Outsourcing Vs. Captive Operations: Which Model is the Best Fit for your Business?

The most common approaches nowadays are eithercontract period the ownership is transferred to the
working with a third-party outsourcing provider orcustomer. Thus organization takes over the turnkey
establishing captive operations in lower cost locations.captive center tailored to its specific needs. BOT
Engagement models can be differentiated based uponoption best suits organizations that do not have local
customer organization’s need for managementexpertise or extensive resources available. In this type
control, costs of operation, risks and other factors.of engagement only logistics associated with setup of
Third-party Outsourcingthe captive center is outsourced.
Third-party outsourcing is classic client-vendorBuild-Operate-Transfer optimally combines control
relationship governed by contractual obligations andelement of the pure captive model with flexibility of
service level agreements. It is mostly driven by tacticaloutsourcing. Essentially it provides maximum control at
reasons such as short-term cost savings and staffingminimal risk.
flexibility. Non-core or non-critical activities are typicalMain benefits of having own captive center:
candidates for outsourcing.• Ongoing realization of real cost savings
Traditional third-party outsourcing comes in two main• Full operational control and monitoring
forms:• Full ownership after the transfer
• Project-based outsourcing is considered to be the• Minimization of intellectual property and data
most appropriate for development of software withsecurity risks
well-defined requirements and deliverables. It is suitable• Retained knowledge of industry, specific business
for irregular but on-going or one-off projects. On-siteprocesses and techniques
presence may be required to facilitate estimating,• Improved communications by continual
specification and relationship management. Typicalreinforcement and experience
pricing models are Time and Materials (T&M) and• Easy replication of parent organization’s
Fixed Price.processes
• Dedicated development center model caters for• Captive center can be commercialized at some
software with changing requirements, maintenancepoint in the future
and support of large systems, research andBoth outsourcing and captive operations have similar
development, testing as well as other types ofdriving forces (cost reductions and competitive
complex ongoing medium- or long-term tasks. In thispressures in the first place) and particular advantages,
type of engagement vendor provides necessarybut main factors for choosing one or another vary.
facilities and allocates a team that works only onBoth approaches will deliver benefits in terms of
account’s projects and is managed by customerimproved focus, optimization of processes, reduction
representative. This option is usually preferred whenof operational costs, faster time-to-market etc. But
resource requirements are low. The customer iscompanies must thoroughly evaluate each option to
charged fixed monthly fee per full-time employeeidentify one that represents the best fit for their
(FTE).specific requirements, business culture and strategic
Captive Operationsgoals.
When considering how to organize the remote deliveryThe approach selected will depend on whether the
of software development services, captive subsidiaryprimary driver is short-term cost savings or whether
option often does not receive full consideration inthe company has long-term vision for offshoring
comparison to outsourcing. While it is generallynearshoring and wishes to retain control over
accepted to outsource certain non-crucial activities, inprocesses and intellectual property.
certain cases this approach is inappropriate for coreEstablishing nearshore captive center in Ukraine
functions and critical activities. Decision to take workthrough BOT model
offshore/nearshore doesn’t necessarily mean thatIf software development is a core competency of
you have to outsource it. Use of remote resources foryour company and you have long term specialized
the delivery of functions close to core business whileresource requirements, it makes sense to build your
retaining operational control and benefiting from realown capability in order to support the full software
cost advantages can be achieved by means oflife-cycle, secure intellectual property and build up
setting up captive facility, thus keeping work within thespecific know-how. Nowadays this process is not as
company.difficult as it used to be. The key to success is finding
Captive model means that customer organizationa trusted partner that already operates in the
makes strategic decision to create its presence in theenvironment of country. By doing this you will benefit
lower cost location and conduct work there as a partfrom:
of its own operations. The activities are performed• Clearly defined setup methodology and timeline
remotely, but they are not outsourced to the vendor.• Planned step-by-step implementation
Thus the customer is able to retain full control and• Responsibility for all logistics associated with
mitigate respective risks associated with intellectualestablishing a captive center
property and other sensitive business information.• Practical knowledge of establishing IT business
Organizations that want to establish captive centersand dealing with related legal and contractual issues
have similar goals as those deploying traditional• Deep comprehension of cost and effort
enterprise or shared services operations. In the firstcomponents associated with setting up and running a
place captives are supposed to lower cost throughsoftware development center in offshore/nearshore
labor arbitrage. But recent research shows that buyerscountry
are seeking not only cheaper but skilled labor at• Hands-on experience in software engineering,
offshore/nearshore locations. They want to obtaingenerally recognized methodologies, processes and
competitive advantage and gains from processquality assurance that can be adapted to captive
improvements. In order to avoid risks of underutilizingcenter
captive capacities, organizations must thoroughly• Established HR practices, experience in recruiting
assess their long-term operational requirements andqualified IT staff
predict service needs that may arise in the future.• Attention to addressing security and business
The most common approaches to setting up captivecontinuity issues
operations are the following:• Consulting and support throughout the setup
• Creating captive center from scratchprocess
(do-it-yourself captive) can be successful when• High level of business commitment and
customer organization has necessary resources, localresponsiveness
expertise and market knowledge. Decision to set up• Flexible client-specific approach
own captive center may evolve organically throughAbout IIT Nearshore Sourcing Services
growth. Organization can either perform extensive dueIIT Nearshore Sourcing is the newly-formed division of
diligence on its own or buy existing company withIntellias that offers services in establishing captive
operations in the chosen location.operations in Eastern Europe, Ukraine. Addressing
• Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) approach meansmedium- and long-term software development needs
partnering with third-party vendor to establish andof your business, we introduce cost-effective and
stabilize center. Vendor is responsible for initial setup,low-risk way of setting up nearshore captive center
staffing and operations of the captive center duringby utilizing Build-Operate-Transfer model.
the predefined period of time. At the end of the