Ms. May decided in the fall to take over control of the distribution center, which had been managed by an outside company.

In the pay television business, no outside companies are poised to jump into the market.

And that was sold to an outside company last year.

The school is one of more than 40 in Philadelphia to be run by outside companies.

But he found no significant difference between that kind of relationship and one in which an outside company would sponsor an athlete.

This was then expanded to outside companies in the early 1970s.

But, she said, "we often use outside companies for projects."

Critics at outside companies say they are sometimes being shut out of the bidding.

The Mayor argued that some services were simply better done by outside companies.

The outside companies, under the rules of the new program, then have exclusive rights to changes they made for at least six months.