Outsourcing Dilemma: The Search for Competitiveness, The

Developing the partnership concept

Once the successful service provider has been chosen, the two parties will want to firm up the basis on which they are going to work together. Invariably these days one or other party will raise the subject of a partnership of some type early in the discussions.

It is worth setting down what the partnership concept means in the outsourcing environment where a specific joint venture is not contemplated.

• Both parties accept that a rigid contract would be too restrictive in their future relationship because they want to be flexible enough to maximize the opportunities that appear to exist. In effect they have identified in non-specific terms what they want to achieve but accept that the means of reaching the targets ...