An Operational Pension Consolidation Checklist: What Trustees & Sponsors Should Consider

Managing a pension scheme isn’t getting any easier

Rising governance demands, regulatory complexity,  are putting more strain on already stretched resources. Also the costs of running a scheme keep increasing If you’re juggling multiple advisers, battling inconsistent service, or struggling to see where your fees are going – now is the time to consider a different approach.

Operational pension consolidation is gaining traction for good reason.

It brings all the moving parts of your scheme – trusteeship, administration, actuarial and investment – under one integrated model. That means less duplication, more joined-up decision-making and better value.

But how do you know if it’s right for your scheme?

Here’s a practical pension consolidation checklist to help you assess whether your current structure is delivering what it should and whether a more consolidated approach could offer something better.

Operational Pension Consolidation Checklist

1. Governance & Oversight

• Do your trustees have access to real-time information for better decision-making?
• Are trustee and adviser roles clearly defined and working collaboratively?
• Are your governance costs predictable, or are you regularly hit with overruns?
• Is the board confident it’s meeting all statutory deadlines and compliance requirements?
• Are routine decisions being made quickly?

2. Administration & Member Experience

• Do you have visibility over admin performance and SLAs?
• Are member complaints increasing or unresolved?
• Is your admin function able to handle GMP equalisation, dashboards, and regulatory updates confidently?
• Are member queries handled quickly, accurately, and with empathy?
• Do members have direct access to the Adminstator or are they having to wait an age to get through a call centre?

3. Financial Transparency & Control

• Are you confident in how scheme budgets are set and managed?
• Do you have a clear view of adviser costs vs outcomes?
• Are investment and actuarial & legal fees proportionate to the scheme’s needs?
• Are you seeing any year-on-year cost efficiencies?

4. Sponsor Involvement

• Does the sponsor feel actively involved in key decisions or just informed afterwards?
• Are you spending too much time managing advisers or challenging inconsistent advice?
• Are scheme discussions aligned with business goals and long-term strategy?
• Is the Trustee responding quickly to Sponser requests/questions?

5. Integration & Technology

• Are your scheme’s services fragmented across multiple providers?
• Is technology being used to streamline processes or just to track progress?

Are your advisers working from the same data – or duplicating work?

So, what next?

If you’re ticking “no” on too many of these questions,  Dalriada.Together is the answer!

Dalriada.Together offers a joined-up model that simplifies scheme management. You get one team working in sync, using real-time data to inform decisions, cut delays and reduce costs.

You don’t lose control – you gain clarity. And the sponsor, trustees and members all benefit from stronger, more transparent outcomes.