Terceirização como Política Pública: Um Estudo de seus Impactos na Gestão do DMAE – Departamento Municipal de Água e Esgoto de Uberlândia/MG

Abstract

Outsourcing has been widely adopted in Brazilian Public Administration as a management strategy, especially after the 2017 Labor Reform. Associated with the principles of New Public Management (NPM), this practice seeks cost rationalization and efficiency gains by incorporating business logics into the public sector. However, the concrete effects of this policy, particularly at the municipal level, still require evidence-based assessments. This study analyzes outsourcing in the stormwater drainage sector of the Municipal Water and Sewer Department (DMAE) of Uberlândia/MG, comparing the performance of in-house and outsourced teams operating under similar conditions. The research, of quantitative nature, employed objective metrics to assess annual direct costs, average response time, cost per service, and operational efficiency. Results indicate that while outsourcing presents lower direct costs, in-house teams demonstrated superior productivity, financial efficiency, and operational effectiveness. These findings suggest that the mere adoption of outsourcing, although seemingly attractive from a financial perspective, may not represent the best alternative in terms of overall performance. It is concluded that managerial decisions in the public sector should be grounded on concrete data, considering the medium- and long-term impacts on service quality and institutional organization.