Why smarter procurement means better outsourcing

As the threat of cost cutting looms over nearly all public sector services and many private sector organisations, talk has once again turned to whether 'outsourcing' is the panacea to at least some of the UK’s economic ills.

But, many customers know first hand that outsourcing is not a quick fix and is costly and disruptive if it goes wrong. So, how do customers make sure they get it right, and in particular how can they get it right and run an effective procurement process when resources are tight?

The answer is smarter procurement. It is key to forward plan, to run a streamlined, tailored process which ensures advisors are involved at the right stages and documentation is specific to the deal, to keep the initiative with the suppliers and to ensure that the deal at the end works for both the customer and the supplier. This briefing looks at ways in which this can be achieved.

This briefing first appeared in Issue 21 of Outsource Magazine (Autumn 2010).