For definition, the outsourcing contract is an agreement between two parties, outsourcee and outsourcers, in which the customer transfers the management of one or more business unit to an external company. Since many years, Gruppo La Meridiana supports companies who wish to outsource some of their functions, providing the human and material resources to improve the enterprise activity.

Outsourcing contracts are the natural evolution of what until recently was called facility management. Outsourcing is increasing its importance thanks to a changed perception of the market by managers, who understood the power of outsourcing to optimize costs and resources. In fact, in the past few years, the managers of big and little companies have understood that when there are some internal services that could be provided by other more effectively, if the company does not proceed to outsourcing, undermines its competitiveness in the market.

With the outsourcing contracts the company aims to focus its energies on its core business but, at the same time, would like to expand the range of services without losing the strategic management of its business.

The standard contracts used for outsourcing are mainly three:

• tender contract

• works contract

• subcontracting

The outsourcing contract is atypical and for its regulation uses the lines guides of contracts that are regulated in the Italian labor legislation. Obviously, the choice of one or the other has different consequences on the responsibility of the company, which derives from the specific discipline of the selected contract.

Furthermore, each company decides which clauses inserted to regulate the collaboration. Doesn’t exist defined clauses but some of it are common to all contracts, such as those on guarantees that each party provides the other; the clauses on accountability and the clauses relating to the control option that the customer reserves against the supplier, in order not to lose control over management of the company.

The clauses make clear what are the interests at stake, because if on one hand the customer aims to achieve a contract that ensures a certain flexibility, on the other hand, the provider tends to define its services: this, creates a contrasting of interests and outlines what, in the end, will be the final contract.

If a company decides to contact Gruppo La Meridiana to outsource a specific business unit, can count on a professional and experienced team ready to suggest the best strategy, offering logistical and bureaucratic support necessary to initiate the process. The provision of services to companies is the group’s strong point, thanks to a solid corporate structure that makes it the best partner for the complete management of the outsourced activity. Staff training is one of the services that Gruppo La Meridiana offers to its clients, in order to ensure that service live up to expectations.

The Outsourcing contracts are more diffused abroad, where is a much more common practice than in Italy. From this point of view, it has to consider the fact that the industrial sector and the Italian economy are undergoing profound change and the prospect of entrusting full responsibility of an important business unit to an outside company, still scares some homegrown reality.

However, thanks to the presence on the market of reality as Gruppo La Meridiana, also Italian companies are rapidly gaining more confidence in the possibilities of this tool, sensing the advantages in improving the market competitiveness.