Policy and Procedure Manual

FUNCTION

Pollina Corporate has had considerable experience in assisting corporations, ranging from Fortune 100 companies with large real estate departments to small regional companies with no real estate staff, in developing policies and procedures that articulate a uniform process for completing real estate transactions. These manuals specify responsibilities of corporate personnel (e.g., operating group managers, local managers, real estate/facility departments, legal), standardize criteria to be considered when identifying sites, present issues to be analyzed, enumerate a checklist of terms and conditions to be included in all leases, and require uniform documentation for completion of the transaction.

Included is an application and approval process for operating units that believe they need additional facilities, expansion, or contraction. The manuals generally centralize responsibility for approval of relocations, rental budgets, facility size, lease term, level of improvements, as well as the actual search and the structure of economic and legal terms at the corporate level, relieving field personnel of this time-consuming and complex responsibility.


PROCEDURE

Working with company executives, Pollina Corporate will make recommendations and write the manual based on the corporation's specific requirements, which may include, but not be limited to, the following:

  • Standardize procedure and documentation for approval of all real estate transactions before commencement of search
  • Define procedures for lease or purchase transactions
  • Educate field personnel on their responsibilities
  • Describe responsibilities of corporate in-house professionals (e.g., real estate department, facilities departments, legal, finance)
  • Describe responsibilities of outside experts (e.g., brokers, contractors, architects, space planners)
  • Standardize criteria for various types of facilities where possible (e.g., sales offices, call centers)
  • Standardize office build-out standards, where possible
  • Standardize space plans, where possible
  • Standardize lease transaction documents, where possible
  • Standardize budget criteria
  • Identify typical timelines for various types of transactions
  • Standardize procedure and documentation for approval of all real estate transactions
  • Define procedures for handling issues that arise during the lease term (e.g., estoppel certificates, increases in operating expenses, problems with landlord services)