Cutting Through the Confusion in OCIO Fees

When choosing among several providers of outsourced CIO services, prospective clients often find it hard to make apples-to-apples comparisons of the fees of candidate OCIO firms. The confusion is understandable, since different types and levels of service can all go under the rubric of OCIO.  There are many ways to structure OCIO services and the fees attached to them.  As no standards exist for OCIO fee presentations, and the industry has seen many new entrants in recent years, a number of different formats have emerged.  Not surprisingly, transparency has often been lacking, and the clarity, level of detail, and accuracy of OCIO fee quotations have varied widely.  We sympathize with potential clients who face this problem, and offer some suggestions.