The Contract Scorecard

Adoption and use of a contract scorecard demonstrates a maturing ability to manage commercial outsourcing arrangements. The process of designing the scorecard helps you nail down the key outcomes and avoid lack of focus, inconsistent objectives, hidden costs, indifferent service and deteriorating relationships with your contract partners. Sara Cullen's "The Contract Scorecard" will help you design and drive successful contracts. It offers a systematic guide based on practical advice and examples; one that explains the Contract Scorecard concept and demonstrates crucial implementation activities such as: the development of performance measures that work; Sound Service Level Agreements that make obligations clear; and, a Governance Charter that ensures both parties will adopt successful management techniques. An upfront investment in your contracts, from a commercial rather than legal perspective is probably the single most influential activity you can undertake; one that will ensure your outsourcing relationships have clear business goals as the focus of the deal. Reading a copy of Sara Cullen's "The Contract Scorecard" should be the first step in that investment.

Sara Cullen is the Managing Director of The Cullen Group (www.cullengroup.com.au) and is a former national partner at Deloitte (Australia). She has a leading profile in contracting within Asia Pacific and is one of the region's most experienced advisors having consulted to over 110 private and public sector organizations, spanning 51 countries, in 140 projects with contract values up to $1.5B p.a. The 70 functions she has worked with include call centres, claims management, construction, facilities management, finance, food services, HR, logistics, IT, maintenance, property, recreational services, sales, and security. She has designed partnering arrangements, franchise-type agreements, shared risk/reward structures and incentive programs in addition to traditional arrangements. Sara is a widely published, internationally recognised author having written 75 publications, conducted 7 independent expert government reviews, featured in 60 articles and presented in 160 major conferences. Her publications include Intelligent IT Outsourcing, Outsourcing: Exploding the Myths, Contract Management Better Practice Guide, Best Practices in ITO, Lessons Learnt in Outsourcing, Service Provider Management, Outsourcing Guidelines and Outsourcing: What Auditors Need to Know, in addition to research with various universities since 1994 including the London School of Economics, Melbourne, Oxford, and Warwick.