This article aims to examine the implications of outsourcing the responsibilities for drawingup, operate and disseminate the results of secondary school national tests (ENEM). Initially, theculture of evaluation encouraged by the agencies responsible for the tests, the institutionalarrangements and the game of power involving test application, in its first three editions arehighlighted. Since outsourcing services to private institutions implies inserting public policies withinthe market, the bidding process to select the company responsible for conducting the ENEM in 2003and 2004 was examined. It was noted that, despite the relationship between public and privateinstitutions can be addressed by the parties as advantageous, there were contradictions and majorproblems in the process of test outsourcing.