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Category Archives: Performance Improvement
← Older postsStrategic Partnerships: 2 Key Steps to Implement Innovation
May 22, 2013
Innovation should be at the core of any successful outsourcing partnership. The relationship between client and vendor should be defined by the ongoing development and growth of the business outcomes from an outsourced service, rather than the maintenance of the status quo. Furthermore, the importance of innovation is more relevant today than ever, as organisations are forced to ravage their overheads to cut costs while improving services. The good news is
Posted in Outsourcing, Performance Improvement | Tagged innovation | Comments Off7 Reasons Why You Should Renegotiate Your Outsourcing Relationship
April 16, 2013
Outsourcing contract renegotiations are on the rise. Around 75% of all existing outsourcing relationships are re-negotiated at some point during their lifetime according to Gartner Research. And contrary to what you might think, not all of these renegotiations are down to bad performance — contracts can be renegotiated for many positive reasons. Not only that, but contract renegotiation can be triggered either by the service provider or the client. The
Posted in Contract Management, Outsourcing, Performance Improvement | Tagged contract negotiation, outsourcing contract, outsourcing performance, outsourcing relationship | Comments OffThe Failure of Southwest One: What Can We Learn?
April 9, 2013
In 2007, Somerset County Council struck a deal to outsource various services to a joint venture company. That company — Southwest One (SW1) — was intended to serve as a trailblazer that demonstrated how public and private organisations could work together to benefit the communities of the South West and further afield. However, at the end of March the death knell of the relationship was marked by news that Somerset
Posted in Contract Management, IT Contract, IT Dispute, Managed Services, Outsourcing, Performance Improvement, Project Recovery, Public Sector, Risk Management | Tagged culture, southwest one | Comments OffHow to Renegotiate a Contract with Your Strategic Partner (in 5 Steps)
February 12, 2013
You no doubt are aware of the recent horse meat scandal in which it was discovered that beef burgers sold in supermarkets across the UK and Ireland were in fact less beefy than one would hope. Well believe it or not, there is actually an outsourcing angle to consider amongst the public and media furore. It was recently reported in Supply Management that Tesco has terminated its contract with Silvercrest
Posted in Contract Management, IT Contract, IT Dispute, Performance Improvement | Tagged mediation, negotiation | Comments OffFaltering Strategic Partnership? The Merits of Mediation
January 15, 2013
With the best of intentions, strategic partnerships and major projects can still falter. Such failings are typically down to a lack of quantifiable goals or a failing in the translation of business outcomes to contract terms (which are typically easily avoidable), but in this article I am not concerned with the why. Instead I want to explore the mediation process, and more specifically, its value in effecting a mutually beneficial
Posted in Performance Improvement, Project Recovery | Tagged commissioning, contract terms, contracts, mediation, outsourcing, service provider relationships, service recovery | Comments OffHow to Use an Expert to Fix a Failing Provider Relationship
November 27, 2012
It’s a common situation. An organisation is very disappointed with what they perceive to be unsatisfactory service delivery from a strategic provider and they want out of the contract. They appreciate that exiting a service provider, complex IT or strategic commissioning contract can open up a proverbial hornet’s nest, so they bring in an expert to assist in facilitating a relatively smooth process. If at that stage Best Practice Group
Posted in Contract Management, IT Contract, IT Dispute, Managed Services, Outsourcing, Performance Improvement, Project Recovery, Risk Management | Tagged case study, city council, contract termination, expert witness, ICT outsourcing, IT outsourcing, outsourcing, provider relationship, strategic commissioning | Comments OffIs Service Commissioning the Solution for Cost-Effective Quality Public Services?
November 23, 2012
I am always on the lookout for mentions of service commissioning in the media, and at the end of last month I sat down to watch a Dispatches special, Getting Rich on the NHS. The programme highlighted Virgin’s involvement in public healthcare further to their purchase of Assura Medical a couple of years ago. In the programme, Morland Sanders paints a dim view of Virgin’s performance to date, backed up by various
Posted in Outsourcing, Performance Improvement, Public Sector | Tagged culture, morland sanders, nhs, outsourcing, public healthcare, service commissioning, sir richard branson, Virgin | Comments OffShould Local Authorities Overcome Their Fear of Strategic Commissioning?
November 14, 2012
Although Councils are tasked with slashing budgets whilst maintaining (or even increasing) the quality of public services, the endorsement of strategic commissioning as a potential solution is seen by many councillors as dangerous ground upon which to tread. In fairness, their reticence is understandable. We recently reported that Cornwall County Council leader Alex Robertson was ousted from his role in the wake of his attempts to finalise a hefty strategic commissioning contract.
Posted in Cut Costs, Managed Services, Outsourcing, Performance Improvement, Procurement, Public Sector | Tagged due diligence, procurement, strategic commissioning | Comments OffWhy Effective Business Process Modelling is Essential
September 25, 2012
Imagine that there is a small-scale model of a planned development on display at your local council. Although it gives a good representation of what the finished building will look like, most of the detail is lost in the scale. What you can’t see from the model is how the electrical system is wired, where the fire exits will be, or what the internal decor will look like. For many organisations,
Posted in Performance Improvement, Public Sector | Tagged business process modelling, cost savings, efficiency, local authorities, public sector | Comments OffManaged Service Provider Up For Sale? 3 Risks to Consider and 3 Steps to Take
September 18, 2012
The news last Thursday that Northgate Managed Services has put itself up for sale comes as little surprise to those of us with extensive experience in the managed services sector. The company has been struggling to provide any significant return for its group and in turn, its investors. Despite a turnover in excess of £128m in the last financial year, Northgate MS made an operating profit of just £200,000 — and that
Posted in Contract Management, IT Contract, IT Dispute, Managed Services, Outsourcing, Performance Improvement, Procurement, Project Recovery, Public Sector, Risk Management | Tagged capital investment, contract terms, managed services, northgate managed services, service levels, service provider relationships, service provider risks, service recovery | Comments Off ← Older postsGet Free Updates
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Most Popular Posts
- The Failure of Southwest One: What Can We Learn?
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