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Outsourcing of Census Operations

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Title: Outsourcing of Census Operations

1

Outsourcing of Census Operations
United Nations Statistics Division

Reasons for outsourcing
Determining if and what to outsource
Outsourcing procurement process
Types of outsourcing
Issues to consider when outsourcing
Conclusions

Lack of necessary technological expertise or
equipment at NSO
Improve timeliness and accuracy of the data
So that NSO can concentrate on their core
substantive work
Because the job to be outsourced is complex
NSO gains access to external expertise and
knowledge

A decision on whether or not to outsource should
be based on
Defining the technical needs of the NSO in terms
of expected output
Specifying the requirements for the delivery of
the output in terms of timeliness, quality
assurance, accuracy, confidentiality, etc
An assessment of the market vis-à-vis the NSO
needs to determine if it would be feasible to
undertake the outsourcing

NSO should clearly define the desired output or
product for which outsourcing may be needed
Document should include
Objectives of the project
Output or outcome to be achieved
Time frame

Contractor and NSO should have a shared
understanding of the requirements of the
contract, including objectives, expected outcomes
and priorities
Clear Specifications, including standards to be
met, are key to ensuring you get what you want
and that everyone understand what is expected
Specifications should describe in detail the
tasks that are the responsibility of the NSO and
of the contractor
Specifications should include detailed milestones
with deliverables against which performance
should be evaluated
Specifications for the output should also address
requirements for timeliness, data confidentiality
and security, quality assurance

Its important that NSO has a clear understanding
of the market before embarking on outsourcing
Important for
Assessing technological possibilities for the
work to be outsourced
Assess potential competitors for the project
Estimating cost of the outsourcing
Assessing whether NSO can afford the outsourcing
Helping with preparation for the tender

Bidding process may take a long time
Choice of contractor should be based on a
transparent competitive process
Tender process may differ by country, but need
Rules for tender including announcement with
deadlines
Documents on whats being outsourced
NSO may collaborate with other government
departments in order to learn from their
experience in procurement

Its advisable to choose a contractor with a
proven record of data processing preferably in
the region
Contract should be awarded to those who meet the
specified requirements and should not be based
only on cost but on other considerations as well,
including confidentiality, accuracy and
timeliness
Its important to rank the criteria upon which
the contractors are being assessed
A grid may be constructed showing the performance
of the contractors against the criteria for the
assessment
As part of process prospective contractors should
undergo a competitive test, e.g., having
different companies scan a stack of
questionnaires assessing their performance

Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on
Population and Housing Censuses International
standards, contemporary technologies for census
mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12
December 2008
10
Example of Outsourcing Schedule - France
Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme on
Population and Housing Censuses International
standards, contemporary technologies for census
mapping and data processing Minsk, Belarus, 8-12
December 2008
11
Types of contracts and of outsourcing

There are different types of contracting and of
outsourcing with advantages and disadvantages
Contract types
Full contract (contractor performs all outsourced
work)
Mixed contract (different aspects of the work are
outsourced to different companies)
Sub-contracting (contractor contracts out some of
the work to another company)
While the mixed contract has the advantage of
getting the best for different aspects of
contracted work, it presents challenges in terms
of management and also assessing responsibility
for different contractors
Outsourcing ranges from total outsourcing of the
operation to variants of combining outsourcing
components of the project and use of in-house
developed systems

Its important to have a detailed legal document
(contract) showing obligations and
responsibilities of NSO and contractor
The contract should
Specify clear lines of authority with NSO
retaining management of the overall operation
Specify penalties for breach of contract on the
part of NSO or contractor
However, specify the possibility of the NSO to
break the contract or to delay (e.g., if the
census is delayed) and the corresponding
conditions
Be flexible enough to allow amendments

Need to plan for data processing as part of
overall census planning
Need to test process
Differing objectives
NSOs inalienable responsibility for the whole
census operation including for the outsourced
parts
Data confidentiality and security
Setting quality assurance standards for project
Risk management

Planning for data processing should be part of
overall census planning
Plans for data capture should take into account
the census form to be used and vice versa
It may be advisable to choose a data processing
contractor who will also print the census forms
Plans for training of enumerators should also
take into account method of data capture to
ensure proper filling in and handling of census
form

Data processing system should be tested and
problems corrected
Testing should cover all aspects of the process
More testing is required at beginning of process
to allow fine tuning of the system until the
desired result is obtained
Form design should be finalized early enough to
be used in testing
Start early as long lead time is required
The pilot census is an opportunity to test the
data processing infrastructure
Testing of the system should be included in the
contract specifications
Learn from experience of others

There is likely to be a difference in objectives
between NSO and contractor
Contractor is interested in more pay for less
work so as to obtain a profit for their company
NSO is interested in paying less for higher
quality output produced in minimum time

Is a bigger concern with outsourcing as outside
contractors handle completed questionnaire
containing individual data
However, whether census operations are outsourced
or not, data confidentiality and security remain
of outermost importance
NSOs are responsible for data confidentiality in
terms of both perception and reality
NSOs should assure the confidentiality of the
data even when data processing are outsourced
The NSO should ensure that contractors have
instituted strict safeguards to prevent
unauthorized access to information
Contractor staff should be subject to same data
confidentiality rules as NSO staff and be
required to sign a legal undertaking
Contract should include penalties for data
disclosure and misuse

NSO is responsible for managing the quality of
the census output
NSO should ensure that contractor has captured
data accurately and in a timely and
cost-effective manner
Setting of quality assurance criteria and setting
up a monitoring system for data processing are
important
Monitoring quality assurance for data capture can
be difficult if NSO and contractor do not have
same set of criteria for assessment and
monitoring
NSO may not have enough experience and expertise
to set up necessary criteria for assessment,
e.g., of error rates, and monitoring especially
with technology that is new

Ability of the NSO to manage and control
outsourced work is critical to the success of the
project
Ongoing monitoring is crucial to ensure continual
review of achievements against originally
specified milestones
Monitoring very critical when outsourced work in
undertaken away from the NSO site
A system for monitoring progress should be
in-built into the contract
Monitoring should also include regularly
scheduled meetings
Aim for clear and open communications with
contractor