Outsourcing is a contractual model suitable for activities involving day-to-day services such as running a Help Desk, as these projects are resource intensive and may involve special skills and knowledge in customer management. Private sector entities may more capable of performing these tasks due to their own experiences in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Software development is another fruitful area for outsourcing. See generally Accenture, “Outsourcing in Government: Pathways to Value” (2003).

In some cases, the government may choose a path of selective outsourcing, in contrast to total outsourcing, which implies handing over the entire e-Government project from concept through implementation, subsequent maintenance, and upgrade. Utilizing the strengths of different vendors in a selective manner may yield substantial benefits, while the government retains the key areas of operations in its own hands. See e-Governance Action Plan for India, Chapter 17: Policies, strategies and guidelines for outsourcing of e-Government projects
(2002).

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