The total contract value of outsourcing contracts signed in the third quarter of 2007 was down 16 percent, with the actual value of the contracts signed shrinking as well, according to outsourcing adviser TPI. At the heart of the decline: the slowing pace of contract awards in the U.S. TPI's numbers show that <A HREF="http://www.cio.com/article/147454/U.S._Appetite_for_Outsourcing_Deals_Slowing_Down">U.S. companies are also keeping a lid on outsourcing growth,</A> with new scope down 50 percent from last year.

Conversely, Europe and Asia are showing growth in outsourcing deals year over year, with Europe accounting for more than a 50 percent share of global market deals. New scope is up 36 percent in Europe and 72 percent in Asia Pacific, according to TPI. Competitor EquaTerra also found that outsourcing growth was strongest in the Europe/Middle East/Africa geography.