The U.S.-based information services company Information Services Group, has announced that its business unit TPI, said to be the largest sourcing data and advisory firm in the world, has signed an agreement to help Huaqiao, a satellite zone of Shanghai, take the lead in expanding the outsourcing market in China.
Under the agreement, TPI will assist Huaqiao with the creation of China's first operating protocols and standards for outsourcing industry participants. The protocols and standards, which will address issues such as business setup, data privacy, intellectual property, measurement and reporting systems, and training and education, are designed to increase the city's appeal to global sourcing buyers, service providers setting up delivery centers, and global corporations building dedicated or shared services centers.
Huaqiao is an economic development zone in China dedicated to services outsourcing. The Huaqiao International Service Business Park, which is located just 120 kilometers east of central Shanghai, is expected to become a hub of financial services outsourcing and business process outsourcing activity, with an anticipated workforce of 300,000 and a production capacity of USD15 billion within five to 10 years.
ISG launched TPI in China in March 2009 with the opening of its Hangzhou-based Training and Assessment Center to provide advisory services and information to both buy- and sell-side clients. In May 2009, ISG signed agreements with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and a strategic cooperation agreement with the China Council for International Investment Promotion to work together on accelerating the growth of the country's emerging IT and business process outsourcing sectors.