Outsourcing

Outsourcing as a key strategic tool for business, still continues to grow from strength to strength. The business drivers are now much wider and complex than pure cost-cutting in relation to the IT functions, and have matured into strategies to enable companies to transform themselves into more efficient, value generating operations.

Our lawyers have considerable expertise in advising on the business and legal issues involved in all types of outsourcing transactions - from IT infrastructure outsourcing, to business process outsourcing and transformational outsourcing models.

Bobby Gill leads this service line for iLaw. Until recently, he was a partner in the London office of Osborne Clarke and headed up its outsourcing and technology group.

Our lawyers have represented FTSE 250 companies, financial institutions, retailers, utilities, manufacturers, as well as technology start-ups.

We will work with clients throughout the transaction life in order to ensure alignment of the contractual documentation with the commercial and governance objectives of the client.

Bobby's recent work included advising on the UK Government's outsourcing of its benefits payments services to a card based system - advising the bank providing the outsourced services. This transaction represented one of the largest public/private sector financial services programmes in Europe. Bobby also advised a major US software supplier in its role as technology provider under the national programme for IT for the National Health Service, which is regarded as the world's biggest outsourcing transaction.

Service lines include:

  • Contract negotiation and drafting
  • Pre-contract issues - supplier selection and due diligence phases
  • Drafting the Service Level Agreement and dealing with risk/liability issues
  • Implementation
  • Contract management and implementing change controls
  • Advising on ongoing issues throughout the term of the outsourcing eg benchmarking, technology refresh and dispute resolution
  • Termination / exit and re-tendering

For further assistance, please contact Justin Ellis.