Development management feeDM fee

The cost line that compensates the developer (or external development manager) for delivering the project. Sits inside TDC and reduces profit on cost.

Formula

DM fee ≈ 2–4% of TDC

WhereSometimes structured as a fixed dollar amount, sometimes a percentage of revenue. Always sits inside TDC.

Why it matters

On in-house deals, the DM fee is the developer paying themselves; it is a cost line in the project but it returns to the same balance sheet. On external deals, it is a real cash outflow. The treatment changes profit on cost noticeably, so be explicit.

Worked example

For the Waterloo scheme with a TDC ex-DM-fee of $23.4M, a 3% DM fee adds $702,000 to TDC, taking it to $24.1M.

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