STRATEGIC SOURCING

In fiscal year 2012, the federal government spent $307 billion to acquire services. The private sector is also reliant on services. Over the last 5-7 years, leading companies have been examining ways to manage their services in order to maximize returns and minimize inefficiencies. Given the amount of federal spending on services, GAO was asked to identify leading practices used by large commercial organizations for purchasing services. GAO identified (1) leading company practices for purchasing services, and (2) potential opportunities for federal agencies to incorporate these practices based on prior work.