Executive Summary

This whitepaper takes a close look at how to optimize the retained organization as a key contributor to the success of the overall finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) service model. In order to leverage the benefits and value accessed through a well-run retained finance and accounting (F&A) organization, there must be clear links between FAO success and investments in a strategy for the retained organization.

In our investigation of current practices involving the retained organization, two main themes emerged around why they are not meeting or delivering their full potential to their organizations. These gaps generally involve inadequate focus and investment on the retained organization and poor alignment between the retained and outsourced components of the FAO operations. In order to leverage the benefits and value accessed through a well-run retained finance and accounting (F&A) organization, there must be clear links between FAO success and investments in a strategy for the retained organization.

This whitepaper pays special attention to the “talent” aspects of a strong retained organization by identifying the types of roles, skill sets, and profiles required as core building blocks. It also provides a viewpoint of the implications of these findings for both FAO buyers and suppliers.