在商业外包前考虑的五件事

业务外包作为一种有利的商业策略，除了能增加盈利能力外，还可以让你精简业务，减少管理费用，而且：
Outsourcing business functions can be a beneficial business strategy. As well as increasing profitability, as it can allow you to streamline your business costs in reducing overheads, outsourcing may also:
为你提供可能在内部团队中无法获得的资源；和
provide you with access to resources that may not be available within your internal team; and
加快业务的可扩展性和转型。
accelerate the scalability and transformation of your business.
在外包和聘请服务提供商之前，首先需要思考：
Before outsourcing and engaging a service provider, it is important to ask yourself:
为什么要进行外包；
你正在外包什么；和
谁是你的利益相关者。
why you are outsourcing;
what you are outsourcing; and
who your stakeholders are.
这将有利于你考虑法律方面的事项，并评估外包好处是否大于风险。无论你打算外包信息技术服务还是记账服务，本文概述了一些重要的考虑事项，以助你规避法律风险。
Your answers will help you in noting legal considerations and assess whether the benefits of outsourcing outweigh the risks. Whether you plan on outsourcing IT services or bookkeeping services, this article outlines some important considerations to help you manage your legal risk.
1)履行保证
Performance Guarantees
当进行外包时，你要确保服务提供商：
When outsourcing, you want to make sure that your service provider:
根据你的需要提供服务
makes their services available to you as you require; and
及时提供服务，确保你的业务顺利开展。
delivers their services in a timely manner to ensure your business operates smoothly.
还有，完成节点和履行保证要清晰且准确，因为如果没有客观的标准，就很难管理外包关系。服务提供者的服务表现保证通常体现在以下形式：
It is crucial that milestones and guarantees for performance are clear and accurate, because without objective criteria it can be difficult to manage the outsourcing relationship. The performance guarantees of service providers are usually set out as defined criteria in the form of:
关键绩效指标
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); or
服务水平协议，约定在正式协议正文或作为其附件。
a Service Level Agreement (SLA), either within or as an annexure to a formal agreement.
在服务水平协议中列明关键绩效指标或服务级别，不仅可以评估服务提供者的绩效，还可让他们对自己的服务负责。
Setting out KPIs or service levels in an SLA allows you to not only measure the performance of the service provider, but also hold them accountable for their services.
在评估服务供应商的表现及为其设定关键绩效指标或服务水平标准时，应当考虑:
When considering the performance and setting out the criteria as KPIs or service levels for your service provider, you should consider:
何种关键绩效指标或服务水平会有助于实现你想要的结果；
关键绩效指标或服务水平的定义是否明确；
关键绩效指标或服务水平是否可衡量；
根据关键绩效指标或服务水平报告业绩的频次；
在引发后果之前，服务提供商可能无法达到关键绩效指标或服务水平的次数；和
可能产生的相应后果。
what KPIs or service levels will drive the outcome you want;
whether the KPIs or service levels are clearly defined;
whether the KPIs or service levels are measurable;
how often you should report performance against the KPIs or service levels;
how many times a service provider can fail to meet a KPI or service level before triggering a consequence; and
what an appropriate consequence might be.
关键绩效指标或服务级别中的特定标准将主要取决于外包的服务和你与服务提供者的协商。
The specific criteria in KPIs or service levels will largely depend on the outsourced services and your negotiations with the service provider.
例如，如果你将内部信息技术系统的管理和维护外包出去，那么你应该明确他们对反馈的响应速度，以及他们解决服务水平协议中任何问题的速度。
For example, if you are outsourcing the management and maintenance of your internal IT systems, you should be clear about how quickly they respond to your complaints and how quickly they can resolve any issues in an SLA.
2)知识产权
Intellectual Property
知识产权是一种非常宝贵的并且值得保护的商业资产。在外包服务的过程中，服务提供商可能会为你的业务创造出新的知识产权。
Intellectual property (IP) is a very valuable business asset that you should seek to protect. In the process of outsourcing services, the service provider may create new IP for your business.
例如，如果你正在外包信息技术工作，信息技术服务提供商将在他们为你业务开发的软件中创设知识产权。主要问题是你是否想：
For example, if you are outsourcing IT work, an IT service provider will create IP in the software they develop for your business. The main question to keep in mind is whether you want to:
拥有他们创设的知识产权
own the IP that they create; or
在许可下使用知识产权（可能会对使用方式加以某些限制）
use the IP under a licence (which may impose certain restrictions on how you can use it).
如果你希望拥有服务提供商通过外包创设的知识产权，必须在正式协议中约明知识产权转让条款。该条款将把服务提供者创设的所有知识产权分配给你的企业。这样你就可以随心所欲地拥有和使用知识产权。
If you expect to own the IP the service provider creates through the outsourcing arrangement, you must include an IP assignment clause in your formal agreement. This clause will assign all of the IP that the service provider creates to your business. This allows you to own and use the IP as you please.
有时，服务提供商意图持有知识产权并且以提供许可的方式供你使用。
Sometimes the service provider may want to retain ownership in the IP and provide you with a licence to use the IP.
在这种情况下，你需要确认在你的正式协议中，此许可条款能够满足你对知识产权的需要。如果你正在与服务提供商协商知识产权授权许可，你需要考虑：
If this is the case, you should ensure that the licence clause in your formal agreement allows you to use the IP for your needs. If you are negotiating an IP licence with your service provider, you should consider:
许可的用途；
whether you can modify the IP in any way;
是否可以任意修改；
whether you can modify the IP in any way;
对于使用知识产权的方式是否有限制（例如：对于知识产权的使用是否有用途、范围、时间上的限制？）
Whether there are any limitations on how you can use the IP (e.g. can you only use the IP for a specific purpose? Can you only use the IP in a particular area? Can you only use the IP for a particular duration of time?); and
是否可以许可第三方使用此知识产权。
whether you can sell the IP to third parties.