Why do 13-week cash forecast histories have AI value?
A weekly cash forecast is a prediction that reality grades seven days later, so a turnaround team's stack of dated versions is a predict-then-check record. Each version states expected receipts and disbursements; the actuals and the variance commentary say what happened and why.
That structure is what evaluators look for: a forecast, a measured result and a human explanation of the gap. Many business forecasts are never scored against actuals. In a restructuring, lenders or stakeholders often ask for regular variance reporting, so the history can be unusually complete.
One point decides who can act. The forecasts, bank data and commentary belong to the company, not to the advisor who built them. As a CRO, financial advisor or wind-down professional you can make the introduction; the company, or whoever controls its assets, decides.
What does a forecast-versus-actual dataset contain?
| Record | Where it sits | What an evaluator learns |
|---|---|---|
| Dated forecast versions | Excel workbooks, shared folders, lender reporting packs | How expectations changed week to week |
| Actual receipts and disbursements | Bank files, ERP cash ledger, AP and AR subledgers | The ground truth each forecast is graded against |
| Variance commentary | Weekly lender or board memos, email threads | Human explanations: timing, vendor holds, collections slippage |
| Assumption changes | Notes in the model, call minutes | Which inputs were revised after a miss |
| Approvals and covenants | Lender reporting, DIP or budget approvals where relevant | Constraints that bound the forecast |
| Reforecasts after events | Post-event versions, sensitivity cases | How the forecast responded to shocks |
ExcelA single final model is far less useful than the full run of versions. The version history is what makes it predict-then-check.
Which engagements and companies fit?
Fit depends on the company, not the advisor's reputation.
- The company had 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded) and several years of documented operations. See who qualifies.
- A run of weekly forecasts exists, ideally dozens, with the actuals alongside.
- The company status can be operating, acquired or wound down; all can qualify if the data still exists.
- Someone with authority, such as the owner, CEO, CFO or an authorized representative, can approve discussing a license.
Be careful where a court, trustee, receiver or assignee controls the assets. They must be involved before any introduction, and their approvals govern what can happen. This is a constraint to confirm with your own counsel rather than a step to improvise. Variance notes are one case of the pattern described in exception handling records; whether anyone may license them is a separate permissions question.
The forecast-record screen
Use this before mentioning licensing to the company.
- Versions: are dated forecast files saved, or was each week overwritten?
- Actuals: can the bank and ledger data behind each week be retrieved?
- Commentary: was variance explained in writing, by whom, and where?
- Ownership: does the engagement letter say who owns the model and outputs?
- Authority: who can approve a licensing conversation, and does any court or lender approval apply?
- Confidentiality: do lender, vendor or customer terms restrict sharing figures?
If versions were overwritten or the engagement letter gives the advisor ownership of the model, stop and resolve that first. The questions to ask a business owner about their records list helps with the wider conversation.
When in the engagement should you raise it?
| Moment (illustrative timing) | Why it works | What to settle first |
|---|---|---|
| Stabilization, weeks 1-4 | You are mapping systems and reporting anyway | Preserve forecast versions and bank exports |
| Steady-state reporting | Lender cadence is running and files are organized | Confirm retention in the shared folder |
| Pre-sale or plan process | Assets are being inventoried | Check approvals with counsel and stakeholders |
| System shutdown | ERP and bank portals are about to be retired | Take complete exports first |
| Final wind-down | Records risk being discarded | Decide retention before the lease or subscription ends |
Records that were never preserved cannot be licensed later, so the shutdown moment is often the one that matters. The journal entry review records page describes a sibling finance record that is often kept in the same close process.
How does the introduction work?
- Raise the idea with the authorized sponsor, and with any court, trustee or lender that must consent.
- Register and share your referral link, or submit the referral form with basic fit information only.
- SourceX screens size, history, data breadth and rights, including who controls the assets.
- The company completes an inventory of systems and years, using the data inventory builder if helpful.
- Price and terms are agreed with the company, and nothing binds it until it signs.
- Buyers review; delivery follows an executed agreement and agreed redaction rules.
How do rewards work for advisors in a restructuring?
Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. The reward is paid only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; an introduction, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed. It is a share of SourceX's fee and is never deducted from what the company receives. Whether an advisor may accept it, and whether it must be disclosed to the company, lenders or a court, depends on engagement terms and local rules, so confirm with your own counsel. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.
When is this not worth raising?
- Forecast files were overwritten each week and no versions exist.
- The only copy of the model belongs to your firm under its engagement terms, not the company.
- Lenders or customers restrict disclosure of the underlying figures.
- A trustee or court controls the records and has not been consulted.
- The company has fewer records than the baseline requires.
Next step
Check whether the current engagement has dated forecast versions and a clear owner. If it does, register as a partner and make the introduction, or have the company apply directly at sourcex.si/apply.