# Preparation and Readiness Source: https://akholi.com/research-lead-outsourcing-gcc-advisory/preparation-readiness/
Practice / Preparation and Readiness
Akholi Practice / Phil Hatch

Outsourcing and Global Capability Center Readiness

Prepare the institution before an outsourcing request for proposal, or test the case and operating model for a global capability center investment. Establish requirements, owners, evidence, and approval conditions before preventable weaknesses become delivery obligations.

Assess readinessUrgent problem? Crisis Response

Phil Hatch / Principal-led advisory / Financial institutions

Preparation Scope and Approval Requirements

Preparation should establish whether the intended service, retained responsibilities, data, processes, workforce, and controls can support the proposed delivery model. Material gaps need an owner and an approval condition before they become obligations transferred to a provider or a new center.

Akholi helps address the gaps within the commissioned scope. The institution receives a supported decision package, with unresolved matters and accepted exceptions visible.

Preparation and Readiness Services

Before a sourcing process

Outsourcing Preparation

Define requirements, validate the business case, prepare the institution’s side, and address material gaps before issuing the request for proposal (RFP).

Prepare before RFP
Before an investment

GCC Planning

Test the delivery choices and investment case. Define the center’s purpose, operating model, retained responsibilities, governance, and preparation gates.

Plan a GCC investment

Readiness Deliverables and Approval Evidence

  • A defined service and business caseBusiness results, scope and exclusions, delivery assumptions, demand, existing costs, and alternatives.
  • A material-gap registerOwners, required corrections, evidence of closure, dependencies, and unresolved conditions.
  • Operating and governance requirementsDecision rights, reporting, human oversight, change, escalation, suspension, continuity, and exit.
  • A release or investment decisionApprove, narrow, defer, retain internally, or select another delivery model using documented criteria.

Subsequent Phases and Scope Boundaries

Supplier selection, contract negotiation, transition execution, specialist GCC setup, and later implementation are separately scoped when required. Legal counsel and procurement retain their respective responsibilities. Specialist work is named and resourced before it is promised.

For an existing engagement with material problems, Engagement Recovery may be the appropriate route. For an independent examination of readiness, use Independent Audit.

Research Basis and Scope

Agentic AI Outsourcing at Tier 1 Financial Institutions: full study report coverDownload the complete study PDF

Phil Hatch’s 2026 study examines 150 agentic AI outsourcing engagements through accounts from 850 vendor delivery-team respondents. It identifies reported weaknesses in preparation, shared management, controls, reporting, and the visibility of human work.

The Executive Action Plan proposes independent review, direct access to delivery personnel, corrective action, and independent verification of material closure. Akholi translates those recommendations into a scoped institutional assignment.

Related evidence: financial institution readiness, co-management, and manual alteration.

The sample is not industry-representative. The findings are observational. They do not establish causation or legal breach, and the study did not test the proposed remedies or measure GCC performance.

Readiness Enquiries

Start with the concern, the decision you need to make, and the people responsible. Agree scope, access, responsibilities, timing, and fees directly with Phil Hatch.

Contact Phil HatchContact details and enquiry options