserving value benefits all creditors), and avoid ad hoc preferential payments of old debt. The line is between paying for ongoing supply (defensible) and preferring old claims (risky).
WHAT INTERVIEWERS LISTEN FOR
- ✓Identify truly critical/sole-source suppliers
- ✓Secure ongoing supply via revised terms, not preferring old debt
- ✓Use legitimate critical-vendor mechanisms where available
- ✓Document value-preservation rationale; avoid ad hoc preferences
COMMON MISTAKES
- ✗Paying favored creditors' old balances when insolvent
- ✗Ignoring clawback/priority risk
- ✗No rationale or documentation
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