Getting Outsourcing Right by Colin Cram

Public sector outsourcing continues to receive a poor press, the latest being the lengthy delays for payment of Personal Independence Payments. https://welfaretales.wordpress.com/category/pip/ However, outsourcing will not go away, as the recent announcement of a back-office services framework agreement to be let by the Crown Commercial Service for public sector organisations, illustrates. http://healthcare.governmentcomputing.com/news/cabinet-office-pre-tender-seeks-phrf-replacement-4279705 https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Councils-plan-new-vision-joint-4980217.S.5882749427378065410?view=&gid=4980217&type=member&item=5882749427378065410&commentID=-1&trk=view_disc

Ministers and civil servants naturally blame the outsourcers for problems and one senior civil servant took great exception 3 months ago when I dared to suggest that the UK public sector gets what it deserves. This deliberately over-stated the case to make a point, as there is no excuse for fraud and little excuse for incompetence. However, incompetence exists on both sides, such as the failure coherently to manage common suppliers, something that is gradually being remedied through the Crown Commercial Service.

The initial decision of whether or not to outsource is critical and is when things…