Independent family office consulting search
Alpha helps family offices decide what to retain, what to outsource, and which investment consultant or OCIO provider best fits the family’s governance, portfolio, and long-term objectives.
Direct answer
The answer depends on the family’s governance, internal team, desired control, privacy, asset complexity, liquidity, reporting needs, and ability to oversee external providers.
The family comes first
“Family office services” can describe wealth management, tax, estate planning, administration, investment consulting, or discretionary investment management. Alpha focuses specifically on the independent evaluation and selection of investment consultants and OCIO providers.
Alpha does not manage family assets or operate the family office. It sits on the family’s side of the table during a consequential provider decision.
A family-specific search process
The process separates the governance decision from the vendor decision, then compares firms against requirements that are specific to the family.
Clarify governance, objectives, decision rights, liquidity, reporting, privacy, and the capabilities that should remain in-house.
Identify investment consultants and OCIO firms that fit the family’s asset base, complexity, service needs, and operating model.
Compare the assigned team, investment process, implementation, governance support, reporting, fees, conflicts, and culture.
Support finalist diligence, references, fee and contract negotiation, documentation, onboarding, and transition planning.
Evaluation framework
A family office consultant or OCIO should be evaluated on the relationship the family will actually receive—not only the firm’s brand or model portfolio.
Family and committee roles, investment policy, delegation, succession, education, reporting, privacy, and accountability across generations.
Asset allocation, public and private investments, manager access, liquidity, tax awareness, risk, custody, data, and performance evidence.
Assigned professionals, service model, customization, all-in fees, proprietary products, conflicts, references, culture, and family fit.
Family office outsourcing
A family may retain strategic decisions and use a consultant for advice, delegate defined investment responsibilities to an OCIO, or combine internal leadership with specialist providers. The right answer is the model the family can govern well over time.
Compare OCIO and traditional consulting →Fee negotiation
Alpha normalizes service scope, advisory fees, underlying investments, performance fees, custody, administration, and transition assumptions before supporting fee and contract negotiation.
Read the institutional fee guide →Common questions
A clear mandate helps the family compare genuinely relevant providers and avoid buying a broader bundle of services than it needs.
An investment consultant can advise a family office on governance, investment policy, asset allocation, manager research, portfolio reporting, risk, and implementation. An OCIO may accept discretion for responsibilities defined in the mandate. The right structure depends on which capabilities the family wants to retain and which it wants to outsource.
Alpha helps a family office define the mandate, identify qualified investment consultants or OCIO providers, run an RFP, conduct due diligence, compare fees and conflicts, negotiate the relationship, and support selection and transition.
No. Alpha is an independent investment consultant and OCIO search firm. It does not manage family assets, provide tax or estate advice, or operate the family office. That separation allows Alpha to evaluate providers without competing for the mandate.
Common triggers include a generational transition, formalizing governance, creating a family office, outgrowing an existing advisor, adding private investments, consolidating providers, fee or service concerns, or deciding which investment capabilities to retain versus outsource.
The family should compare the all-in economics of each proposed relationship, including advisory fees, underlying manager and fund expenses, performance fees, custody, administration, transition costs, proprietary products, and other compensation. Fees should be normalized to the same asset mix and service scope before negotiation.
A better selection process starts here
Alpha can help define the mandate, compare investment consultants and OCIO firms, conduct due diligence, negotiate fees, and support a documented selection.
Discuss a Family Office Search