Outsourcing Consultancy ServicesOutsourcing is an accepted strategy for coping with the challenge of rapidly changing technology, controlling high IT costs, improving performance and achieving world class delivery. You may already be aware of the potential benefits of outsourcing, but you may not be so familiar with how to achieve these. Outsourcing can be a lengthy and complex process with many pitfalls along the way for the unwary. Get it right, and the benefits are manifold; get it wrong and your IT service delivery can be substandard causing permanent damage to your P&L. To ensure you achieve the objectives of outsourcing, whilst minimising the risks to your business, you need to follow a thorough outsourcing procurement and management process. Whitestrand's outsourcing consultants are experienced professionals who have worked on both sides of the fence: with outsourcing suppliers as well as client organisations. They will take you through a logical process using proven methodologies and best practices that are easy to understand and implement, but crucial to ensuring the success of your outsourcing project. And, as Whitestrand concentrates solely on consulting, not supply, there is no conflict of interest, so you can be assured of completely independent advice and guidance. At Whitestrand, we realise that the levels of skill and experience of outsourcing vary and no single solution will meet the needs of every organisation. Therefore, we aim to be as flexible as possible, working with you through the complete outsourcing process from sourcing strategy to contract management and beyond, or by providing our expertise, in the form of consultancy and/or training, only at particular stages where you feel you have a skills gap. Our outsourcing consultancy services will include some or all of the following elements:
To discuss your outsourcing consultancy and training needs, contact us today on freephone 0800 0933433 or email contact@whitestrand.co.uk The first stage of the process is to decide whether or not outsourcing is appropriate for your organisation and whether it will realistically deliver the benefits sought. The outsourcing evaluation will examine your business and technology goals, your current capabilities and your objectives for outsourcing. This assessment will then enable you to choose the right sourcing strategy. This part of the process can be enhanced by an in-depth health check/audit of systems and operational procedures. Once your overall objectives have been confirmed, Whitestrand's consultants will help you decide which type of sourcing will give you the best results. This could be insourcing or outsourcing, or a combination of the two. If outsourcing is appropriate, our consultants will determine what should be outsourced, how and when. Typically, outsourcing options may include:
Development of Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation to Tender (ITT) In broad terms, the RFP or ITT is a document which details the scope of work, the required service levels and the proposed term of the contract. It will allow the outsourcing vendors to decide whether they can provide the services and service levels required and to provide you with an accurate assessment of costs. It will also give you an objective basis from which to evaluate and compare supplier responses. Whitestrand's consultants will produce your RFP/ITT in the most appropriate format and with the requisite level of detail. The clearer the requirements at this stage, the less likely there are to be misunderstandings further into the outsourcing process. Evaluation of Suppliers and Proposals Whitestrand's consultants will review the market and draw up a list of potential suppliers to whom the RFP/ITT will be issued. The responses will be evaluated against a predefined set of criteria and a shortlist selected. Our consultants will then guide you through the process of more detailed evaluation and due diligence to arrive at the final supplier selection. Contract negotiation and service level agreements (SLAs) should not be long and protracted as much of the detail to be included will have been defined earlier in the process. However, detailed financial negotiations will take place and legal forms drawn up. The contract should, amongst other items, include the scope of work, the contract term, service levels, performance standards and measures, charges, penalties for not achieving service levels, termination clauses, intellectual property rights, confidentiality clauses, security, etc. This is the stage at which your outsourcing project becomes a reality. Transition to the new service may involve the transfer of assets, people and other resources as well as the service provision itself. It requires detailed and careful project planning and management to ensure the process completes seamlessly and with the minimum risk or disruption to your business. One of the keys to successful outsourcing is good contract management. It is essential that you regularly monitor the performance of the service to ensure it continues to meet your business needs. Long-term contract management can be a difficult role and often requires different skills to managing an internal team. Whitestrand's consultants will show you how to maintain control of your service through ongoing contract management and will provide any training required. If you prefer, we can, through our associated businesses, recruit for you a temporary or permanent contract manager. Contract Renegotiation/Renewal Towards the end of the contract term, you may need to reassess your service. The needs of your organisation may have changed over the life of the contract, your current supplier might not be the best one to meet your needs in the future, or you may want to benchmark your service to assure yourself that you are still getting value for money. This evaluation needs to start well in advance of the current contract end date to ensure adequate time to repeat the whole or a partial procurement process and to allow a smooth transition to a new supplier, should that prove necessary. |