Gov u-turn sinks EDS's Indian outsourcing plans

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has told EDS to cancel plans to outsource government work to India. The reversal means that 50 of EDS's Indian staff, who had been setting up the firm's Application Development, Applications Maintenance and Support (AMS) activities account, will be required to return to India as work …

[Anonymous Coward]

The beginning of the end?

As a former victim of an off-shore relocated project, I am reservedly celebrating this snippet.

Have the bean counters finally been overruled by sensible decision makers?

Have the decision makers finally realised that very cheap really means not very good and it will actually cost more in rework?

Has the government come to its senses and decided that foreign nationals of a country in an unstable region with access to and designing UK government systems is actually not a good idea?

Or maybe having a UK government agency portal looking like an advert for Indian tourism is simply not a good idea?

By the way, I like the "Best Shore" euphemism. I've never heard exporting jobs off-shore described like that before.

[Anonymous Coward]

some sense at last..

I can see why companies would only think of the bottom line and outsource contact centres, offshore. I'm convinced their short term thinking is going going to bite them back one day but I don't worry to much about that because I can also chose not to use a company that does this.

However when it comes to public services, that's different.

I have concerns about my information being outside the control of UK/EC law and unlike with the afore mention companies I cannot chose not to use them in this case.

I'm glad that contact centres for public services and the data they require now appear to be staying in the UK.

.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you'll find ...

(hopefully) ... that the bean counters have also factored in the fact that in 5 years time, you will not be able to get hold of a decently experienced and qualified IT professional in India for love nor money.

That's certainly the thinking that stopped on of our suppliers outsourcing last year ... they were warned in stark terms that there would be a 2 year honeymoon, but then the offshore staff would be harder to find and cost more.

[BitTwister]

More efficient...

... if they simply cancelled EDS.

[Joe K]

If you'll permit me....

....a snippet from The Simpsons

"Haw haw" - *points at the indian contractors who mostly desperately want to come over to the west permanently*

And Selma: "Meh, plenty more where they come from"

[Anonymous Coward]

At my place

we call it right shoring........

Posted Anon in case the thought police read this

[Keith Williams]

And Taxes too

How Wonderful that the DWP has decided to spend British Taxes on British Employees.

[Anonymous Coward]

the world of vendors

I imagine there might have been some thought about geo poitical risk (which of course should be considered for any work that ends up at a far away place).

The thing with these vendors is that it matters not whether Indian staff get expensive. The contract with Vendor x (in this case EDS) will usually mean that they will have to ensure a stream of staff from whatever part of the world is the cheapest (sorry, most cost effective!) at that time. perhaps one day the work will all come back to the UK.........

[John A Blackley]

Doublespeak

"Best shore"?

Ah well, at least we'll be able to harness the energy of George Orwell - currently doing 3,000 rpm in his grave - to produce some low-carbon-footprint (whatever that is) leccy.

[Anonymous Coward]

re Doublespeak

Yes "Bestshore" ! EDS do love their euphamisms. And if you are TUPEd over to them you get called a draftee or conscript (as opposed to the "volunteers" who joined of their own accord).

Lovely employers, I bet you'll get lots of posts praising them.

[Rich]

Professionals in India

The outsourcing companies could just hire Brits and other foreigners and get them to relocate to India. Cheap, nice weather, interesting culture and scenery, good beaches.

Curry isn't up to London standards though.