Capital raise · IT Services & MSPs

Management Fee Structuring Counsel for IT Services & MSPs Acquisitions

Structuring Management Fee Structuring on IT services and MSPs deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

EV range $8M to $100M EV EBITDA $2M to $18M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Every IT services and MSPs acquisition has its own gravity. Management Fee Structuring is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

The typical IT services and MSPs platform sits at $8M to $100M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $18M range. The thesis runs on MSP platform with regional or vertical-specific bolt-ons. An MSP at 70% recurring revenue trades at one multiple, at 90% trades at a different one. The mix is the deal.

The moves

How Management Fee Structuring actually gets structured.

  1. Set the fee at 2 percent of invested capital, stepping to 1.5 percent after year three.

  2. Carve out portfolio-company services so add-on diligence is reimbursable.

  3. Allow accrual if cash flow does not support payment, with later cash catch-up.

  4. Make the fee subordinate to debt service, not to LP preferred return.

  5. In IT services and MSPs, layer in MSA assignment review with carve-outs noted as part of the Management Fee Structuring workstream.

The common mistake

Pricing the fee on enterprise value instead of invested capital. EV-based fees punish you on the first add-on.

Jason's take
"The management fee pays for the firm. Underprice it and you will run a hobby, not a platform."
Jason Powell · Management Fee Structuring
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Management Fee Structuring for IT Services & MSPs, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.