A large Swiss pension fund is looking for an investment manager to run a $20m (€14.5m) pan-European private equity portfolio, using IPE-Quest.

The manager search is being conducted by a consultant based in Switzerland on behalf of the fund.

The pension fund is looking for a manager using a growth style and an active process to achieve significant long-term outperformance against listed equity.

According to the IPE-Quest search QN1365, the manager’s main investment strategy should be financing the growth of family-owned businesses in Europe.

The manager should be the first external investor in the portfolio companies, and ideally the only one apart from the family owning the portfolio company, according to the search.

The pension fund has a strong preference for mid-sized and smaller funds, with assets under management of between $100m and $500m.

It also strongly prefers “very seasoned management”, with a manager who has already launched at least two such funds in the past decade, according to the search.

The closing date for responses is 10 January 2014.

Meanwhile, a German pension fund is looking to award a $250m mandate to invest in European including UK investment-grade credit, also using IPE-Quest.

According to search QN1366, the fund is looking for a core investment style and an active process.

The benchmark for the portfolio is to be the Barclays Capital Euro Aggregate ex Treasury, and tracking error guidelines should range between 0.5% and 2.5%.

Respondents should state performance to 9 September, net of fees, and have a track record of at least three years, though a five-year history is preferred.

They should also have experience with German KAGs, according to the search.

The closing date for responses is 17 January 2014.

In a third IPE-Quest, QN1367, a German pension fund is searching for a manager to run a $250m US investment-grade credit mandate.

The portfolio should be benchmarked against the Barclays Capital US Aggregate ex Treasury index, with tracking error of between 0.5% and 2.5%.

The successful firm should have assets under management of at least $7.5bn and experience with German KAGs.