Evaluation of the main performance criteria of IT outsourcing for contract management in public companies: a bibliometric review

Paulo Ribeiro Felisoni,Fellipe Silva Martins,Marcos Antonio Gaspar

doi:10.33448/rsd-v9i11.10390

Paulo Ribeiro Felisoni, Fellipe Silva Martins + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i11.10390

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Abstract

Although Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) is common in private companies, it is less common in public organizations. In addition, extant literature focuses mainly on private companies and researchers from public organizations use and replicate these results often without adequate validation for the public context. This points to a scenario in which ITO studies may have worse results due to the lack of an appropriate theoretical framework. To analyze this disparity, the existing literature on IT, public organizations and outsourcing is reviewed. A systematic review of the literature allows to extract the content organized by groups. Thus, a framework is proposed to understand the main dimensions of monitoring IT outsourcing for public organizations. The results point to four main criteria (monitoring, relationship, performance and uncertainty) divided into 16 sub-criteria. This study contributes to the literature by refining the IT outsourcing theories for the public sector and providing a platform for advances in future studies.

Highlights

Outsourcing occurs with increasing intensity, generally aiming at cost reduction and greater efficiency in the allocation of resources (Langer & Mani, 2018), and commonly in activities outside the central scope of companies (Lacity et al, 2017)
Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) is common in private companies, it is less common in public organizations
To determine Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO - Information Technology Outsourcing) as a viable candidate for outsourcing, public company executives may use their own local, legal standards, differently from what established studies suggest. This happens due to the government management models adopted, whose objectives are to verify the good functioning of the public machinery, inspired by the results in private contexts, yet keeping their own public-related intricacies (Guarda, 2011; Prager, 1994)

Summary

Introduction

Outsourcing occurs with increasing intensity, generally aiming at cost reduction and greater efficiency in the allocation of resources (Langer & Mani, 2018), and commonly in activities outside the central scope of companies (Lacity et al, 2017). In the 1990s, due to the increasing dissatisfaction of the results pointed out by public companies for executed outsourcing processes, a trend of public-private partnerships emerged (Bovaird, 2016; Koh et al, 2004), incorporated in the 2000s outsourcing contracts. To determine Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO - Information Technology Outsourcing) as a viable candidate for outsourcing, public company executives may use their own local, legal standards, differently from what established studies suggest. This happens due to the government management models adopted, whose objectives are to verify the good functioning of the public machinery, inspired by the results in private contexts, yet keeping their own public-related intricacies (Guarda, 2011; Prager, 1994). IT outsourcing follows a logic of institutional isomorphism - especially in the mimetic and normative aspects (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), and translating into an imitation trend (Common, 2004), adapted from market leaders

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