what were romans outsourcing
Of course Roman's outsourced. They came up with selling captives from their battles, rather than killing them, and their small farmers were driven from the market by competition. Later, the fields of Egypt provided wheat for lower prices than could be obtained even with slave labor, so the Romans went from local to imported grain.
Crassus figured out a way to make money: he got a franchise for the fire department, and had his slaves negotiate the price for the house as it was on fire, until it was cheap enough that the owner would have to pay rent to live in what had been his own building. The rule was: only put out fires when they threaten a building that belongs to Crassus!
His end was fitting. After his death at Carhae, the Partians poured molten gold down his throat. Thus was his avarice sated.