...I'll start off by saying that this is not Mike of Bluewire (I'm just on his account now
) But I'm sure he would agree...
"Outsourcing" and "Offshoring" are two very different things. Many design companies have offshore offices setup for their companies with project managers, creative directors, client assistants, etc. They have offshore offices but keep it all "in-house" per say just as many companies have offices all over the country or world. There are MANY aspects that go into doing great design or development and the mindset of finding some random offshore freelancer and saving money often gets people into trouble and does not get them what they are hoping for. A good design or development company provides a great solution to your needs and leaves you in a position where you don't have to worry about anything. You know you're going to get what you need and you know it will be at a high level. Thats the difference between working with a Design Company versus Freelancer. This has always been the case; well before offshoring was popular.
On the other hand...Many design shops "Outsource" their work. Meaning, they send it to people that are not members of their company. Sometimes this is freelancers or more often its other design companies. Companies that do this for all their development work are just good sales fronts...nothing more. Some of them pull it off and still provide a great service to their clients.....most are worthless though.
What it comes down to is...If you can save the client from the stress of wondering if they are going to get the product/solution they are needing at a high quality level...Then you've done your job. If you go above and beyond that...then you have clients for life
...hopefully I didn't butcher what Mike would say
But I'm quite positive he would agree