Industry has experienced rapid change in the last 10 years. Some of the changes, such as new terminology, have been subtle such as the fact that downsizing is now called rightsizing. Not so subtle is the current state of the national economy and the effect it has on the bottom-line performance of organisations and employees. The cash squeeze facing the business community has given outsourcing and out-tasking a quantum leap forward. The growth in the last five years within outsourcing industry has equalled the growth during the previous 15 years as evidenced by the number outsourcing providers, total number of outsourced employees, and the total number of outsourced out-tasked services since 1989.

With the development of the facility management industry came many opportunities. Many facility managers, with little knowledge of the outsourcing concept, felt outsourcing always reduction in employee jobs and the likelihood that they would be replaced when the concept was implemented. Fortunately, time heals all wounds and positive results breed success and recognition Outsourcing fit the needs of the facility manager who was evaluating specific functions and asking outside service providers to bid on that function. Because outsourcing seemed limiting in scale, while facility management evolved the concept of entire take-over, for some it quickly became the battle cry for both facility manager and the service provider. There was a comfort level with the facility manager looking outsource a specific task now being done by company employees. It surgically allowed the removal of task or function while the rest of the organisation remained intact with company employees and could concentrate on other in-house facility tasks.

As outsourcing became commonplace in the business community, it also became threatening to both the business professional and the rank and file employees of the business community. Outsourcing sometimes equated with loss of jobs and control. To better define the effect on an organisation, a term has been created in the outsourcing industry.

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