Is it permissible for a person to participate in a project by contributing their efforts to obtain the necessary licenses, or to accept money or a gift in exchange for this endeavor, and is it permissible to take a commission for securing rental contracts for equipment they do not own?

Interceding for someone to obtain a commercial license, for a deserving individual, is a form of using one's influence and should not be compensated, unless it involves significant effort and hardship. If the person for whom intercession was made offers a gift to the intercessor without prior condition, it is preferable not to accept it as a matter of piety, but there is no harm in accepting it and benefiting from it. As for equipment rental contracts, it is permissible to rent equipment from its owners and then lease it to another party, taking the difference between the two rental fees. As for seeking out equipment owners to help them secure rental contracts, this falls under the category of using one's influence.