We run the search. You run your business.

For complex scopes, exec sponsorship, and selections where the cost of getting it wrong is high. We run discovery to recommendation. You make the final call.

What This Is

The heaviest version of how we work. The right one when the cost of getting it wrong is high.

The premise is simple. You have a strategic engagement to staff. The cost of getting it wrong is high. You don't have the internal time – or the pattern recognition – to run a real search. We run it. You make the decision.

Most failed vendor selections trace to one of three places: a scope that was never actually defined, an RFP that didn't ask the right questions, or a finalist call that rewarded rapport over rigor. Managed Selection is built to close all three.

How It Works

Eight phases. Four to twelve weeks.

  1. 01

    Discovery

    Multi-stakeholder working sessions to define what you're actually buying. This is where most searches go wrong. This is where we spend time.

  2. 02

    RFP authoring

    We write the document. You review and approve. Most clients are surprised what a real RFP looks like – and what it surfaces before a single proposal arrives.

  3. 03

    Sourcing

    Curated long list of ten to twenty candidates. Outreach, NDAs, response triage. You see only what's worth seeing.

  4. 04

    Proposal leveling

    Six to twelve responses normalized into a scored matrix. Same line items, same assumptions. The deltas are where each firm tells you what it's actually selling.

  5. 05

    Interview management

    We schedule, attend, and structure finalist interviews. We probe the things vendors don't volunteer.

  6. 06

    Reference checks

    We run them, document them, and surface what matters. Reference calls done right are the single highest-signal step in the process. They are also the one step almost everyone short-cuts.

  7. 07

    Negotiation

    We lead commercial negotiation with you on every key call. Scope, terms, IP, exit clauses, milestone structure. The contract is where vendor behavior is shaped – or not.

  8. 08

    Recommendation

    A written memo: the finalist, the rationale, the dissenting view, and a risk register for the engagement ahead.

Best Fit

Right for you if…

  • You can't describe the scope in a paragraph – defining the work is part of the job.
  • The program is exec-sponsored and the wrong call has career consequences.
  • You're hiring for AI implementation, a multi-vendor build, or anything in a regulated industry.
  • You've been through a bad selection and don't want to repeat it.
  • The engagement is $250K and up.
Not a Fit

Look elsewhere if…

  • Your scope fits in a paragraph. Partner Search is the right shape.
  • You want to "stay close" to outreach and intake. You'll feel handled rather than helped.
  • The work has already started. Start with Delivery Assurance.
Other Ways to Work

If your situation is different.

If the scope is lighter →

Partner Search

You bring the brief. We bring the short list. You run the calls; we level the proposals; you sign.

If the work has started →

Delivery Assurance

Independent oversight once the partner is signed. Often paired with Managed Selection after delivery begins.
Go Deeper

Related guides.

FAQ

Managed Selection Questions

How is this different from a recruiter or staffing firm?

Recruiters are paid by the firm they place. We're paid by you, never by partners. That changes what gets recommended, what gets disclosed, and what gets pushed back on.

Can we run part of this and bring you in for the rest?

Yes. We can carve out specific phases – RFP authoring, proposal leveling, negotiation, reference checks. The value compounds when we run it end to end. Partial engagements still solve real problems.

Do you guarantee the recommendation will work out?

No one honestly can. Partner selection reduces failure rates. It doesn't eliminate them. For engagements where the cost of drift is high, Delivery Assurance picks up after the partner is signed.

What size engagements does this fit?

$250K and up. Below that, the math gets hard to justify and Partner Search is the right shape. The upper bound is open – we've helped on multi-million-dollar AI implementations and platform builds.

How involved are we during the search?

Discovery is heavy on your time – multiple working sessions to define what you're actually buying. After that, every decision still goes through you (long list, RFP draft, finalist interviews, recommendation). We run the work between the decisions.

Get Started

Got a search to staff?

Fifteen minutes. No pitch. Tell us what you're scoping and we'll tell you whether Managed Selection is the right shape – or point you to the one that is.

Start a Confidential Search