Deutsche Bank - Accenture Procurement BPO Engagement: A Case Study

This IDC study discusses the January 29, 2004, master services agreement Deutsche Bank signed with Accenture for a business process outsourcing (BPO) relationship for its global corporate purchasing and accounts payable activities. This document provides a comprehensive view of the decision-making process for this engagement and provides insight into the early implementation phase of this deal and the experiences of Deutsche Bank and Accenture thus far. The study is based on two in-depth interviews — one phone interview conducted in March 2004 with the former chief procurement officer of Deutsche Bank, Tariq Hassan, and one in-person interview conducted in January 2005 with the present chief procurement officer of Deutsche Bank, Jeff Baer.

The purpose of this study is twofold:

First, it provides valuable insight to companies evaluating procurement BPO on what some of the challenges and best practices are to source a procurement BPO provider. Specifically, it delves into important issues such as getting company buy-in, working through the decision-making and business justification processes, evaluating vendors, scoping projects, maintaining control through the sales cycle, and implementing appropriate governance mechanisms. Second, this study helps vendors understand what to expect from the pursuit process for comprehensive procurement BPO deals and delves into some of the dos and don'ts in the path toward landing deals in this market.

"In an effort to improve overall competitive positioning, companies today are embarking on BPO engagements of unprecedented scale and scope," said Romala Ravi, director, BPO Services research. "As they do so, BPO is becoming a complex undertaking that demands hard work and sustained attention both from BPO clients and vendors."