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Service 07 of 07
Programme Management · Multi-Firm Bids · Cross-Jurisdictional

Where multi-party bids are won.

The largest mandates aren't won by single firms anymore. They're won by consortia that look like one organization to the buyer and one delivery vehicle to the lender. Most consortium failures are governance failures or commercial structuring failures that traced back to the formation period.

We do the work that prevents them. Partner identification, consortium agreement structuring, joint financial modeling, joint proposal development, and consortium governance from formation through close.

Conflict screen. We represent the consortium as a whole, not individual member firms. The structuring role is named explicitly in the consortium agreement, and all parties acknowledge it. This is the structural distinction that lets consortium work coexist with owner-side advisory engagements in the same market — we don't represent the buyer's counterparty, we represent the multi-firm vehicle that is the buyer's counterparty.

What sets this work apart

Vs. EPC self-bidding

Multi-firm scope, not single-firm wraps.

EPCs bidding alone wrap risk they shouldn't carry and discount margin they shouldn't lose. A structured consortium splits scope cleanly and lets each party own what it can underwrite.

Vs. ad-hoc consortia

Structuring spine, not handshakes.

Most consortia form on a phone call between two principals and break apart at the first commercial disagreement. We bring agreement structure, governance design, and the discipline that holds the consortium together through close.

Vs. boutique advisors

Modeling depth, not just narrative.

The hardest single deliverable in any consortium bid is the unified financial model. We build it. The narrative is easier; the model is what holds the bid economics together.

Vs. big-firm advisors

Founder-led, not associate-led.

A career operating-executive seat behind every engagement. The structuring decisions get made by someone who has lived inside the finance function of operating companies, not by a third-year associate.

Seven workstreams from formation through close

What the engagement actually delivers.

Engagements typically run 12-24 weeks across multi-GW or multi-jurisdictional bids. The seven workstreams below are sequential in design but overlap heavily in execution — partner identification continues into agreement structuring, modeling continues into proposal development, governance continues all the way through close.

01
Opportunity mapping & capability gap analysis
Defining the bid envelope: scope, scale, jurisdictional requirements, off-take structure, sponsor or buyer profile, financing pathway. Mapping the capabilities the consortium needs to clear: technical, commercial, jurisdictional, balance-sheet. Identifying where the gaps are and what kind of partner each gap requires.
02
Partner identification & pre-screening
Long list of candidate partners against the capability map. Pre-screening for financial standing (credit ratings, parent guarantee capacity), jurisdictional coverage (operating licenses, in-country presence), conflict clearance (existing engagements, prior consortia, competing bids), and technical track record. Short list with rationale memo for the prime.
03
Consortium agreement structuring
Drafting the inter-party framework: prime designation, scope split with interface management, risk allocation, revenue split methodology (whether per-MW, per-deliverable, or activity-based), default provisions, IP and confidentiality regime, intercompany pricing for cross-border consortia, FX risk allocation, change-of-control provisions, dispute resolution. Coordination with the parties' counsel.
04
Joint financial model & pricing strategy
The unified model that reflects every party's cost basis, risk premium, and margin requirement while presenting the buyer with one credible number. Sensitivity analysis across scope contingencies, escalation scenarios, FX and inflation paths. Pricing strategy memo for the prime: where to compete on price, where to compete on terms, where the floor is.
05
Joint proposal development
Coordinating the proposal across multiple firms with different writing cultures, response styles, and technical assumptions. Single voice, single financial story, single technical narrative. KPI framework, performance guarantee structure, FTE plan with ramp curve, governance and reporting design, executive summary that lands. Multiple revision rounds to RFP-grade.
06
BAFO and clarification management
Managing the consortium through bid clarifications, BAFO rounds, definitive contract negotiation. Maintaining one position across multiple parties, coordinating responses to buyer questions, managing the negotiation calendar. Keeping the consortium aligned on commercial strategy when the buyer applies pressure to individual member firms.
07
Definitive close & CP management
CP clearance management across all consortium parties, definitive contract execution, mobilization planning, post-award governance setup. Transition from bid-phase consortium to delivery-phase consortium, with the governance discipline carrying forward into operations.

Where this work fits the lifecycle

Consortium building cuts across multiple decision gates depending on the engagement type. The three gates below are the most common contexts, but the methodology applies equally to feasibility-stage greenfield consortia (DG1), construction-phase EPC consortia (DG4), and commissioning consortia (DG5) where the use case warrants.

DG3 · Procurement
Multi-firm procurement consortia
Module, BESS, and BOS supply structured across multiple primes for portfolio-scale procurement with shared MSA framework.
DG4 · Construction
EPC + specialist consortia
Prime EPC paired with specialist contractors for substation, BESS integration, or DBE participation requirements. Interface management and joint LD structure.
DG6 · Operations
O&M consortia for multi-GW mandates
O&M operator paired with labor entity, procurement partner, and asset performance management specialist. 25-year governance and reporting integration.

Bankable artifacts

What gets produced.

Each engagement produces a defined artifact set that survives the bid and continues into delivery. The consortium agreement, the financial model, and the governance framework become operating documents for the consortium for as long as it exists.

Formation phase
  • Opportunity scoping memo with capability gap map
  • Partner long list with diligence summary
  • Partner short list with selection rationale
  • Consortium agreement (structured + redlined)
  • Inter-party scope and interface schedule
  • Confidentiality regime and IP framework
Bid phase
  • Unified financial model with sensitivity scenarios
  • Pricing strategy memo
  • Proposal narrative across multiple revisions
  • KPI framework + performance guarantee structure
  • FTE plan with ramp curve
  • Executive summary and bid presentation deck
Negotiation phase
  • Clarification response framework
  • BAFO strategy memo
  • Definitive contract markups (consortium-side)
  • Risk allocation matrix vs. buyer position
  • Internal consortium negotiation log
Close & transition
  • CP clearance tracker across all parties
  • Mobilization plan and governance handover
  • Post-award reporting framework
  • Consortium governance manual
  • Transition memo to delivery phase

Engagement structures

Fixed-fee structuring

Formation phase only

Defined deliverable set through consortium agreement signature. Suitable for shorter bids (under 12 weeks) where the prime self-delivers post-formation.

Per-MW or per-deal basis

Multi-GW programmes

Structuring fee tied to the size of the bid the consortium pursues. Common on programme-level engagements where the principal scales matter more than calendar time.

Retainer + success fee

Full-cycle engagements

Monthly retainer through formation and bid phases, success fee on award. Suitable for engagements where governance through close is part of the scope.

Representative engagement · Active

Multi-GW Solar O&M Proposal — MENA Region

Programme management on a 25-year O&M proposal for a multi-GW utility-scale solar portfolio across four sites. Consortium structure with labour and procurement partners. CPES served as the structuring spine: opportunity mapping, partner identification, consortium agreement structuring, unified financial model, joint proposal development across 40+ revisions, and BAFO strategy.

The engagement is the proof point for everything described on this page. Names, exact geographies, and identifying details are abstracted to honor confidentiality obligations. Additional detail available under NDA on a case-by-case basis, including engagement structure, timeline, and the specific consortium architecture used.

Have a multi-firm bid coming up?

Initial scoping calls are complimentary. Engagement starts with NDA. Conflict screen confirmed before any work begins, including which side of the consortium structure CPES is engaged on.