Outsourcing China

Outsourcing to China

China provides an excellent supply of low-cost outsourcing resources. A well-defined development specification is important when working with Chinese vendors.   You also need to be cautious of protecting your intellectual property, as the Chinese market has limited IP protection.  Finally, there may be a language barrier in working with Chinese vendors. 

Members of the Accelerance Global Partner Network (GPN) from China have been thoroughly screened and vetted.  References have been carefully checked as well as proficiency in spoken and written English.  The GPN member has agreed to strict intellectual property protection requirements.  You can be confident when working with an Accelerance Partner.

Working with outsourcers in China  – Pluses

China is a good location to consider for low-cost software development, if you have a well-defined product specification.  However, as copyright and intellectual property protection are not well regulated, you want to be sure your software will be of limited use in the Chinese market. For example, an Accelerance client is using a vendor in China to help create mortgage processing software sold in the U.S. The risk of someone being able to make use of such software in China is slim.

Some Chinese vendors are investing in CMMI certification as a way to compensate for the fact that they are less proficient in English than vendors in some other countries. If you want a high CMMI certification, Chinese vendors should be on you list.

A presence in the Chinese market is usually required if you plan on selling your software or other products there. If you build a subsidiary in China, your own operation with your own Chinese staff, you can then also hire your own engineers for software development.

Working with outsourcers in China - Minuses

If you need to collaborate frequently in spoken English, it will be a challenge to find a Chinese vendor that is easy to work with. However, the Accelerance Global Partner Network screening assures you of an English-speaking contact.  

If your product is not yet clearly defined and you will rely on the outsourced vendor team to help with product specification, user interface, and quality assurance, China will not be your best location.

If your software has value in the Chinese market, and if the idea is easy to duplicate, be very careful in approaching outsourcing to China. Ultimately, the safety of your software comes down to the integrity of your vendor. Unless there are other compelling reasons to outsource to China, most people will go elsewhere where IP protection is well regulated and enforced.

China is many time zones away. There is overlap with the late afternoon and earlyevening on the West Coast of the US.  From the East Coast, you are 11 time zones away (12 when the U.S. is on daylight saving time). Be prepared for flexible working hours when you need to communicate with your Chinese vendor in real time.

Order the Outsourcing Jumpstart service for the region containing this country.

Note to Outsourcing Firms (both offshore and in the US)  Accelerance is searching for highly-qualified, experienced outsourcing vendors to join our exclusive Accelerance Global Partner Network.   Learn More >>

Return to world overview >>