directors), not otherwise interested in the transaction approve the transaction as being fair and reasonable to us and on terms and conditions no less favorable to us than those available from unaffiliated third parties.
We may engage portfolio entities of Other Blackstone Accounts and Other Blackstone Accounts may engage our portfolio entities to provide some or all of the following services: (a) corporate support services (including, without limitation, accounting/audit (including valuation support services), account management, corporate secretarial and executive assistant services, data management, directorship services, finance/budget, human resources, information technology, judicial processes, legal, operational coordination (e.g., coordination with JV partners, property managers), risk management, tax and treasury; (b) loan management (including, without limitation, monitoring, restructuring and work-out of performing, sub-performing and nonperforming loans, loan servicing and administrative services, and cash management); (c) management services (i.e., management by a portfolio entity, Blackstone affiliate or third party (e.g., a third-party manager) of operational services); (d) operational services (i.e., general management of day to day operations, including, without limitation, construction management, leasing services, project management and property management); and (e) transaction support services (including, without limitation, managing relationships with brokers and other potential sources of investments, identifying potential investments, coordinating with investors, assembling relevant information, conducting financial and market analyses and modelling, coordinating closing/post-closing procedures for acquisitions, dispositions and other transactions, coordination of design and development works, overseeing brokers, lawyers, accountants and other advisors, providing legal and accounting services, assistance with due diligence, preparation of project feasibilities, site visits, and specification of technical analysis and review of (i) design and structural work, (ii) architectural, façade and external finishes, (iii) certifications, (iv) operations and maintenance manuals and (v) statutory documents).
We compensate these service providers and vendors owned by the Other Blackstone Accounts for services rendered to us, including through promote or other incentive-based compensation payable to their management teams and other related parties. The incentive-based compensation paid with respect to a portfolio entity or property will vary from the incentive based compensation paid with respect to other portfolio entities and properties; as a result the management team or other related parties may have greater incentives with respect to certain properties and portfolio entities relative to others, and the performance of certain properties and portfolio entities may provide incentives to retain management that also service other properties and portfolio entities. Such service providers and vendors may charge for certain goods and services at rates generally consistent with those available in the market for similar goods and services. The discussion regarding the determination of market rates below applies equally in respect of the fees and expenses of the portfolio entity service providers, if charged at rates generally consistent with those available in the market. Such service providers and vendors may also pass through expenses for other services on a cost reimbursement, no-profit or break-even basis, in which case the service provider allocates costs and expenses directly associated with work performed for our benefit to us, along with any related tax costs and an allocation of the service provider’s overhead, including any of the following: salaries, wages, benefits and travel expenses; marketing and advertising fees and expenses; legal, accounting and other professional fees and disbursements; office space and equipment; insurance premiums; technology expenditures, including hardware and software costs; costs to engage recruitment firms to hire employees; diligence expenses; one-time costs, including costs related to building-out and winding-down a portfolio property; taxes; and other operating and capital expenditures. Any of the foregoing costs, although allocated in a particular period, will, in certain circumstances, relate to activities occurring outside the period (including in prior periods, such as where any such costs are amortized over an extended period), and therefore we could pay more than our pro rata portion of fees for services. The allocation of overhead among the entities and assets to which services are provided can be expected to be based on any of a number of different methodologies, including, without limitation, “cost” basis as described above, “revenue” basis, “time-allocation” basis, “per unit” basis, “per square footage” basis or “fixed percentage” basis. There can be no assurance that a different manner of allocation would result in our bearing less or more costs and expenses. A service provider may subcontract certain of its responsibilities to other portfolio entities. In such circumstances, the relevant subcontractor could invoice the portfolio entity for fees (or in the case of a cost reimbursement arrangement, for allocable costs and expenses) in respect of the services provided by the subcontractor. The portfolio entity, if charging on a cost reimbursement, no-profit or break-even basis, would in turn allocate those costs and expenses as it allocates other fees and expenses as described above. Similarly, Other Blackstone Accounts, their portfolio entities and Blackstone may engage our portfolio entities, including Simply Self Storage, QTS Realty Trust, Home Partners of America, American Campus Communities, April Housing and any of our future portfolio entities, to provide services, and these portfolio entities will generally charge for services in the same manner described above, but we generally will not be reimbursed for any costs (such as start-up costs) relating to such portfolio entity incurred prior to such engagement.
We, Other Blackstone Accounts and their affiliates are expected to enter into joint ventures with third parties to which the service providers and vendors described above will provide services. In some of these cases, the joint venture partner may negotiate to not pay its pro rata share of fees, costs and expenses to be allocated as described above, in which case we, Other Blackstone Accounts and their affiliates that also use the services of the portfolio entity service provider will, directly or indirectly, pay the difference, or the portfolio entity service provider will bear a loss equal to the difference. Portfolio entity service providers described in this section are generally owned and controlled by one or more Blackstone funds such as Other Blackstone Accounts. In certain instances a similar company could be owned or controlled by Blackstone directly. Service providers described in this section are generally owned and controlled by a Blackstone fund, such as the Other Blackstone Accounts.
Blackstone has a general practice of not entering into any arrangements with advisors, vendors or service providers that provide lower rates or discounts to Blackstone itself compared to those available to us for the same services. However, legal fees for
| | |
2023 Proxy Statement ∎ | | 27 |