The structure of a BPO specification in 8 sections
- 1. Company presentation and project context (2–3 pages)
- 2. Detailed functional scope and volumes (3–5 pages)
- 3. Quality requirements and service levels (SLAs) (2–4 pages)
- 4. GDPR and security requirements (2–3 pages)
- 5. Technical and integration requirements (2–4 pages)
- 6. Governance and reporting model (1–2 pages)
- 7. Contractual and reversibility conditions (1–2 pages)
- 8. Evaluation criteria grid and weightings (1 page)
The most common mistakes in an outsourcing specification
The most common flaw is confusing the WHAT (what the provider must do) with the HOW (how they must do it). A good specification defines expected outcomes, not methods. Leave the provider freedom to innovate on internal processes — what matters is that SLAs are met and quality is delivered.
How to define realistic SLAs
SLAs must be measurable, achievable and meaningful for your business. Before setting an SLA, benchmark your current in-house team's performance: an external provider cannot magically double your current FCR of 65% from day one. Aim for progressive improvement: +5% in the first 3 months, +10% at 6 months, reaching the target level at 12 months.
The evaluation grid: weighting the criteria
For a customer service BPO project, a typical weighting would be: technical proposal quality (30%), references and experience in your sector (25%), price and billing structure (25%), GDPR and security compliance (15%), provider financial solidity (5%). For an IT project, increase the weight of technical skills and reduce the sector references weight in favour of certifications.