Key Takeaways
- • Arlington County Employees' Retirement System, managing $1.5 billion in assets, is soliciting a consultant via RFP to expand its alternatives and private investments program.
- • The private investments initiative targets $100 million to $200 million in capital deployment over a five-to-seven-year investment horizon.
- • The Retirement Investment Office, led by Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer Susie Ardeshir, oversees portfolio asset allocation recommendations and investment manager selection in collaboration with external consultants.
- • This procurement reflects a broader institutional trend among public pension funds to diversify into alternative assets including private equity, private credit, and real estate to enhance risk-adjusted returns.
Summary
Arlington County's Employees' Retirement System is conducting a formal consultant search to develop and implement an expanded alternatives and private investments strategy for its $1.5 billion pension portfolio. According to the request for proposal (RFP), the county seeks external expertise to establish a structured private investments program targeting $100 million to $200 million in commitments over a five-to-seven-year period.
The Retirement Investment Office, which operates under the Retirement Board of Trustees and is responsible for prudent asset management, will collaborate with the selected consultant on portfolio asset allocation recommendations, investment manager due diligence, and ongoing performance monitoring. Susie Ardeshir, the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, leads the office and oversees these investment operations from Arlington's government center in Clarendon.
This procurement signals Arlington County's strategic intent to diversify beyond traditional public equity and fixed-income allocations into alternative asset classes. The multi-year, phased approach—targeting up to $200 million across five to seven years—suggests a methodical risk management strategy consistent with how institutional pension funds typically scale alternatives exposure. The consultant will likely address asset class selection, manager selection frameworks, risk management protocols, and integration with the existing portfolio structure to ensure alignment with the pension fund's liability profile and fiduciary obligations.
The Retirement Investment Office, which operates under the Retirement Board of Trustees and is responsible for prudent asset management, will collaborate with the selected consultant on portfolio asset allocation recommendations, investment manager due diligence, and ongoing performance monitoring. Susie Ardeshir, the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, leads the office and oversees these investment operations from Arlington's government center in Clarendon.
This procurement signals Arlington County's strategic intent to diversify beyond traditional public equity and fixed-income allocations into alternative asset classes. The multi-year, phased approach—targeting up to $200 million across five to seven years—suggests a methodical risk management strategy consistent with how institutional pension funds typically scale alternatives exposure. The consultant will likely address asset class selection, manager selection frameworks, risk management protocols, and integration with the existing portfolio structure to ensure alignment with the pension fund's liability profile and fiduciary obligations.
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