Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to document the corporate site selection and acquisition process in a Nigerian global system for mobile (GSM) communication company, using a case study approach.Design methodology approach - The study integrates a literature review and a case study. The researcher made use of semi-structured interviews to obtain information about the process of site selection and acquisition from the personnel of the property management department (property managers SAQ managers) of the studied organisation. Beside the interviews, there was a series of follow-ups for further clarification through telephone conversation and e-mail. On average, the interview took about 45 minutes with each respondent, aside from prior occasional discussions undertaken to obtain some data.Findings - Data obtained indicated that the process of site acquisition follows the global trend of outsourcing of non-core services by organizations to consultants who have the technical ability to handle such assignments. The case study also revealed an arrangement of successful collaboration between multinational companies and local indigenous firms.Research limitations implications - The approach is subject to data distortion as there is no yardstick for comparison in the industry.Practical implications - The study has major implications for real estate practice in Nigeria. Real estate practitioners need to acquire the technical ability to meet real estate site acquisition service requirements of multinational companies. The profession also needs qualified and competent members who can compete favourably with their foreign counterparts, who have hitherto been providing site acquisition services for the foreign companies in their overseas branches.Social implications - The method of outsourcing breeds competitiveness for site acquisition service provision and enhances efficient service delivery. It helps indigenous contractors to favourably compete for jobs of international standard.Originality value - The study explores the case study approach to provide a guide for foreign investors towards meeting their real estate needs.