§ 01Why the operating partner construction posture is rare
The operating partner construction role demands a rare combination of skills : technical mastery of the envelope lot (curtain wall, structural glazing, double skin facades, BIPV, anti-blast, anti-intrusion), contractual command across FIDIC, SIA, and CCAG frameworks, and the capacity to arbitrate under contradictory pressure between the owner, the design team, the general contractor and the supply chain. Most consulting firms cover one of these three axes ; very few cover all three simultaneously. Our practice is built on this triple mastery, and that combination is what makes the operating partner posture defensible against all parties on a contested project.
§ 02Engagement intensity and capacity discipline
An operating partner construction mandate is not a side activity, it requires substantial presence (3 to 5 days per week on the contracted scope), constant arbitration, and full engagement with the company's leadership team. We deliberately limit the number of simultaneous Operating Partner mandates to preserve the quality of execution. This capacity discipline is structural, not commercial : an OP mandate that becomes a part-time commitment loses the operational authority that makes it useful. Each mandate runs typically 12 to 24 months, with a defined exit date and a transmission protocol agreed at kick-off.
§ 03Discipline anti-conflict during the mandate
Holding an operating partner construction mandate over 12 to 24 months requires constant anti-conflict discipline. Any change in the project ecosystem (new general contractor partner, change of facade subcontractor, arrival of a new investor) triggers an internal conflict review with the client. Any incoming solicitation from another party in the project (a facade contractor seeking parallel mandate, a manufacturer offering partnership) is documented and declined. This passive discipline, which essentially amounts to refusing commercial opportunities while the OP mandate runs, is the cost of the posture. It is what makes the OP recevable as a legitimate intervenor through to the end of the mandate, including in the most contested moments where the team's neutrality is questioned.
§ 04Pricing and contractual structure
The pricing of an operating partner construction mandate combines a fixed monthly fee (covering committed time and operational engagement, non-refundable from the day of entry) and a success fee aligned with mission typology. On a project in crisis, the success fee is a percentage of saved value (penalties avoided plus margins recovered against a documented baseline). On a stagnating company, the success fee is a percentage of measured EBITDA improvement on a post-mission window (typically 12 to 24 months after exit). On a post-acquisition mandate, the success fee combines a fixed fee plus a percentage of the value created between entry and exit, calculated on the implied portfolio valuation. The precise levels are discussed mission by mission in transparency, depending on the situation and the agreed objectives.
§ 05Exit protocol and knowledge transfer
Every Operating Partner mandate ends with a structured exit protocol : documentation of installed processes, training of permanent teams who take over, transmission to the incoming director or to the existing leadership, written end-of-mission report covering achieved KPIs against entry baseline, residual risks identified, recommendations for the post-mission phase. The exit protocol is documented contractually at kick-off and reviewed monthly as the date approaches.
