NCC Members have free access to these Guidelines on the NCC Membership.

Services delivered by offshore-based staff have been the catalyst for a major shift in the buying and hiring behaviours of organisations and the IT service vendor landscape. This has resulted in a 3-fold growth in the use of 'offshore services' within Europe since the production of the previous Guidelines in May 2004 (Guidelines 286: Planning for Offshore Outsourcing).

The movement toward this global delivery of services has also changed the nature of competitive supply. While the comparative size of the offshore services providers appears less significant, there has been indisputable impact as a result of offshore providers' primary focus on global delivery models as their differentiating attribute. Offshore providers have predominantly evolved from an Indian-centric offshore delivery model and thus have often been labelled as 'Indian offshore providers'. However, the global coverage of offshore providers is expanding, and thus this term will not be entirely appropriate in the future. Traditional service providers have not missed the movement to global delivery models; they are rapidly expanding their existing global footprint through organic and inorganic growth in strategic locations such as Indian offshore providers in terms of engagement models and price points and differentiate through their traditional strengths.

These Guidelines will help CXOs evaluate the benefits and challenges of global delivery and the necessary change management measures that are critical to delivering the benefits.