The Global Sourcing Association was founded as the National Outsourcing Association (NOA) in the United Kingdom in 1987 by Martyn Hart. The organisation was the first European association to promote effective

outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...

and it is the parent of the federal

European Outsourcing Association European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...

. The NOA operated as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

trade association and aimed to promote best practices in outsourcing, lobbying government and regulators, and provided research and information to companies and managers using outsourcing. The NOA developed Pathway, a university accredited professional development qualification for the UK’s outsourcing industry. The NOA included the OUT Group, as the commercial arm of the NOA which was created in 2004. The NOA is also associated with sourcingfocus.com, a leading online news resource portal for the sourcing community. In October 2016, the NOA changed its name to the Global Sourcing Association, a move reflecting the changing nature of outsourcing against a backdrop of increasing globalisation and advancing technologies. The new brand was launched in

Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

on the first day of the NOA's European Outsourcing Conference to an audience of international CEOs and Presidents of sourcing associations and institutions from around the world. The Bulgarian Head of State at the time, President

Rosen Plevneliev Rosen Asenov Plevneliev ( bg, Росен Асенов Плевнелиев ; born 14 May 1964) is a Bulgarian politician who was the 4th President of Bulgaria, holding the position from January 2012 to January 2017. He was the Minister of Region ...

, opened the conference and delivered a keynote speech. The company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017, and currently boasts over 300 corporate members which are split into three member categories: buyers, suppliers and support service companies. A large number of members are blue-chip user organisations, with some of the member companies managing the largest outsourcing arrangements in Europe.

Outsource magazine

In 2006 the NOA partnered with

Outsource magazine ''Outsource'' is a news publication on sourcing and shoring strategy. The magazine has a circulation verified by the ABC during January and December 2012 of 11,361 (average per issue) making it the first magazine in the outsourcing sector to achi ...

(published by EMP Media), an independent magazine serving the

space and the first magazine to do so.

became the NOA's official partner magazine. Additionally,

Outsource Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...

became the first magazine serving the

sector to achieve

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

audit in Sep 2011. In 2017, ''Outsource'' magazine changed its name to ''Future of Sourcing'' and transitioned from print to a purely digital publication.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Trade associations based in the United Kingdom Service industry associations Organizations involved in outsourcing Outsourcing in the United Kingdom