Demystifying Outsourcing: The Trainer's Guide to Working With Vendors and Consultants

Demystifying Outsourcing emphasizes the importance of building partnerships with consultants and vendors to achieve results. Training managers who utilize this resource will build their confidence and strengthen their outsourcing capabilities as they navigate complex outsourced projects.

As a comprehensive toolkit, the book takes the reader step by step through an outsourced initiative. Numerous stories bring the challenges of outsourcing to light. Practical tips and tools, and worksheets on the accompanying CD can be tailored easily to any project. Topics include:

• Current trends and guiding principles in outsourcing
• A strategic sourcing decision model to help managers make wise choices about what to outsource and what to retain
• Identifying and selecting outsourcing partners
• The RFP process and contract negotiations
• Positioning consultants and vendors in the organization
• Design, delivery and program evaluation of outsourced initiatives
• Special situations such as dealing with conflict, inheriting a consultant and working with multiple consultants and vendors

Debbie Friedman is Operating Vice President at Federated Department Stores, where she heads up the Federated Leadership Institute, a training function whose mission is to strengthen the leadership capabilities of the top 1,800 executives.

Debbie Stores, where she heads Federated Leadership Institute, a training function whose mission is to strengthen the leadership capabilities of the top 1,800 executives. The focus of the Institute is to:
*Help leaders make an effective transition as they step up to broader responsibilities in the company
*Prepare high-potential executives for senior-level assignments
Partnership between Debbie, her staff, and external training and organization development providers is a key to the success of the Institute. Federated has been named for two years as one of the Top 100 Companies in Training and Development by Training Magazine. They have also received a Best Practice Award by the National Retail Federation for the work of the Leadership Institute.
Over her nineteen years with Federated, Debbie has managed numerous large-scale projects that have involved multiple vendors and consultants. Debbie considers managing vendor relationships one of the most challenging aspects of her job.
She has held other training positions at Federated, including director of training at Lazarus, a Midwest division, and at AT&T in the Sales and Marketing Education Organization. Debbie brings a background in university career planning and placement work and classroom teaching to her corporate training experience.
Debbie holds a master’s in education from Xavier University (Cincinnati) and a bachelor of arts from Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University. She has published articles in professional journals and has spoken on numerous occasions at national, regional, and local conferences.