A case study was conducted to apply the outsourcing decision-making framework
model on the decision to outsource or not for air-conditioning systems maintenance at
KFUPM. The air-conditioning systems were selected as a subject for the case study
because of the heavy use of the air-conditioning systems through almost 10 months of
the year in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, where the weather is characterized by
its extreme hot and humid conditions. The case was selected due to the proximity and
availability of full data from the university where this research was conducted. KFUPM
implements an outsourcing contract with an air-conditioning contractor who only
supplies the qualified manpower per the university standards, while the university
supplies the materials and the control over the service of the contractor. The previously
identified factors and the AHP method were used to develop the air-conditioning model.
The manager of the maintenance department was asked to perform the relative
weighted pairwise comparisons on the factors, as they are related to the air-conditioning
systems. Calculation of priorities for the six main categories was performed. The
weights are illustrated in Figure 4.