Buying a consulting firm in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida

• Multi-year contracts or retainers, not only one-off projects that end and have to be replaced.
• Clients who work with several people at the firm, not just the owner.
• A known specialty that brings referrals and repeat work without constant selling.
• Staff kept busy on billable work, at rates that have risen over time.
• Written methods, templates and tools, so quality doesn't depend on one person's memory.
• For government work, contract vehicles (pre-approved contracts that agencies can order from) with several years left to run.
• A second-in-command who already leads client work and wants to stay.
• Revenue from more than one or two clients or agencies.

• Revenue by client and by consultant for three years. If one person's name sits next to most of the revenue, the price and transition plan should reflect it.
• How much revenue the owner personally brings in and bills, and how long they'll stay to hand it over.
• Contracts: time left, option years, and what happens if ownership changes. Moving a federal contract to a new company in an asset purchase needs the government's approval (novation).
• Independent contractors: whether they're classified correctly and have signed over the rights to their work.
• Utilization (the share of staff time that's billed) and the rates actually collected.
• Open proposals and how often the firm wins.
• Professional liability insurance and any disputes with clients.
• For defense work, the firm's CMMC cybersecurity status. From November 10, 2026, the Defense Department plans to require third-party assessments for many contracts involving controlled unclassified information.

• Which clients would follow you if you left?
• Besides you, who leads client work today?
• How much work depends on the firm's size or on certifications tied to you?
• When do your main contracts end or come up for rebid?
• How do new clients find you?
• What would it take to replace you?
• Have clients ever disputed the work or a bill?

This region covers Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Putnam counties: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, Macclenny and Palatka. Jacksonville merged with most of Duval County in 1968, which makes it the largest city by land area in the lower 48 states.

The economy leans on logistics, the Navy and financial services. Logistics runs through JAXPORT, major rail lines and the meeting of Interstates 95 and 10. The Navy has Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport. Insurance and health care matter too. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and Amelia Island draw steady tourism. Trucking and logistics firms, the building trades, medical practices and home services all fit this market.

Northeast Florida is less seasonal than South or Southwest Florida, with fewer winter residents and more year-round employers. Direct hurricane landfalls have been less common here than on other parts of the coast, but storms still bring flooding along the St. Johns River and the beaches, so check insurance costs and flood zones.

Military families bring skilled workers and working spouses into the labor pool, though they also move on when orders change. St. Johns, Clay and Nassau have added the most new homes, and companies serving those suburbs have grown with them. Georgia is close, and some companies here serve customers across the state line. Work in Georgia may need Georgia licenses, so ask how much revenue comes from there and who holds those licenses.