Despite the global annual contract value (ACV) for the first half of 2015 ($6.2 billion) declining seven per cent year-on-year, ISG’s latest global Outsourcing Index has revealed that numerous world-wide outsourcing records have been broken in the second quarter of this year.

A record 451 contracts valued at $5 million or more were signed in the second quarter of 2015, along with a high of 754 agreements in the first half of the year. These achievements were all managed despite a lacklustre first quarter – one of the slowest quarters of the last decade.

ISG noted that the sharp increase in activity has come as buyers continue to negotiate a higher number of deals at a lower value, opting to avoid getting locked into cumbersome, long term contracts at a time when a wave of new technologies and operating models are causing significant disruption in the ITO and BPO markets.

ISG president John Keppel commented that three of the past four halves have logged the highest outsourcing adoption counts ever: "We're seeing a clear and continuing trend towards more deals at lower value.

“From the start of the recession in 2008 until now, counts have nearly doubled, while ACV has risen only modestly. Technology has changed significantly during this period, which saw the beginning of the digital as-a-service revolution and its continuing pervasive impact on the global services market.

"It's particularly noteworthy that ACV rallied from a dismal first quarter to pass the $6 billion mark without any significant aid from mega-relationships this quarter. The second quarter had only two deals with ACV greater than $100 million, a low not seen in many years. Clearly, it's the size of the demand, not the size of the deal, that is driving this market."

You can access further information on the ISG Outsourcing Index here.

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