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Public Administration vocabulary · Public Procurement

Outsourcing

Meaning in public administration, with examples

/ˈaʊtsɔːsɪŋ/nounCommon term

In public administration, outsourcing means: Paying a private company or another organization to carry out work that a public body used to do itself, such as cleaning, IT support or meal services.

In Turkish: hizmet alımı, dış kaynak kullanımı, taşeronlaştırma

How it is used

Public bodies outsource services and choose between outsourcing and in-house delivery. Debates focus on cost, quality and working conditions. Bringing a service back inside is called insourcing, and contracting out is a common synonym.

Example sentences

  1. Outsourcing hospital cleaning reduced costs, but the quality checks had to be stricter.

  2. The council is reviewing its outsourcing contracts before they expire next year.

Common collocations

  • outsourcing contract
  • outsource services
  • contracting out
  • in-house delivery
  • contractorA company or person that has signed a contract to provide goods, services or construction work, especially for a public body.
  • public procurementThe process by which governments and public bodies buy goods, services and construction work from private companies, usually through open competition.
  • value for moneyGetting the best possible result from public money, considering not only the price but also quality, efficiency and how well the spending achieves its aims.
  • public-private partnershipA long-term contract in which a private company finances, builds or runs public infrastructure or services, such as roads, hospitals or water plants, and shares the risks with the state.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Public Procurement

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