It is estimated that the failure rate for outsourcing-based cooperation is around 60-70%. It should be remembered that strategic cooperation based on outsourcing involves a partial loss of control over one’s own resources while gaining partial control over the subcontractor’s resources.
This translates directly into the risk of disproportionate dependency in mutual relationships, and consequently, justified concerns arising from the uncertainty of the parties’ behavior. Such a state of affairs can also negatively affect (and usually does) the achievement of the partners’ common goals pursued within the contracted cooperation.
Outsourcing as a platform for cooperation
Outsourcing, treated as a restructuring venture, has a strategic dimension with long-term impact, and only in exceptional situations is it tactical. Due to these characteristics, short-term transport orders for services provided by carriers cooperating with the principal cannot be classified as outsourcing [Trocki, 2001]. The fundamental difference between outsourcing transport functions and a simple transport order lies mainly in the fact that outsourcing causes a restructuring of the system around the core activity covered by it and – sometimes – the initiation of a process of building lasting partnership relations [Banachowicz, 1998].
Outsourcing – in its various forms – should be treated as an important platform for cooperation strategy between transport operators and manufacturing enterprises. After all, using the services of a subcontractor has gained the status of one of the most important instruments of strategic enterprise management. Therefore, if the cooperation strategy between the principal and the carrier, implemented through outsourcing, is to be effective, it must be evaluated in the context of the strategic situation of the cooperating parties. A reliably conducted strategic assessment is an extremely important phase in the process of transferring transport functions to a carrier. This is the time when the principal defines their business goals and paths for their implementation, as well as the expected benefits. To make this possible, it is necessary to analyze key competencies and identify those transport/transport-related functions that are planned to be outsourced. It is also necessary to create an outsourcing team and conduct a strategic risk assessment, including operational and financial risks. Once the business goals of the outsourcing-based cooperation strategy are precisely defined and agreed upon with the carrier, one can then move to the next phase and begin activities related to transferring transport tasks for execution. It is important to rank the company’s needs from most to least important and define one or more projects at the operational level on which management’s attention will later be focused. The next phase focuses on conducting a needs analysis. At this stage, it is necessary to define the requirements for the essence of the relationship with the carrier and estimate them in the context of the goals defined during the strategic assessment, and then incorporate these requirements into inquiries directed to potential carriers. The next step is discussions with carriers, evaluation of the offers presented by them, and selection of the one that most fully meets the service recipient’s needs. The next stage is negotiations conducted until the contract terms are formulated and the agreement is signed, which codifies the scope of the client-transport service provider relationship.
The article contains 31,430 characters.
Source: Logistyka Magazine 1/2013