The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) announced that they will comply with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS(R)), or at least as much of them as they can (https://www.privateequityrealestate.net/Article.aspx?article=44988&hashID=878B8EB9DCCE0050D5A93C6DB9C03F0613D03C16).

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of plan sponsors who want to comply. There was an article in P&I a few years back where someone voiced a great deal of upset at the notion of these institutions claiming compliance because the standards are meant for money managers, not their clients. I responded with a letter-to-the-editor that acknowledged that the earlier writer was technically correct, but what’s the big deal? In fact, I’ve voiced support for some time that plan sponsors should be able to claim compliance, too.

In my comments to the GIPS EC regarding GIPS 2010, I suggested that they address this. Hopefully, with CalPERS announcement we will see some movement on this.