Not every lease problem needs a standing arrangement, and not every one can be solved with a single project. The deciding question is whether the work has an end.
Both routes are reasonable choices for different situations. The skill is knowing which one you're in.
When a One-Time Project Fits
A project suits work with a clear start and finish. For example:
- A CAM review: statements from the past year checked against the lease while a dispute window may still be open.
- Lease abstraction: a group of leases, perhaps from an acquisition, read and recorded in one consistent format.
- Data cleanup: records reconciled against the leases before an audit or a system change.
The benefit is focus. The team gets a defined result without adding a standing arrangement.
When Ongoing Support Fits
Some lease work never really ends. Critical dates keep arriving, reconciliations come every year, amendments get signed, and landlords need follow-up.
If that work depends on one or two people, or competes with other priorities every week, steady support gives it a permanent owner and keeps the records current as the portfolio changes.
How to Scope Either One
A short scoping conversation usually covers four things:
- Locations: how many, where, and which are most urgent.
- Documents: which leases, amendments, and statements are in scope, and where they are stored.
- Systems: what your team already uses to track lease information.
- Ownership: who on your side receives the results and makes the decisions.
It helps to bring a list of locations, recent CAM statements with the related leases, and any open landlord items.
Some teams start with a project and add ongoing support later. Others never need more than the project.