Prices of IT services in outsourcing are anticipated to shrink by 5 percent to 20 percent during 2009 and 2010, according to Gartner. The analyst house said IT outsourcing prices are likely to decrease during the next two years due to the uncertain economic climate, IT budget constraints and general market consciousness.

Gartner said that this fall in prices will occur due to increasing competition in the market between traditional and new providers as more providers compete aggressively to keep revenue growth on target, while ensuring margins. Furthermore, cost-focused buying behaviors in the current economic phase will be a key factor behind the reductions for IT infrastructure outsourcing services from 2009 to 2010, with a great variability based on each single deal.

“Regardless of the relative strength of outsourcing during a recession, many clients are reporting intense discussion with their vendors and renegotiation of contracts for Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) Service Level Agreements (SLAs), fees, volumes and low-cost offshore delivery locations,” said Claudio Da Rold, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “These items are under scrutiny to identify satisfactory concessions to further reduce the cost of services on a case-by-case basis.”

Mr. Da Rold added that Indian offshore providers have been coming under significant pressure for pricing reductions due to the Mumbai terrorist attack, the scandal at Satyam, rupee exchange rate fluctuations, and continued wage inflation and attrition levels.