Outsourced Facility Direction
Executive-level infrastructure leadership, without the W2.
You don't need a $200K+ fully-loaded full-time executive to manage your physical footprint. You need a seasoned operator to build the systems, manage the vendors, and protect your CapEx so your executive team can get back to scaling your actual product.
The "Office Manager" Trap
As startups scale, they instinctively hand facility management to HR, Office Managers, or Operations leads. While these professionals are experts at building culture and managing employee experience, overseeing technical commercial infrastructure is an entirely different discipline. This creates three critical failure points:
Vendor Exploitation
Without a technical background, your team is completely at the mercy of HVAC contractors and electricians. You overpay for temporary fixes instead of permanent solutions.
Compliance Blindspots
Lapsed Certificates of Insurance, missed biotech calibration dates, and ignored fire-life safety inspections create massive legal and operational liabilities.
Founder Distraction
Founders and COOs end up spending their weekends dealing with leaking roofs, security system failures, and landlord disputes instead of focusing on the core business.
What Fractional Leadership looks like
Base Layer FM steps in as your dedicated Head of Facilities. We bring order to the chaos, establish standard operating procedures, and take total ownership of your physical real estate. It's the same operating discipline that cut maintenance OpEx by 22% and downtime by 15% across a 7-vessel regulated fleet — see the case study →
01
Vendor & Contract Control
We source, vet, and manage all facility vendors. We enforce Service Level Agreements (SLAs), verify insurance compliance, and ensure you get wholesale technical rates.
02
Preventative Maintenance
We implement strict PM schedules for your HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems. We stop reacting to emergencies and start preventing them before they halt operations.
03
OpEx & CapEx Budgeting
We take over your facility P&L. We provide your finance team with accurate operational burn rates and forecast long-term capital expenditures so there are zero surprises.
04
Landlord & Lease Management
We act as the technical buffer between you and your landlord. We enforce Triple Net (NNN) lease boundaries to ensure you never pay for infrastructure that isn't your responsibility.
The Engagement Roadmap
We don't do open-ended consulting. We deploy a structured stabilization plan designed to bring your facility under control within the first 60 days.
Phase 1
The Baseline Audit (Days 1 to 14)
We start by establishing the Ground Truth. We run our proprietary diagnostic audit on your facility, audit your current vendor contracts, and identify immediate compliance or safety liabilities.
Phase 2
Stabilization (Days 15 to 60)
We replace underperforming vendors, implement our digital ticketing and dispatch protocols, establish preventative maintenance schedules, and bring all insurance and safety compliance up to code.
Phase 3
Ongoing Direction (Day 60+)
Your facility is now a controlled asset. We provide weekly executive oversight, manage all inbound tickets, oversee tenant improvement (TI) projects, and act as your 24/7 technical escalation point.
Backed by AI. Driven by Data. Led by an Operator.
When you hire Base Layer FM, you don't just get a consultant. You get our internal Facility Operating System — proprietary, AI-driven tools that rapidly process your building's infrastructure data, track your vendor compliance, and provide real-time insight into your physical risk and CapEx exposure. And every engagement is led personally by founder Gabe Clifford, a Cal/OSHA 30 certified facility executive who started as a Lead Electrician. Meet the operator →
Pricing & Engagement Structures
Every engagement begins with a Baseline Audit to establish the Ground Truth. From there, we scope your retainer to your actual operational footprint — not a one-size-fits-all package.
60-Day Engagement
Stabilization Sprint
For companies that need rapid operational triage without a long-term commitment. We deploy, stabilize, and hand off a controlled asset.
Fixed Fee
$8,500 – $15,000
Scoped by facility size & complexity
- Phase 1 Baseline Audit included
- Full vendor audit & replacement
- Compliance & safety remediation
- PM schedule implementation
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Executive handoff briefing & playbook
Book a 20-Minute Call
Most Common
Ongoing Retainer
Fractional Facility Director
Your permanent outsourced Head of Facilities. We own the physical infrastructure so your leadership team owns the business.
Monthly Retainer
$3,500 – $8,000 / mo
Scales with footprint & involvement level
- Everything in Stabilization Sprint, plus:
- Dedicated fractional executive on retainer
- Weekly executive oversight & reporting
- 24/7 emergency escalation & vendor dispatch
- Ongoing SLA enforcement & COI tracking
- Landlord & NNN lease boundary enforcement
- CapEx forecasting & facility P&L management
- TI build-out oversight (billed separately)
Book a 20-Minute Call
Project-Based
TI Build-Out Direction
Owner's Rep oversight for Tenant Improvement construction projects. We protect your timeline, budget, and contractor accountability from permit to punch list.
Project Fee
Custom
Scoped per project size & duration
- Owner's Rep from permit to punch list
- Contractor milestone & budget tracking
- Change-order review & dispute management
- MEP coordination & inspections
- Fire marshal & ADA compliance oversight
- Final commissioning & handover sign-off
Book a 20-Minute Call
* All engagements begin with a Baseline Audit scoped in Phase 1. Biotech labs, multi-site portfolios, and facilities undergoing active construction are scoped individually. Contact us for an exact proposal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours a week do we get your team? +
It depends entirely on your operational footprint. A 10,000 sq ft office may only need a few hours of strategic oversight a week, while a 50,000 sq ft biotech lab undergoing a TI build-out might require significant daily involvement. We scope a customized monthly retainer based on your actual needs.
Do you replace our Office Manager? +
No, we empower them. Your Office Manager or HR team should focus on company culture, employee experience, and onboarding. We take the heavy physical infrastructure — HVAC, electrical, landlord disputes, and vendor insurance — completely off their plate.
Can you manage our existing vendors? +
Do you oversee Tenant Improvement (TI) construction? +
Absolutely. Managing construction and build-outs is a core part of our Fractional Director service. We act as your Owner's Rep during construction to ensure contractors are hitting milestones, staying on budget, and delivering exactly what was designed.
What determines where my retainer falls in the pricing range? +
Three factors drive retainer scope: your facility square footage, your current operational complexity (number of active vendors, compliance requirements, active construction), and the level of executive involvement your situation requires. A stable 15,000 sq ft tech office sits at the lower end. A 40,000 sq ft biotech lab mid-TI build-out with multiple active contractors sits at the higher end. We scope this precisely on our strategy call so there are no surprises on either side.
Get your exact scope: Book a 20-minute executive call →
Can we start with the Stabilization Sprint and convert to a retainer? +
That is actually the most common path. The 60-day sprint gives both sides a structured way to establish trust, identify the full scope of your facility's needs, and build the operational foundation before committing to an ongoing engagement. Many clients find that after stabilization, the retainer cost is significantly lower than the sprint because the chaos has been eliminated.
Stop managing vendors. Start building your company.
Let's discuss your current facility bottlenecks and map out a stabilization plan.
