BUILT ON THE STARLING FRAMEWORKS
ADVISORY ENGAGEMENTS
Each engagement is designed to address structural, financial, and operational breakdowns that occur as organizations grow and manage funding. All work is grounded in the Starling frameworks and tailored to the institution’s size, complexity, and funding environment.
01
Post-Award Infrastructure Assessment
OVERVIEW
A structured diagnostic of an institutions post-award environment using the Post-Award Infrastructure Model and Time Map framework. This engagement identifies where structural weakness exists, where risk is concentrated, and where misalignment across departments is generating operational pressure.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Review financial management processes and cost management practices
• Evaluate compliance structure and internal control design
• Assess reporting workflows and documentation practices
• Identify fragmentation and accountability gaps across departments
• Map risk concentration points across the award lifecycle
DELIVERABLES
• Institutional Risk Assessment Report
• Structural Gap Analysis
• Time-Based Risk Map
• Priority Action Plan with recommended interventions
TIMELINE
2 TO 4 WEEKS
INVESTMENT RANGE
$10,000 – $18,000
02
Post-Award Systems Design and Alignment
OVERVIEW
Design and alignment of post-award operations across finance, research administration, and compliance. This
engagement builds the structural foundation required for institutions to manage funded portfolios with
accountability, clarity, and long-term stability.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Define governance structure and policy authority
• Align cross-functional roles and responsibilities across departments
• Design workflows across pre-award, post-award, and closeout
• Establish control points, monitoring mechanisms, and escalation pathways
FRAMEWORKS APPLIED
• Post-Award Infrastructure Model
• Post-Award Time Map
• Human Infrastructure Framework
DELIVERABLES
• Post-Award Operating Model
• Governance and Responsibility Matrix
• Workflow Documentation
• Control and Escalation Framework
• Implementation Roadmap
TIMELINE
6 TO 8 WEEKS
INVESTMENT RANGE
$25,000 – $45,000
04
Human Infrastructure Alignment
OVERVIEW
Alignment of staffing, roles, and accountability structures to support post-award operations at institutional scale. This engagement addresses the people layer of the Post-Award Infrastructure Model, ensuring that the individuals responsible for post-award execution have the role clarity, capacity, and decision-making authority required to sustain compliance over time.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Assess current staffing structure, workload distribution, and capacity
• Identify gaps in roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority
• Align workload with organizational design and portfolio complexity
• Define accountability structures across finance, research administration, and compliance
DELIVERABLES
• Organizational Design Plan
• Role Clarity and Accountability Matrix
• Staffing and Capacity Analysis
• Recommendations for structural alignment
TIMELINE
3 TO 5 WEEKS
INVESTMENT RANGE
$15,000 – $28,000
03
Time Map Implementation and Risk Governance
OVERVIEW
Implementation of a time-based governance structure to manage risk across the funding lifecycle. This
engagement introduces quarterly control structures that align institutional activity with predictable risk windows,
shifting institutions from reactive compliance to structured, time-aligned governance.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Align institutional activity to quarterly risk cycles and award lifecycle stages
• Establish burn rate monitoring practices and variance thresholds
• Define reporting cadence, expectations, and accountability
• Implement escalation protocols for identified risk
• Facilitate leadership alignment around governance expectations
DELIVERABLES
• Quarterly Risk Governance Model
• Burn Rate Monitoring Framework
• Executive Risk Dashboard Structure
• Leadership and Staff Training
TIMELINE
4 TO 6 WEEKS
INVESTMENT RANGE
$18,000 – $32,000
05
Executive Advisory Services
OVERVIEW
Ongoing advisory support for institutional leadership related to post-award operations, risk management, and system performance. This engagement provides sustained strategic guidance as institutions implement structural changes, navigate audit environments, and scale their funded portfolios.
SCOPE OF WORK
• Review institutional risk and performance trends on an ongoing basis
• Provide strategic guidance on funding growth, compliance posture, and system decisions
• Support audit readiness, audit response, and post-audit remediation
• Advise on system-level and structural decisions as they arise
DELIVERABLES
• Monthly Executive Briefings
• Risk and Performance Summaries
• Ongoing advisory access between scheduled sessions
TIMELINE
Ongoing monthly engagement
INVESTMENT RANGE
$4,000 – $8,000 per month
FRAMEWORK FOUNDATION
What Every Engagement Is Built On
All advisory services are supported by three proprietary frameworks that work together as an integrated system:
• The Post-Award Infrastructure Model defines how post-award systems are built and how to diagnose where structural weakness originates.
• The Post-Award Time Map governs how those systems operate across time, aligning institutional activity with predictable risk windows in the funding lifecycle.
• The Human Infrastructure Framework ensures that the people responsible for post-award execution are properly aligned, capacitated, and accountable.
CORE VALUE
What This Work Produces
These engagements are designed to help institutions build post-award systems that:
• Manage funding with clarity, accountability, and structural integrity
• Identify risk before it becomes visible at the portfolio level
• Operate consistently and equitably across departments
• Remain defensible under federal scrutiny because they were built correctly from the beginning
Engagement Process
01 Initial Inquiry
Organizations submit a brief overview of their current environment, including funding structure, operational challenges, and areas of concern. This ensures alignment before moving forward.
This stage is not exploratory. It is used to determine whether there is a clear advisory fit.
02 Advisory Consultation
Understand institutional structure and current state, Identify points of risk, misalignment, or operational strain, and clarify leadership priorities and desired outcomes.
This is a working session, not a general introduction. Initial insights and directional guidance are often provided in real time.
03 Diagnostic Assessment
Following consultation, a formal diagnostic may be initiated.
This phase evaluates: Post-award infrastructure and financial controls, Labor and effort alignment, Indirect cost recovery and variance patterns, Subrecipient monitoring and oversight structure, and Cross-functional coordination across finance, research, and compliance.
The outcome is a structured view of where risk is accumulating across time, not just where it is currently visible.
04 Strategic Framework Application
Findings are translated into an applied strategy using proprietary frameworks, including:
-The Starling Post-Award Infrastructure Model
-The Starling Post-Award Time Map
-The Human Infrastructure Framework
These frameworks are used to: Align institutional timing with risk exposure, Strengthen financial and operational controls, Establish accountability across functions, and Reduce reactive compliance conditions.
This is not theoretical. It is directly applied to the institution’s current operating environment.
05 Implementation and Advisory Execution
Advisory work is executed in partnership with institutional leadership.
This phase includes: Designing and implementing control structures, Establishing reporting frameworks and executive dashboards, Supporting policy and governance alignment, Advising on complex financial and compliance scenarios, and Facilitating leadership-level decision making.
Work is structured, time-bound, and aligned with defined outcomes.
06 Executive Reporting and Oversight
Engagements include ongoing executive visibility.
Leadership receives structured reporting on:
-Risk concentration areas
-Financial and labor variance trends
-Compliance exposure points
-Progress against implementation priorities
This ensures that advisory work translates into sustained institutional change.
07 Transition and Sustainment
At the conclusion of the engagement, institutions are positioned to operate independently with strengthened infrastructure.
This includes: Embedded control processes, Clear governance structures, Defined accountability across roles, Tools and frameworks that support continued alignment.
The goal is not dependency. The goal is institutional stability.
All work is delivered through a direct advisory model.
Engagements are selective and designed for organizations that are prepared to address structural risk with clarity and accountability.
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For speaking and workshop inquiries, please submit a request through the inquiry form. Inquiries are reviewed within two business days. Engagements are scheduled on a selective basis.