Suffolk County Council's announcement that it is going to outsource all its
services by 2011 has raised concerns in the borough and among the council's
28,000 employees.


Of course for 700,000 people there is the real fear that outsourcing will result
in reduced level of services and a loss of accountability to the community.


Jesse Young of PerDM, one of the UK's premier outsource sales companies, says
that this type of decision will become increasingly common. Brighton is said to
be "dabbling with the idea". "It is all about making the most of their budgets;
getting better value for money will ultimately deliver better services". Suffolk
County Council say they will save as much as GBP 300 million.


So what will it really mean for the council tax payers of Suffolk? The big
change is that the council will hire outside companies, from charities to social
enterprises to businesses, to run all of the services that they currently
provide themselves. Schools, motorways, libraries, parks, care homes, youth
clubs, registrars, records etc. "It may be considered a big risk", says Jesse
Young, "however I see this as a logical extension of the thinking behind the
budget cuts. Councils are now, like many businesses, faced with a reduction in
income arising from the current economic crisis. They need to react and be
innovative".


For businesses like PerDM Group, which have been at the vanguard of outsource
sales, such moves hold no fears. "Brands have been doing this for years" said
Jesse. "We have been working with some of the biggest companies in the UK to
deliver increased revenues at a lower cost per sale ratio. It is an accountable,
measurable and innovative approach to selling and it works!"


Would PerDM consider bidding for any of the contracts that Suffolk's
"commissioning units" are looking to put out to tender? "That is always a
possibility", says Jesse, "however we would never enter into a contract without
first exploring what the deliverables are and what resource we would require to
be successful". In other words, PerDM will not be chasing local authority
business for the sake of turn-over. "It's all about trading responsibly".


PerDM's success comes from continually examining its sales strategies for its
customers, challenging their thinking to ensure that each program is tailored
specifically to their needs. Staying ahead of the economic slow down is
paramount for all businesses and brands. Suffolk County Council's services will
require that type of approach from whoever successfully wins one of their
contracts.