2010-04-15

Proposal for a new field of technical activity on Outsourcing

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is seeking feedback on the development of a new field of technical activity on Outsourcing submitted by the Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN) to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The purpose of developing a standard for outsourcing would be to provide guidance and vocabulary to enable practitioners to harmonize the principles, procedures and terminology in existing and future standards for the benefit of the organization engaged in outsourcing. The standard would also provide concepts and procedures to improve the understanding of all parties involved in outsourcing by providing a common set of practices that can be used to manage the outsourcing life cycle.

Outsourcing has become a major part of the economy and continues to grow. A number of factors have influenced its growth including the use of the internet and other technologies which enable organizations to shift work to less costly locations while at the same time maintaining some control over the process; the widespread use of English of industrialized and developing countries resulting in more ease in negotiating and managing overseas outsourcing relationships; the increase of shipping businesses and the expeditious delivery of products from weeks into days; and the lower cost of travel has enabled service providers and customers to establish stronger working relationships and meet face to face all over the world.

Scope of the Proposed Work:

Proposed scope of outsourcing would include:

• Guidance for outsourcing of any type of service and/or process and its corresponding resources;
• Guidance on the entire life cycle of outsourcing;
• Provide a description of the definitions, concepts and processes of good practices in outsourcing.

As the official Canadian member of the ISO, the Standards Council of Canada is seeking feedback on ISO’s proposal from Canadian experts. All responses submitted to SCC will be considered to generate a Canadian position and comments on this proposal. Experts are invited to consider the following when formulating a response:

1. Is the proposed scope relevant and uses appropriate terminology, or is the scope too broad or too specific?
2. How could the development of this proposed standard impact your sector, negatively or positively and why?
3. Will the development of this proposed standard benefit your sector or will it pose challenges?
4. If this field of technical activity is regulated, will the proposed development of this standard complement it or not?

The deadline for submission is May 21, 2010.

For more information, or to submit comments including support for or opposition to the proposal, please contact Lynne Gibbens, Senior Program Officer ISO via email, [email protected] or by telephone +1 613 238 3222 ext. 452.

The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada with the goal of enhancing Canada’s economic competitiveness and social well-being. SCC is Canada’s representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and is responsible for coordinating Canadian participation in the development of international standards. It also accredits standards development and conformity assessment organizations. For more information on SCC’s programs visit www.scc.ca or email [email protected].

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