Independent Excel Workbook Review
We examine the evidence behind the numbers.
Spreadsheet Forensics Group reviews decision-critical Excel workbooks used in audits, lending, litigation, finance, public-sector oversight, and board reporting.
We examine formulas, hidden sheets, external links, hardcoded values, metadata, macros, Power Query connections, protection settings, and version changes — then organize the workbook evidence into a clear review report.
What you receive: a structured report with evidence, prioritized review items, and suggested follow-up procedures.
Do not submit confidential workbooks through this form. Secure transfer is arranged after an initial consultation.
Workbook evidence organized for review.
Scope
We identify what formulas exist, where formulas changed, what was hardcoded, what depends on hidden sheets or external files, and what changed across versions — and we deliver that evidence in a structured report.
What we review
Services
Focused consulting services for organizations that rely on high-stakes Excel workbooks and need clear, evidence-based review.
Review one workbook or a portfolio of workbooks for formula structure, formula consistency, pattern breaks, formula-to-value changes, hidden sheets, external links, hardcoded values, workbook structure, metadata, Power Query, VBA/macros, protection settings, and review-priority evidence.
Best for
Internal audit, finance teams, lenders, and organizations that rely on critical spreadsheets.
Compare workbook versions to identify meaningful changes in formulas, values, sheets, hidden content, external links, metadata, and model structure.
Best for
Disputes, borrower monitoring, internal investigations, restatements, and unexplained workbook changes.
Perform deeper review of high-stakes finance, lending, litigation, valuation, budget, grant reimbursement, board-reporting, and covenant workbooks.
Best for
Models that support major financial, legal, or oversight decisions.
Support organizations with spreadsheet inventory, ownership, documentation, review procedures, change control, and evidence retention. Our deliverables are designed to support documentation requirements under common EUC governance frameworks, including OCC/FFIEC guidance, SR 11-7, and SOX 404 spreadsheet control expectations.
Best for
Internal audit, finance leadership, and control-conscious organizations.
Engagement scope and fees are discussed during an initial consultation. Most single-workbook reviews are completed within 5–10 business days.
Use Cases
When a spreadsheet supports a financial decision, legal claim, borrowing certificate, grant reimbursement, board report, audit process, or public-sector oversight function, the workbook itself needs independent review.
EUC governance, control testing, spreadsheet inventory, evidence review, and remediation support.
Common trigger: An EUC spreadsheet needs independent testing, or audit needs to document formula structure and control evidence.
Workbook review for reporting files, management models, board materials, and decision support.
Common trigger: A board or management report changed unexpectedly and needs tracing.
Review of borrower-submitted workbooks, borrowing base files, covenant models, and collateral schedules.
Common trigger: A borrower submitted a complex workbook and the numbers need independent verification before reliance.
Workbook comparison, version change analysis, litigation support, and dispute-related spreadsheet review.
Common trigger: Counsel needs to compare workbook versions for a dispute or investigation.
Review of grant, reimbursement, budget, procurement, and public-fund workbooks.
Common trigger: A grant, reimbursement, or public-sector workbook needs review before funds or findings depend on the file.
Review of forecasts, budget models, operating plans, and critical decision models.
Common trigger: A formula was overwritten or manipulated in a critical decision model.
Evidence
Excel workbooks can contain evidence of how they were built, changed, linked, protected, and maintained. Formulas, hidden sheets, external links, named ranges, metadata, protection settings, Power Query connections, VBA artifacts, and version differences can all help explain what happened inside a workbook.
We organize that evidence so reviewers can ask sharper questions, focus attention where it matters, and document the items that drive follow-up.
Signals we look for
Formula patterns
Repeated formulas, pattern breaks, and unusual formula changes.
Calculation evidence
Formula records, calculation chain evidence, and recalculation-related workbook artifacts.
Broken references
#REF!, #VALUE!, #NAME?, and orphaned references.
Hidden and very hidden sheets
Workbook logic or source data kept out of normal view.
Custom and external functions
Workbook add-ins, workbook-defined names, VBA functions, or nonstandard formula dependencies.
Hardcoded values
Numbers typed over formulas or embedded directly into formulas.
External links and queries
Power Query, workbook links, data connections, and external dependencies.
Metadata and version changes
Authors, revisions, timestamps, workbook structure, and comparison evidence.
Sample Deliverable
Our review turns a complex workbook into a structured evidence report that decision-makers, auditors, counsel, lenders, and reviewers can actually use.
Illustrative example. Actual findings vary by engagement.
Each review can include
Why Us
Spreadsheet Forensics Group combines finance PhD-level model judgment, practical EUC field experience, and technical workbook evidence analysis. Our work is designed for clients who need more than a software scan: structured evidence, professional interpretation, and clear review priorities.
Understanding models, incentives, financial statements, valuation, lending, and decision-making context.
Practical knowledge of spreadsheet controls, governance, ownership, documentation, review processes, and audit expectations.
Review of formulas, links, hidden content, metadata, dependencies, structure, and version changes.
Evidence-based findings, sourced directly to the cells, sheets, and versions that produced them.
Independent analysis and professional judgment, not a SaaS upload-and-score tool.
About
Founder, Spreadsheet Forensics Group
Dr. Patel holds a PhD in Finance and teaches a university course in Advanced Excel, where he trains students in building, auditing, and stress-testing complex spreadsheet models. He has extensive hands-on experience designing decision-critical workbooks and analyzing them for evidence of potential fraud, manipulation, and control weakness.
His consulting practice serves government agencies, school districts, lenders, law firms, and private organizations — combining quantitative finance training, practical EUC governance experience, and hands-on workbook forensics.
For a full CV or to discuss qualifications for litigation support, contact review@spreadsheetforensicsgroup.com.
Principal Consultant
Bharvi Patel brings 15 years of professional experience spanning finance operations, audit support, and workbook analysis. She works directly on engagement delivery — from workbook evidence extraction and formula analysis to structured reporting and client briefings.
Process
Each engagement follows the same four steps, designed for workbook review rather than generic consulting deliverables.
We define the workbook population, business context, review questions, and intended use of the analysis.
We examine workbook structure, formulas, dependencies, metadata, hidden content, version changes, and other review artifacts.
We organize the evidence and identify items that require human judgment, follow-up, or explanation.
We deliver a structured summary, supporting evidence, and recommended next steps for management, counsel, auditors, or investigators.
Trust & Confidentiality
Workbooks routinely contain sensitive financial, legal, operational, and public-sector information. We treat every file accordingly — strict access controls, signed engagement terms, and a clean evidence trail.
Confidential files are never sent through a public contact form. Secure transfer is arranged after the initial consultation.
Every finding ties back to a cell, formula, sheet, or version difference.
Highest-impact items called out first so reviewers know exactly where to look.
Secure file transfer arranged after engagement scope is set.
Contact
For initial inquiries, email review@spreadsheetforensicsgroup.com.
Do not send confidential files by email. Secure transfer is arranged after the initial consultation.