New findings released by outsourcing services provider Xchanging have revealed that 45 per cent of users currently using outsourcing services believe that providers do not meet their current sourcing requirements.

The findings from a survey of 450 European businesses found that the industry needed to mature in order to combat negative perceptions.

Findings in the survey included the revolution that 93 per cent of businesses that did not outsource their Sourcing & Procurement services would not consider it.

Nick Ford, Business Development and Market Director at Xchanging Procurement Services, comments: “Compared with other markets around the world, the procurement outsourcing industry in Europe is still at a relatively undeveloped and unexplored stage. In the US, for example, companies are increasingly using external service providers to deliver expertise across a diverse range of suppliers and products and master challenges such as balancing structured processes and technology.

In Europe the take up has been much slower, and where no outsourcing experience exists, scepticism and reservations are high. This means that many European businesses are missing out on advantages such as cost reduction, spend control and the streamlining of operations that are enjoyed by their American counterparts, and this can affect their competitiveness.”