Keep Calm and Carillion: Outsourcers seek image rebrand after UK construction firm crash

Outsourcers are anxious their hard-earned reputations are being besmirched by the recent collapse of Brit multinational construction firm Carillion, so much so their representative organisation is seeking a drastic image rebrand.

The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) is calling for the outsourcing community to come together and help "reshape and improve the industry in the face of media and political opposition in the aftermath of the Carillion collapse, and ongoing technology-driven disruption".

Chief exec of the GSA Kerry Hallard said that the conditions created by the Carillion crisis have created a “burning platform” for a “reshaping” of the industry in the UK and beyond.

“Outsourcing is and remains a critical part of public sector service delivery,” Hallard said. She added that "while recent attacks on the model have often been extremely wide of the mark it’s clear that the industry’s standing in the public eye needs urgent improvement."

Outsourcing outfits across the land should seize on the opportunity to "stand up and be counted, to celebrate our successes, and to demonstrate the almost incalculable value that we deliver every day."

"However, it’s also a chance for us to take a root-and-branch look at the entire space and ask where we might be able to make genuine changes for the better – and whether we need a wholesale reshaping of the industry to ensure our ability to deliver on our value proposition remains unimpeded.”

Of course before the Carillion disaster, it was, er, rare to hear a bad word against outsourcers.

Apart from various SNAFUs with Capita, that is. And some problems surrounding Serco and G4S's criminal electronic tagging contract. Oh and the latter's cock-up with security provision for the London-hosted Olympic Games. And the report from the Public Accounts Committee blaming the UK government's legacy of outsourcing for creating "a recipe of rip-offs" in government IT...

For any interested parties, the GSA is calling an extraordinary meeting on 26 March at the London offices of law firm Eversheds. ®