Everything you need to know about the outsourcing process

Before you outsource work, it’s important that you know and understand the outsourcing process. Luckily for you, we know everything there is to know about outsourcing!

Keep reading to find out more…

What are the stages of the outsourcing process?

1. Discover a business need

Typically, the outsourcing process begins with a company discovering a business need. This can be to improve an existing process, reduce costs or create a new product.

2. Decide if it’s right for you

Before you officially begin the outsourcing process, you need to decide if it’s the right option for you. The easiest way to do this is to compare time and cost. How long will it take you to complete a task versus a professional?

Let’s look at an example. If you’re not a bid writing professional, it might take you a while to get to grips with tendering terminology. Never mind the skill and experience it takes to produce a winning bid!

In comparison, a professional Bid Writer knows how to produce a compelling, persuasive bid in a fraction of the time. Therefore, outsourcing the work will give you more time to focus on other aspects of your business.

3. Develop the scope of work

Next, you should determine how much work will need to be outsourced. This is important as it could impact who you outsource the work to.

4. Search for potential outsourcing businesses

Now that you know and understand the work involved, it’s time to search for potential businesses. This stage of the outsourcing process is crucial – you need to find an outsourcing business that is right for you.

To do this, look for client testimonials and customer reviews. What do other businesses have to say about them? This will help you determine the quality of the work on offer.

It’s also important to look for success rates and consider this in your decision-making process. If a business offers services to clients and customers, they should be able to tell you a success rate. For example, our success rate at Hudson Outsourcing is 87%.

5. Agreements and contract signing

Once you have selected an outsourcing business, you need to agree on the services, requirements and terms of the contract. At this stage of the outsourcing process, you’ll agree on the scope of work, pricing and timeframes.

In some cases, the final contract can include:

• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Service Level Agreement (SLA).

6. Delivery of the work

At the final stage of the outsourcing process, it’s time for the outsourcing business to actually deliver the work. It’s important that you continue to monitor their progress, especially at the beginning. That way, you can ensure that the outsourcing business is meeting your requirements. If they’re not, this gives you an opportunity to intervene and make changes, as and when required.

In conclusion…

Now you know the ins and outs of the outsourcing process. It’s important that you identify a business need, decide if it’s right for you and develop the scope of work. Then you can move onto the next stage – searching for potential outsourcing businesses. Once you’ve chosen an outsourcing business that suits your needs, it’s time for agreements and contract signing. Then finally, the most important part of the outsourcing process – the delivery of the work!

Need help searching for tenders?

Now you know about the outsourcing process, you might be wondering what happens next. There are no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

At Hudson Discover, we house 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

These consist of:

• Creative Tenders
• Healthcare Tenders
• Facilities Tenders
• Construction Tenders
• Technology Tenders
• Logistics Tenders
• Research Tenders
• Consultancy Tenders
• HR Tenders
• Finance Tenders
• Hospitality Tenders

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you can choose the specific areas in which you’d like to tender. Then, a daily bulletin is created for you. It includes all the relevant opportunities that have been posted to the portal that day, straight to your inbox.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minutes phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you for 20-minutes about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on one of the above portals?

We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems

Now you know how to accurately perform a tender search, you may be wondering how to write a bid. Well, luckily for you, our sister company, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing.

They have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

A 4-week programme for those who have never tendered before. The programme will develop your branded corporate literature and case studies. Our team will advise you on what tendering opportunities you should go for and guide you through your tendering response.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.