For years, private equity returns could be supported by favorable financing, multiple expansion and a healthy exit market. That playbook has become harder to rely on. PwC reported that the number of U.S. private equity transactions in the first half of 2026 was 67% lower than in 2025, even as total deal value increased nearly 10%, evidence that sponsors are becoming more selective and concentrating capital on higher-conviction opportunities. At the same time, longer holding periods and a difficult exit environment are putting greater pressure on sponsors to create measurable improvements inside the businesses they already own. PwC
That shift is changing where PE firms spend their time after a transaction closes. According to Alvarez & Marsal's 2026 private equity value-creation survey, active operational value creation now accounts for roughly half of EBITDA growth in the current environment. Alvarez & Marsal Instead of relying primarily on financial engineering, firms are increasingly focused on integrating acquisitions faster, improving finance and reporting functions, reducing unnecessary costs, modernizing technology, strengthening management teams and positioning portfolio companies for more attractive exits. In other words, executing the deal is only the beginning; increasingly, the return is determined by what happens afterward.
BGS Consulting helps PE sponsors and portfolio companies execute that value-creation agenda from diligence through exit. BGS supports buy- and sell-side diligence, Quality of Earnings, working-capital analysis, pre-close finance assessments, technology diligence, Day 1 planning, integrations and carve-outs, ERP and financial-system implementations, first-time audit readiness, FP&A optimization, cybersecurity and interim CFO, finance and technology leadership across the transaction lifecycle. As operational execution becomes a larger driver of PE returns, BGS provides sponsors with experienced resources that can move quickly from identifying an opportunity to actually getting the work done.