ISO 37500:2014 covers the main phases, processes and governance aspects of outsourcing, independent of size and sectors of industry and commerce. It is intended to provide a good foundation to enable organizations to enter into, and continue to sustain, successful outsourcing arrangements throughout the contractual period.

ISO 37500:2014 gives guidance on:

good outsourcing governance for the mutual benefit of client and provider;

flexibility of outsourcing arrangements, accommodating changing business requirements;

identifying risks involved with outsourcing;

enabling mutually beneficial collaborative relationships.

ISO 37500:2014 can be tailored and extended to industry-specific needs to accommodate international, national and local laws and regulations (including those related to the environment, labour, health and safety), the size of the outsourcing arrangement and the type of industry sector.

ISO 37500:2014 recognizes that the various stakeholders act separately in some phases of the outsourcing life cycle and together in others. It is not possible to exclusively allocate processes within the outsourcing life cycle to either client or provider. For each outsourcing arrangement, process responsibility is intended to be interpreted accordingly and tailored by the user.

ISO 37500:2014 is intended to relate to any outsourcing relationship, whether outsourcing for the first time or not, using a single-provider or multi-provider model, or draft agreements based on services or outcomes. Processes mentioned in ISO 37500:2014 are intended to be tailored to fit the outsourcing strategy and maturity of the client and provider organizations.

ISO 37500:2014 is intended to be used by outsourcing clients, providers and practitioners, such as:

decision makers and their empowered representatives;

all stakeholders engaged in facilitating the creation and/or management of outsourcing arrangements;

staff at all levels of experience in outsourcing.