Book excerpt: As companies focus on the core specialisms, most will look to the benefits of outsourcing some, if not all, of the IT services required. The benefits include: cost-efficient operations; delivery of IT services at lower cost through economies of scale; improvements in time-to-market of IT solutions; improvements in capability and quality of IT service delivery. This essential guide looks at the procedures needed to achieve all these benefits when contracting an outsourcing partner. It explains the benefits of a well thought-out and practical approach to selecting a partner; a partner, indeed, whose performance may make or break an organization s delivery to market. This book is a key reference guide to anyone procuring IT services and also to those who are responsible for maintaining the contract once signed. By covering all aspects of the Outsourcing contracting process, its guidance will help reduce risks and miscommunication. In addition its approach to the Request for Proposal (also known as Invitation to Tender) shows how clarity at this stage can deliver significant benefits as the services go live in the operational phase.