Benchmarking Your Administrator
16 Questions Every GP Should Ask
Fund administrators do far more than keep books. They shape investor experience, support fundraising, and act as a core control point for the GP. Yet many managers rarely benchmark their administrator—often not until an error appears, an audit becomes painful, or investors start asking harder questions.
With rising regulatory expectations, increasingly sophisticated LP reporting demands, and more complex fund structures, GPs need a structured framework to evaluate their administrator’s capabilities.
Drawing on Pinnacle’s experience supporting more than 500 funds globally, here are 16 critical questions every GP should ask.
1. Do they consistently deliver accurate, timely NAVs?
Accuracy drives trust. Your administrator must produce precise NAVs—even through complex transactions, valuations, and tight reporting windows—and maintain strong internal review processes that actively protect quality.
2. Do they calculate management fees, carried interest, fund expenses, and returns—or do they rely on GP inputs (NAV-lite)?
Administrators increasingly differentiate themselves based on how much they independently calculate.
“NAV-lite” administrators often:
- rely on GP-prepared calculations
- accept Excel schedules without verification
- post entries rather than compute them
- avoid validating waterfalls, fee offsets, catch-ups, or FX impacts
These gaps create significant risk.
Leading administrators independently calculate:
- management fees
- fund expenses and allocations
- carried interest
- preferred returns and catch-ups
- fee offsets, waivers, and recycling
- net and gross performance metrics
A full-service administrator provides genuine oversight, ensuring accurate and consistent GP economics. This independent calculation model defines Pinnacle’s operating philosophy and explains why managers upgrade from NAV-lite providers.
3. Do they maintain a robust SOC 1 Type II control environment?
A SOC 1 Type II report confirms that controls operate effectively throughout the year—not just on paper. If your administrator cannot supply a current, independently tested report, they increase your operating risk.
4. How modern is their technology stack?
A strong administrator uses technology that supports integration, workflow automation, reconciliation, document management, treasury processes, and modern investor portals.
Managers now expect real-time data delivery, interactive analytics, and automated reporting—not outdated, manual processes.
5. How transparent are they with managers and LPs?
GPs and LPs increasingly expect self-serve access to:
- capital account data
- commitment levels
- unfunded positions
- exposure breakdowns
- performance metrics
A leading administrator provides dashboards, workflows, and clear communication channels—not static attachments buried in email threads.
6. Do they support complex structures and strategies?
A capable partner handles:
- continuation vehicles
- multi-series structures
- parallel funds and feeders
- SPVs and co-investments
- private credit, venture, real estate, and hybrid models
- cross-border structures across Offshore, U.S., and Canada
Specialization becomes essential as complexity grows.
7. Do they provide clear, audit-ready documentation?
Auditors expect strong support, including:
- reconciliations
- valuation analysis
- expense trails
- fee and expense calculations
- waterfall workpapers
If auditors frequently raise issues with your administrator’s files, the administrator may lack technical depth or adequate controls.
8. How strong is their investor servicing function?
Investor notices, queries, distributions, and onboarding must be accurate and timely. Errors in investor servicing directly damage GP credibility and can slow fundraising and closings.
9. Can they handle non-standard transactions without breaking processes?
Restructurings, bespoke waterfalls, follow-on allocations, or unusual FX events require senior oversight. Strong administrators solve these issues rather than pushing them back onto the GP.
10. Do they provide meaningful operational insights?
Great administrators interpret data—not just record it. They identify process weaknesses, recommend workflow improvements, and help managers prepare operationally as they scale.
11. Do they maintain low turnover and deep bench strength?
Staff continuity drives NAV quality. Ask about turnover, succession planning, multi-office coverage, and the depth of senior review. Stable teams deliver better outcomes.
12. How proactive is their regulatory and compliance support?
Administrators must stay ahead of changes such as FATCA/CRS updates, tightening audit expectations, and upcoming AML rules. Ask how they monitor changes and what guidance they provide.
13. Do they offer dedicated treasury and payments workflows?
Payments are increasingly targeted by cyber threats. Administrators should provide:
- segregation of duties
- dual approvals
- dedicated treasury teams
- secure systems
- clear audit trails
This is a critical area of control for growing funds.
14. Can they scale with you from Fund I to Fund V?
Your administrator must handle:
- larger investor bases
- increased complexity
- higher transaction volume
- additional vehicles and strategies
Scalability becomes crucial once managers approach institutional fundraising.
15. Do they align with your communication style and service expectations?
Fit matters. Responsiveness, professionalism, and consistency define a strong relationship. Great administrators feel like an extension of your team—not a vendor you must chase.
16. Do they maintain a secure environment?
Cyber risk now represents one of the largest operational threats to private capital managers.
Your administrator safeguards:
- sensitive documents
- investor identity data
- wire instructions
- valuations
- portfolio company information
Ask whether they:
- follow modern cybersecurity frameworks
- enforce MFA and SSO for all staff and clients
- maintain documented incident response processes
- protect capital call emails and payment instructions with strict verification
- prevent unauthorized access through layered controls
- train staff regularly on phishing and secure practices
A breach at your administrator is a breach of your fund. Investors won’t distinguish between the GP and the administrator.
Why This Benchmarking Matters
Benchmarking your administrator helps you:
- reduce operational risk
- elevate investor experience
- strengthen audit readiness
- modernize reporting and controls
- prepare for institutional fundraising
- avoid NAV-lite practices that introduce fiduciary risk
Stronger operational infrastructure builds a stronger platform.
How Pinnacle Supports GPs
Pinnacle was built for GPs who expect accuracy, transparency, and institutional-grade controls. We independently calculate all fund fees and returns, operate under SOC 1 Type II controls, maintain low turnover across global teams, and deliver modern technology and dashboards to support managers as they scale.