The Utilities Sourcing Landscape in 2011: Are Global Utilities Outsourcing Smarter?
This report, co-authored with HfS, examines the key macro-economic and other business challenges faced by the energy & utilities (E&U) industry. Organizations in this industry are facing issues such as the pressing need to incorporate “smart grid” technologies, pursuing new revenues of growth from a sluggish economy, the increasing pressure to “go green” by generating electricity from renewable sources and strengthening the security of energy supply. These challenges have directly impacted the level of outsourcing in this domain as service providers are targeting these companies with industry-specific BPO solutions and time-tested horizontal services such as human resources, training and procurement support.
Demand for IT solutions and higher end services such as research and analytics is also increasing with a slew of global service providers offering a complete suite of solutions. These solutions are a part of a sustainable, end-to-end suite of offerings enabled through a global delivery model. With heavy technology investment taking place in the industry, there is an urgent need for infrastructure, data support and maintenance support as well. The transition into automatic meter reading (AMR) and the adoption of the “Smart Grid” technology has brought in demand for systems integration solutions.
Other sections of this report include a global overview of the energy & utilities market, major industry trends, popular outsourcing destinations, key deals signed in this space over the past five years, recommendations to buyers and vendors, and a detailed appendix containing profiles of prominent service providers for this industry. The last section also contains the HfS FormGuide which provides decision making support to compare E&U service providers by plotting them along two major axes – current market footprint and future market potential.
Demand for IT solutions and higher end services such as research and analytics is also increasing with a slew of global service providers offering a complete suite of solutions. These solutions are a part of a sustainable, end-to-end suite of offerings enabled through a global delivery model. With heavy technology investment taking place in the industry, there is an urgent need for infrastructure, data support and maintenance support as well. The transition into automatic meter reading (AMR) and the adoption of the “Smart Grid” technology has brought in demand for systems integration solutions.
Other sections of this report include a global overview of the energy & utilities market, major industry trends, popular outsourcing destinations, key deals signed in this space over the past five years, recommendations to buyers and vendors, and a detailed appendix containing profiles of prominent service providers for this industry. The last section also contains the HfS FormGuide which provides decision making support to compare E&U service providers by plotting them along two major axes – current market footprint and future market potential.
Utilities – Aging giants in need of a revamp
Major industry challenges
The “Smart” network
Recovering from the effects of the recession
The need to go “green”
Security of supply
Regulatory issues
Accessing profitable opportunities
Organizational challenges
Aging workforce
Key takeaways
Implications outsourcing demand from utilities
Main drivers – Customers and technology
Regulatory demands
Focus on cost reduction
Meeting future workforce demands
Utilities outsourcing: What’s happening now?
Outsourcing maturity
Popularly offshored utilities services
Popular offshoring destinations
Latest deals
Key service providers
Trends to watch
Addressing the regulatory maze
Smarter services for smart technology
Alternate pricing models trickling in
Emergence of global delivery centers
Testing the viability of electric vehicles
The rise of multi-utilities
HfS Form Guide
Executive Summary
Introducing the HfS Form Guide
Context
The HfS FormGuide: Utilities Industry services
Key takeaways: Utilities service providers
What are FormGuides?
Methodology
Recommendations
About the authors
About HfS Research
Major industry challenges
The “Smart” network
Recovering from the effects of the recession
The need to go “green”
Security of supply
Regulatory issues
Accessing profitable opportunities
Organizational challenges
Aging workforce
Key takeaways
Implications outsourcing demand from utilities
Main drivers – Customers and technology
Regulatory demands
Focus on cost reduction
Meeting future workforce demands
Utilities outsourcing: What’s happening now?
Outsourcing maturity
Popularly offshored utilities services
Popular offshoring destinations
Latest deals
Key service providers
Trends to watch
Addressing the regulatory maze
Smarter services for smart technology
Alternate pricing models trickling in
Emergence of global delivery centers
Testing the viability of electric vehicles
The rise of multi-utilities
HfS Form Guide
Executive Summary
Introducing the HfS Form Guide
Context
The HfS FormGuide: Utilities Industry services
Key takeaways: Utilities service providers
What are FormGuides?
Methodology
Recommendations
About the authors
About HfS Research
