What a good second opinion actually checks

When clients ask us to review a proposal before they sign, they often expect a simple yes or no. What they get is more useful: a structured read of the things that are easy to miss when the document is in front of you and the clock is ticking.

1. Who carries the risk?

The first thing we trace is where the risk sits. Proposals are often written so that costs, delays or things going wrong land on you rather than the other side. A single clause about variations, liability or termination can quietly rewrite the deal. We map who's holding what if things don't go to plan.

2. What's assumed, not stated?

Every proposal rests on assumptions - about timing, scope, conditions and what's included. The expensive ones are the assumptions that were never written down. We surface them and ask whether they actually hold for your situation.

3. What isn't being compared?

A proposal naturally frames itself as the obvious choice. Part of a good review is reintroducing the alternatives it conveniently leaves out - including the option of doing nothing, or simply waiting.

4. What would you ask if you had a month?

Finally, we write down the questions you'd reach if you had unlimited time, so you can take the three or four that matter most back to the table. More often than not, those questions - not a flat refusal - are what improve the deal.

A good second opinion rarely ends in drama. It ends in a clearer head, a shorter list of real concerns, and the confidence to proceed or to walk away. That is the entire point.