<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
The origins of Contingent RPO
</li>
<li>
How does Contingent RPO enhance a traditional MSP?
</li>
<li>
The benefits of Contingent RPO
</li>
<li>
What Contingent RPO adopts from traditional RPO
</li>
<li>
When and where is a Contingent RPO solution best employed?
</li>
<li>
What is contingent RPO compared to contingent recruitment?
</li>
<li>
What is direct sourcing?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is considered to be a contingent worker?&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>

Contingent RPO is carried out via a strategic outsourced partnership between a company and provider to manage the entire recruitment process and optimise it for success and efficiency. Contingent recruitment is a type of recruitment where staffing agencies fill open positions on a temporary or contract basis.&nbsp;

What is contingent RPO compared to contingent recruitment?

Direct Sourcing helps organisations to attract, curate, and engage talent by using the organisations employee brand to support their hiring needs. Direct Sourcing is particularly powerful for businesses and organisations with repeatable hiring needs.&nbsp;

What is direct sourcing? 

A contingent worker is someone who works for a company or organisation without being hired as a permanent employee. Contingent workers usually provide their services under a contract which can be a temporary contract, on an as-needed (gig) basis, or through a Statement of Work.&nbsp;

What is considered to be a contingent worker? 

With the meteoric growth of the contingent labour market - even in the face of global economic prosperity - businesses are starting to understand that the rise in temporary talent is not just a reaction to the economic downturn post-2008. It is, in fact, a fundamental shift driven by businesses' need for greater agility and workers' desire for a more flexible way of working.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ttkzz3zghFc?feature=shared" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The contingent workforce is not only here to stay but is also likely to grow in the near future. Amid this backdrop, it's easy to see why businesses want to optimise how contingent talent is sourced and managed in order to drive better business efficiency and reduce the risk associated with their non-employee workforce.
Contingent workers (whether contractors, temps or gig workers) have raised expectations. The labour market is experiencing record-low unemployment, technical skill-sets are increasingly difficult to hire, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution is almost upon us. In response, ensuring that contingent talent feels valued and well managed is more crucial than ever - especially if businesses want to remain competitive.

The origins of Contingent RPO

A Contingent RPO or Direct Sourcing solution is built strategically around a business&rsquo;s unique contingent talent needs. Because of this, an organisation is able to form a strong partnership with its workforce solutions provider, enabling it to attract new talent and reorganise and engage existing <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/what-is-a-talent-pool">talent pools</a> (such as retirees, alumni and referrals) &ndash; improving time-to-hire and intensifying cost-savings.
In addition to its cost benefits, a Contingent RPO solution also allows businesses to build on their contingent employee value proposition (EVP), employer brand and end-to-end onboarding process. This drives better quality candidates who are more closely aligned to a business&rsquo;s culture, aiding long-term retention of the best contingent talent &ndash; especially vital in a competitive talent market.
How is this done? With a contingent RPO solution, you get a direct sourcing team who are solely dedicated to finding contingent talent for your business. This gives you sole access to recruitment experts singularly committed to your business&rsquo;s success.
Take a look at Guidant&rsquo;s integrated approach to direct sourcing - <a href="../../../../../../solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing/">Advanced Direct Sourcing</a> - which activates your EVP and <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/aligning-your-evp-and-talent-brand">employer brand</a> to attract, curate and engage exclusive talent communities to support repeatable hiring needs without the need for suppliers. Advanced Direct Sourcing drives cost savings whilst increasing talent quality.
Contingent RPO doesn&rsquo;t have to completely replace a business&rsquo;s use of traditional recruitment agencies, however. Some companies who utilise Contingent RPO within their business opt for a hybrid model. In this scenario, Contingent RPO is employed for specific segments within a business &ndash; often for high-level, hard-to-fill roles, or when candidates are needed at scale.

How does Contingent RPO enhance a traditional MSP?

<ul>
<li>A real and meaningful value proposition for contingent workers</li>
<li>A competitive advantage in a talent short market</li>
<li>A reduction in costs and over-reliance on agencies</li>
<li>An increase in the quality and fit of contingent talent</li>
<li>An improvement in efficiency and candidate experience</li>
<li>Opportunities for the easy redeployment of valuable workers</li>
</ul>

The benefits of Contingent RPO

<ul>
<li>Going to market using the brand name and identity</li>
<li>Technological implementation</li>
<li>Employer value proposition (EVP)</li>
<li>Recruitment marketing</li>
<li>The utilisation of known talent pools</li>
<li>End-to-end candidate experience</li>
</ul>

What Contingent RPO adopts from traditional RPO

Contingent RPO is best suited to high-demand skillsets, at significant scale. If you need a high number of contingent digital transformation specialists, for example, then a Contingent RPO makes a great deal of sense. At this end of the market, talented workers know they have alternatives, and a strong EVP, employer brand, recruitment marketing and <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/the-complete-guide-to-msp-onboarding">MSP&nbsp;onboarding</a> process could be the difference between the best talent choosing your business, and your competitor who uses a traditional <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">MSP</a> approach.

When and where is a Contingent RPO solution best employed?

What is Contingent RPO?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
The benefits of Total Talent Management
</li>
<li>
Total Talent Management ensures a consistent employer brand
</li>
<li>
The challenges of implementing Total Total Management
</li>
<li>
Is Talent Management the same as HR?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Should we outsource talent management?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
How has the pandemic changed talent management?&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW154022802 BCX0">
Talent Management is a specific aspect of Human Resources (HR). HR covers a wide range of functions of people management. Talent Management is just one of these functions, focusing solely on how a company engages and develops employees through the employee life cycle: acquisition, succession planning, improvement, retention and engagement.&nbsp;
</div>

Is Talent Management the same as HR? 

Organisations that outsource some functions of HR can focus on their core competencies and strategic goals more effectively than those that manage everything in-house, but this will vary from business to business. It&rsquo;s a good idea to talk to potential suppliers about how outsourcing talent management might work with your business and the ROI in terms of cost saving and benefits to help to decide if it&rsquo;s right for you.&nbsp;

Should we outsource talent management? 

During the pandemic, the use of technology and mobility changed dramatically, and post-pandemic many of these approaches have remained to some extent. In many industries talent is now more widely spread geographically and therefore the reliance on technology is more profound. When looking at total talent management, these changes need to be taken into account.&nbsp;&nbsp;

How has the pandemic changed talent management? 

<ul>
<li>Improved ability to respond to wider business strategies</li>
<li>Better workforce productivity through the effective deployment of all available skills.</li>
<li>Ability to evaluate the availability of skills across the total workforce and choose or flex the optimum engagement type for the required skill.</li>
</ul>
Total Talent Management could be one solution to cure workforce management ills. Bringing permanent and non-permanent workers into one solution could facilitate greater alignment in an organisation, with one single point of contact &mdash; the workforce solution provider &mdash; managing all aspects of a business&rsquo;s talent management strategy.
&ldquo;The adoption of a broad range of non-traditional and agile work styles are increasingly recognized as integral to organisational success. Organisations who are able to attract, optimise and retain all employed and non-employed talent types can create a competitive advantage in their market.&rdquo; Jo Matkin, Global Workforce Solutions Research Director at <a href="https://staffingindustry.com/?region=eng">Staffing Industry Analysts</a>
In the past decade, the contingent workforce has grown across most global businesses. Today, up to 40% of a business is made up of non-permanent talent, creating a truly mixed workforce. In light of this, business leaders need to change their approach to talent &mdash; particularly if they want to successfully navigate today&rsquo;s most prominent talent trends.&nbsp;

The benefits of Total Talent Management

TTM also allows a consistent <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/employer-branding-grow-your-business">employer brand</a> for both contingent and permanent talent to emerge. Most global businesses have an employer brand, but for most, this is exclusively catered towards permanent talent. As the most gifted workers embrace greater flexibility, businesses won&rsquo;t have any option but to build an employer brand for contingent workers, too.
When rolled into an MSP programme, <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing">Direct Sourcing</a>&nbsp;helps to some degree. But, ideologically speaking, having a truly holistic approach to talent management &mdash; which TTM theoretically offers &mdash; could assimilate the end-to-end process.

Total Talent Management ensures a consistent employer brand

&ldquo;Challenges vary depending on the &lsquo;Total Talent Maturity&rsquo; of an organization but can include organizational siloes, limited communication between the HR and Procurement functions, lack of meaningful data and difficulties in building an effective business case. A pressing need to address skills shortages can act as the catalyst for TTM, with adoption more likely in organizations operating in industries that face these shortages such as pharmaceutical, healthcare and technology.&rdquo; Jo Matkin, Global Workforce Solutions Research Director at Staffing Industry Analysts
Total Talent Management is one of the key trends set to revolutionise the workforce solutions industry in the years to come, alongside workforce planning and employer branding. But there remains some potential challenges to implementing Total Talent Management.&nbsp;
As Jo Matkin points out, one of the biggest challenges is the siloed nature of HR and Procurement teams. This has long been an issue, not only in terms of making TTM a realistic undertaking but also for ensuring MSP, RPO and other <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-outsourcing">outsourced solutions</a> are a success.
But as companies come to terms with the new normal, and as HR leaders and Procurement teams are brought together through better communication, integration and technology, TTM may well be a solution that really takes off in the 2020s &mdash; particularly in sectors affected by talent shortages. Given the organisational resourcing challenges facing businesses today, that is unlikely to be a bad thing.

The challenges of implementing Total Total Management

What is Total Talent Management?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
How are SOWs created?
</li>
<li>
What are the different types of SOWs?
</li>
<li>
What are the benefits of managing SOWs?
</li>
<li>
Can SOWs be managed through an MSP/VMS?
</li>
<li>
What is the difference between SOW and Services Procurement?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What&rsquo;s the difference between Statement of Work and a contract?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Who writes a Statement of Work?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is a Statement of Work template?&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>

A Statement of Work (SoW) is flexible to change and goes to a client for approval. It is also negotiable. It typically states the specific work to be delivered and by when.&nbsp; A contract legally binds the parties involved together. It details the obligations and rights of each party to perform (or not perform) a particular duty.<span class="EOP SCXW2614071 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What’s the difference between Statement of Work and a contract? 

Anyone involved in a project can write a Statement of Work as long as they know key information about the project and have experience in writing a comprehensive Statement of Work that eliminates confusion and ensures efficiency. This is a specialist skill which is why outsourced vendors are often brought in to create a high-quality Statement of Work that meets the project&rsquo;s needs and provides clarity to all parties involved.<span class="EOP SCXW30233924 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

Who writes a Statement of Work? 

A Statement of Work template is an out of the box template that you can use to create a Statement of Work. As it is designed to be used for the largest possible audience and function, it often takes a significant amount of time to adapt to meet the specific needs of your project.<span class="EOP SCXW160108690 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What is a Statement of Work template? 

There are many SOW templates available to help get managers started. However, to write a statement of work can be somewhat complex. Getting everything included to ensure the scope of services is detailed enough is critical.&nbsp; Elements of an SOW can include:
<ul>
<li>Purpose of the project</li>
<li>Scope of work being performed</li>
<li>Location of the project, project length, and any work requirements</li>
<li>Expected deadlines and deliverables</li>
<li>Acceptance criteria</li>
<li>Any hardware and software required</li>
<li>Performance-based standards to be met</li>
</ul>
Creating a thorough SOW can eliminate the risk that can come if there are any misunderstandings or disputes between parties on any of the elements above.&nbsp;
A concise and well written SOW, mitigates the risk of overspend by ensuring both supplier and organisation have a clear understanding of, and accountability for, the work involved. Bolstering the upfront agreement, lessens the opportunity for misunderstandings resulting in contract extensions and associated costs.

 How are SOWs created?

There are three standard SOW categories that companies use for defining scope and procuring services. Some are more popular than others within certain industries, but they all have similar components that define its success.&nbsp; &nbsp; Design or detail statement of work This category of SOW defines the exact requirements needed to complete a project. It tells the supplier exactly how to do the work and what processes to follow.
Additionally, it defines all requirements and any specific industry-related regulations that must be followed by the contractors. Typically, the organisation using design SOWs assumes most of the risk for the project.
Level of effort This SOW is used for any kind of service. In a very general way, it details work hours and any material needed to perform the service over a given time.
Performance-based statement of work A performance-based SOW clearly lays out the project&rsquo;s purpose, resources that will be provided, and deliverables that will be accomplished. But it does not provide details about how the work needs to be performed.
This is the preferred SOW for most companies. This SOW offers the most flexibility, focuses on project outcomes, and shares risk between parties.

What are the different types of SOWs?

Benefits can include:
<ul>
<li>Increased cost savings opportunities</li>
<li>Supplier performance and risk mitigation</li>
<li>Greater process efficiencies</li>
<li>Detailed reporting</li>
<li>Project performance management</li>
<li>Visibility into all outsourced projects within a single purview</li>
<li>Improved workforce management</li>
<li>Organisational compliance and risk mitigation</li>
</ul>
Providing successful SOW management gives hiring managers the tools necessary to make informed buying decisions and maximises productivity throughout an organisation.&nbsp;
Additionally, unexpected circumstances, scope creep, and post-contract changes can require amendments to the original SOW. Strong SOW management offers the tracking and reporting necessary to enable business leaders to make such changes.&nbsp;
It also provides confidence that the project will be delivered on time and within budget.&nbsp;

What are the benefits of managing SOWs?

The short answer is, yes - and they should be. It is important to have one central technology platform that can house SOWs and a service to provide SOW management, like those offered by an MSP. This ensures:
<ul>
<li>Visibility, analysis, and reporting for strategic decision-making</li>
<li>Competitive sourcing, where relevant, to capture cost savings and improve controls around compliance and budget</li>
<li>Management of deliverables and payments for spend transparency</li>
<li>Supplier performance management, optimisation, and accountability</li>
<li>Organisational efficiencies and project management</li>
<li>Processing rigor and consistent application of an organisation&rsquo;s policies and procedures</li>
<li><a href="../../../../../../insights/page/what-is/what-is-total-talent-management-/">Total talent management</a></li>
</ul>
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="../../../../../../solutions/services-procurement-sow/">Services Procurement (SoW) solution page</a> for more information on our award winning services procurement (SoW) solutions.

Can SOWs be managed through an MSP/VMS?

<a href="../../../../../../insights/page/what-is/what-is-services-procurement-/">Services Procurement</a> is the process for requisitioning people-based services at an enterprise-level with an agreed-upon scope and deliverables.
As we have just discovered, the scope of services and deliverables is what is included in a statement of work. This is used to monitor and deliver agreed-upon Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Some organisations use services procurement and statement of work terminology interchangeably because this category of spend is almost always detailed within an SOW.&nbsp;
Simply put, the SOW is a governing document, and services procurement is the category of spend being managed within it. There can (and should be) be multiple SOWs managed as part of a services procurement programme.
<a href="../../../../../../insights/page/gated-content/services-procurement-how-to-boost-roi-from-your-hidden-workforce/">Read our report on how to achieve greater ROI with SOW as part of a Services Procurement programme</a>

What is the difference between SOW and Services Procurement? 

What is Statement of Work (SOW)?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Can Services Procurement be managed through an MSP/VMS?
</li>
<li>
What are the benefits of managing Services Procurement through an MSP/VMS?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Staff augmentation vs. &ldquo;Services&rdquo;?
</li>
<li>
Are you getting the most from your Service Providers?
</li>
<li>
Need a Services Procurement partner?
</li>
<li>
What are the key challenges of Services Procurement?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is Statement of Work?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is a Master Service Agreement?&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>

The key challenges of Services Procurement are cost and spend control, risk mitigation, visibility of spend and engagements, stakeholder management, project quality, reporting and optimizing the purchasing process. Doing this in-house isn&rsquo;t always feasible in terms of internal resources so many organisations choose to outsource overall management of their Service programme.<span class="EOP SCXW237548609 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What are the key challenges of Services Procurement? 

A Statement of Work is a document or agreement routinely used in project management. It gives a description of the scope of a project including activities, deliverables, milestones and timelines for a vendor providing services to the client.<span class="EOP SCXW20990346 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What is Statement of Work? 

A Master Service Agreement (MSA) - occasionally known as a framework agreement - is a contract or document created between parties, in which the parties establish and agree to the key terms that will determine future transactions or agreements.<span class="EOP SCXW55827564 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What is a Master Service Agreement? 

Years ago, technology and services used to track outsourced workers typically only concentrated on headcount tracking, visibility, and risk mitigation. As VMS functionality and user experience improved, and MSPs began to hire experts that had expertise in project-based spend management, more companies began managing this spend via a <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/whats-the-difference-between-vms-and-msp">VMS/MSP</a>.&nbsp;
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/solutions/services-procurement-sow-">Services Procurement solution page</a> for more information on our award winning services procurement solutions.

Can Services Procurement be managed through an MSP/VMS?

1. Cost savings Cost savings can be captured through supplier and contract management negotiations, competitive bidding through RFPs, process efficiencies, greater supply chain management, and greater budgetary controls.&nbsp;
These are the areas where real value can be delivered, as project-based work can be one of the most significant spend categories for human capital within an organisation. It&rsquo;s critical those services are purchased as cost effectively as possible.
2. Enhanced quality Having subject matter experts manage the bidding allows for quality improvements. This happens through tracking supplier performance and optimisation, a more robust RFP process, detailed spend analysis, and the ability to report on deliverables.
3. Improved workload management Managing services procurement through an MSP/VMS enables procurement to become more strategic to the business. This is achieved by freeing up time they would spend trying to manage multiple projects and services throughout various business lines.
4. Increased compliance Centralising services procurement gives you greater control and visibility over this category of spend. It can also mitigate security risks, increase compliance to any milestones in place, and ensure suppliers comply with all company policies.
Worker misclassification is one of the biggest risks companies face, which can be more difficult to track and manage without centralisation. This can result in severe monetary penalties.&nbsp;
Additionally, it opens organisations up to liability with respect to state and federal wage and hour laws, overtime implications, employment tax and workers&rsquo; compensation issues, and employee benefits concerns.
5. Best practices MSP and VMS organisations can offer industry best practices collected from managing other clients&rsquo; services procurement spend. Knowledge sharing and offering lessons learned allows businesses to get the most out of their purchasing processes, negotiating best buys, and offering an edge over the competition.

What are the benefits of managing Services Procurement through an MSP/VMS? 

Careful consideration and compliance checks should also be in place to ensure there isn&rsquo;t staff augmentation disguised as &ldquo;services.&rdquo; This often happens when hiring managers or suppliers attempt to go around the use of an <a href="../../../../../../insights/page/what-is/what-is-a-managed-service-provider-msp-/">MSP</a> or other internal procurement processes.&nbsp;
If there is no scope of services, deliverables, or supplier management needed, these resources should be considered contract labour.&nbsp;
This ensures costs are being contained, correct worker classification is being met (see &ldquo;increased compliance&rdquo;), and that all categories of labour - full-time, contractors, and services - have the right talent strategies applied.&nbsp;
It is the only path to true <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-total-talent-management">total talent management</a>.&nbsp;

Staff augmentation vs. “Services”?

One of the ways organisations can get the most leverage from services procurement is getting executive buy-in. Having leadership support sets projects up for success and ensures strong management of services spend - not just checking a box that this labour category is tracked soley for risk purposes.&nbsp;
It is also important to have a technology in place - be it a VMS or other project management tool. This allows you to track deliverables and milestones.&nbsp;
If not, you won&rsquo;t have visibility into what you are buying, what is delivered, and the service provider&rsquo;s overall success.&nbsp;

Are you getting the most from your Service Providers?

If you&rsquo;re looking for a services procurement partner and aren&rsquo;t sure where to start, let us help. We&rsquo;ve years&rsquo; of experience managing this spend category for organisations globally across multiple industries, and are recognised as a Leader in <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/impellam-group-retain-their-place-on-the-list-of-leaders-in-everest-group">Everest Group&rsquo;s Services Procurement PEAK Matrix&reg; report</a> 2023.
Our report <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/services-procurement-how-to-boost-roi-from-your-hidden-workforce">Services Procurement: How to boost ROI from your hidden workforce</a> details the importance of services procurement in today&rsquo;s increasingly agile business environment. It also explores how you can get the most value out of service providers, offering practical advice.

Need a Services Procurement partner?

What is Services Procurement?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
The 12 benefits of RPO
</li>
<li>
How is RPO different from traditional recruitment?
</li>
<li>
What are the typical RPO services?
</li>
<li>
Securing a genuine RPO
</li>
<li>
What technology is used in RPO solutions?
</li>
<li>
What is the cost of an RPO solution?
</li>
<li>
Is RPO a good fit for your company?
</li>
<li>
Need a workforce solutions partner?
</li>
<li>
What is the difference between RPO and MSP?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
How is RPO different from recruiting?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>Why do companies use an RPO?&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

The key difference between an <a href="../../../../../../insights/page/what-is/what-is-a-managed-service-provider-msp-/">MSP</a> and an RPO is the duration of the worker that they supply. An MSP will find you short-term talent (a non-employee) with the skills that you need to fulfil a temporary requirement, such as for a project with a set end date or to cover a seasonal demand. The purpose of RPO is to find employees to meet staffing needs at a company on a permanent basis.<span class="EOP SCXW249421325 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}">&nbsp;

What is the difference between RPO and MSP? 

Recruiting is when a company or agency looks for candidates for a specific role on an ad hoc basis. RPO is generally a long-term relationship, where an organisation outsources its end-to-end recruitment needs to an RPO partner. The RPO looks to make improvements to the organisation&rsquo;s recruitment processes as a whole, by understanding pain points, long-term goals and developing a strategy.&nbsp;

How is RPO different from recruiting? 

An RPO provider's main purpose is to ensure that an organisation gets the best possible permanent employees - at the best overall cost - even in the midst of challenging skills shortages or when competition is high. Companies that use an RPO know that they will reach a wider pool of talent and higher quality candidates.&nbsp;

Why do companies use an RPO? 

The benefits of RPO

An RPO service provider doesn&rsquo;t just fill permanent roles on an ad hoc basis, it embeds itself within an organisation, fundamentally changing the way a business hires permanent talent.
Though no two solutions are the same, a good RPO solution is strategic. It should take ownership of the design and management of the recruitment process. It should embed the latest technology to ensure maximum efficiency, it should provide regular data analysis, and it should provide regular reports on the effectiveness of the solution.

How is RPO different from traditional recruitment?

End-to-end RPO An end-to-end RPO can be used in a single business division, a single market, or a global enterprise. It encompasses all permanent hiring services, as well as technology investments. An end-to-end RPO typically offers the biggest cost savings and efficiencies for businesses and typically leads to greater client satisfaction. As an end-to-end RPO service evolves, value-added services such as employer branding increase the quality of permanent hires.
Project RPO A Project RPO also utilises an end-to-end process but is deployed to quickly bring in experts to fulfil an unexpected staffing need, on a single project basis. For example, launching a new sales or digital transformation team.
On-demand RPO Similar to a Project RPO but more short-term, an on-demand RPO involves recruiters joining your team for a short period of time to rapidly attract and hire the talent you need. Often, an on-demand RPO is sought out during spikes in hiring. Though it allows businesses to move quickly, the benefits aren&rsquo;t as extensive as an end-to-end RPO solution as it lacks technology implementation and added benefits like employer branding.
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="../../../../../../solutions/recruitment-process-outsource-rpo-/">RPO solution page</a> for more information on our leading talent solution.

What are the typical RPO services?

RPO is one of the fastest-growing solutions for businesses looking to make permanent hires, but there are things to watch out for. Some recruitment businesses may claim to offer genuine RPO solutions but are only riding the crest of the wave, without actually having the expertise or technology embedded within their offerings. Simply recruiting permanent staff is not an RPO solution, it&rsquo;s recruitment.
If the RPO solution you&rsquo;re offered is not strategic in its outlook, doesn&rsquo;t embed itself within your organisation, and doesn&rsquo;t incorporate data analysis and reporting, it&rsquo;s not an RPO solution. Though the industry is more mature than it was ten years ago, there are still some temporary and permanent staffing agencies seeking to expand their business simply by following trends.

Securing a genuine RPO

Technology is changing our world. It&rsquo;s also changing RPO. From talent analytics to machine-learning, candidate screening to automated sourcing, the best RPO providers harness advanced staffing technology to provide a highly-efficient, cost-effective hiring process. And as technology advances, genuine RPO service providers will too.
Typically an RPO would incorporate technology such as:
<ul>
<li>An ATS (Applicant Tracking System)</li>
<li>A CRM (Candidate Relationship Management) tool</li>
<li>A dedicated careers site</li>
<li>An internal talent community platform</li>
</ul>
Increasingly, businesses within the RPO sector are also seeking to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI), optimising solutions for big, global businesses in a way previously seen before. Though it&rsquo;s implementation is in its infancy, AI is likely to play a big part in the development of RPO in the next five years.

What technology is used in RPO solutions?

The cost of an RPO solution depends on the scale of the project, and which model is used. It is impossible to put an authoritative figure on this, so it&rsquo;s best to contact an RPO service provider to get a real understanding of the cost-effectiveness of an RPO solution for your business.
Is RPO a good fit for your company? For most organisations, an RPO can be a boon to business. Historically, only large organisations used an RPO. But over recent years &mdash; especially with the rise of technology &mdash; medium-sized businesses are using RPO solutions to their advantage. For any business that hires permanent staff on a regular basis, an RPO makes a great deal of financial, structural and strategic sense.
Looking for a non-permanent, contingent workforce solution? Click here to determine if an MSP solution is right for your business.
Need a workforce solutions partner? If you&rsquo;re looking for a workforce solution that exactly meets the selection criteria for your organisation but not sure where to start, look no further! Based on our experience of responding to 1000s of RFPs from organisations across the globe, we&rsquo;ve put together the first instalment of our &lsquo;Creating an RFP for outsourced workforce solutions&rsquo; guide. The aim of this guide is simple: to help you understand and structure an RFP in a way that gives you the highest likelihood of finding an outsourced partner who delivers the right outsourced solution for your organisation.
<a href="../../../../../../insights/page/gated-content/creating-an-rfp-for-outsourced-workforce-solutions-part-1/">Download our guide to get started&nbsp;</a>

What is the cost of an RPO solution?

What is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>Managed Service Programme, Managed Service Provider: what&rsquo;s the difference?</li>
<li>What are the benefits of MSP?</li>
<li>MSP: finding the right solution for your business</li>
<li>The core components of a Managed Service Programm</li>
<li>How is MSP different from RPO?</li>
<li>Should you use an MSP?</li>
<li>Who uses an MSP?&nbsp;</li>
<li>How many contingent workers do I need to justify using an MSP?&nbsp;</li>
<li>What is the difference between an MSP and an RPO?&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

A range of organization's use MSPs including fast growing startups who need emerging contingent talent quickly, SME&rsquo;s looking to maximize efficiency and minimize running costs, and large enterprises or public sector organizations. MSP is especially prevalent in highly regulated sectors, for whom remaining compliant at all times in a changing environment is vital.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Who uses an MSP? 

An MSP can cover anything from a hundred to tens of thousands of contingent workers. Overall numbers generally depend on the type and associated costs of the contingent workers in the workforce. The higher the cost of an individual worker, the less overall workers you need for an MSP to return a strong ROI. Companies should look to use an MSP when they have varying contingent workforce requirements that need to be met on an ongoing basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;

How many contingent workers do I need to justify using an MSP? 

The key difference between an MSP and an <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-rpo">RPO</a> is the type of worker they supply. RPO focuses solely on finding the best quality permanent employees. Whereas an MSP will find you the short-term, contingent&nbsp; talent with the skills that you need to fulfil a temporary requirement, such as for a project with a set end date or to cover a seasonal demand.&nbsp;

What is the difference between an MSP and an RPO? 

In the staffing industry, the term MSP is used interchangeably to refer to both a Managed Service Programme and a Managed Service Provider. Though this can be confusing, a Managed Service Programme (a contingent workforce solution) is delivered by a Managed Service Provider (a contingent workforce solution specialist). For clarity and transparency, we&rsquo;ve used the full terms throughout this page.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3O8wAVTyPY?feature=shared" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Managed Service Programme, Managed Service Provider: what’s the difference?

In an increasingly competitive and complex contingent talent market, utilising a Managed Service Programme has clear and obvious benefits for a business.
Visibility A Managed Service Programme gives organisations complete visibility over their non-permanent workforce. From temporary workers to consultants, freelancers to contractors, a Managed Service Provider utilises its expertise to hire the best temporary talent for businesses. With the right working relationship, a Managed Service Programme relieves a company&rsquo;s HR and talent acquisition functions from the complex task of managing a contingent workforce.
Agility and cost savings Managed Service Providers are experts in attracting the right talent, even in competitive markets. With dedicated teams, they are able to find your business the right talent, at the right time &ndash; whether that be tomorrow or in six months&rsquo; time. Utilising a Managed Service Provider&rsquo;s experience can make a business more agile, allowing it to respond to shifts in the market whilst simultaneously improving efficiencies.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/bristol-city-council-and-guidant-global-win-at-the-ppma-awards">Discover how we helped Bristol City Council generate &pound;5.5m in savings</a>
Scalability&nbsp; Many organisations utilise seasonal staff. Finding a temporary workforce at scale can make or break a busy Christmas period. Hiring temporary talent for a large defence contract can alter the outcomes of an entire nation. A Managed Service Programme provides the scalability needed to ride the peaks and troughs of contingent recruitment activity. Utilising a Managed Service Provider&rsquo;s team of experts ensures that a business never finds itself short-staffed, even in extraordinary cases. <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/customer-success-stories/female-engineers-soar-higher-at-airbus">Discover how the UK partnership between Airbus and Guidant Global is taking a smarter approach to hiring contingent workers</a>
Global reach and compliance As companies expand globally, a Managed Service Programme becomes vital, though only if the Managed Service Provider is also global in scale. Though a warehouse worker in Australia ultimately performs the same role as a warehouse worker in the UK, employment laws are quite often distinct.&nbsp;
By using a global Managed Service Provider, a business can lean on their extensive knowledge of tax, labour and legislation in local markets. Not only does this save a business a great deal of energy, but it also ensures that a business&rsquo;s internationalisation efforts are fully compliant &ndash; shielding them from possible lawsuits.
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="../../../../../../solutions/msp/">MSP solution page</a> for more information on our award winning MSP solutions.

What are the benefits of MSP?

MSP doesn&rsquo;t work for every business. Managed Service Programmes only work if there is sufficient volume of contingent labour employed within an organisation. Without the right scale, a Managed Service Programme may not be self-sufficient. For businesses who do employ a large contingent workforce, you need to ask a few questions.
Firstly, are you adequately controlling costs, mitigating risks and ensuring compliance? Secondly, do you have the expertise to vet and review suppliers? Finally, do you have a VMS and other technological solutions in place to provide visibility of contingent workforce spend and efficiency?
Businesses who utilise contingent talent on a medium to large scale that answer no to any of these questions will benefit from an effective Managed Service Programme.

MSP: finding the right solution for your business

<ul>
<li>Management of contingent labour</li>
<li><a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/what-is-a-talent-pool">Qualified pools of talented candidates</a></li>
<li>A streamlined recruitment process</li>
<li>Contract management</li>
<li>Supplier management and selection</li>
<li>Reporting and analysis</li>
<li>Invoice management</li>
<li>Regular progress updates and business reviews</li>
</ul>

The core components of a Managed Service Programm

<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-rpo">Recruitment Process Outsourcing</a> is primarily used for permanent staff, whereas an MSP is a solution that manages a business&rsquo; contingent workforce. Businesses can utilise MSP &amp; RPO at the same time under a <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-total-talent-management">Total Talent Management</a> arrangement.
Want to learn more about RPO? <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-rpo">Click here</a>

How is MSP different from RPO?

Contingent talent is becoming increasingly difficult to find. The most critical skills are becoming more expensive than ever. So it&rsquo;s little surprise that in recent years businesses&rsquo; contingent workforces have been rapidly increasing across almost every sector &ndash; especially as they seek to become more flexible, responsive and agile. Today, non-employees make up over 40% of the modern workforce, and contingent talent is more important than ever.
A Managed Service Programme is the perfect solution in such an economy. Businesses are having to become more agile to survive, and an effective Managed Service Programme not only facilitates this, but it also manages and controls costs &ndash; saving businesses money, time and effort.
Still struggling to understand whether your business should use an MSP? <a href="../../../../../../contact/">Get in touch</a>
Need a workforce solutions partner?
If you&rsquo;re looking for a workforce solution that exactly meets the selection criteria for your organisation but not sure where to start, look no further! Based on our experience we've put together the first instalment of our MSP handbook, <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/the-msp-handbook-a-guide-for-first-generation-buyers">'The complete guide to securing a first-generation MSP solution for your business'</a>.
The aim of this guide is simple: to give you the full picture of what benefits an MSP partner provides, and information to help you decide if it's the right solution for your organisation.

Should you use an MSP?

What is a Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Why use Direct Sourcing?
</li>
<li>
Direct Sourcing with an MSP (Managed Services Provider)
</li>
<li>
How does Direct Sourcing work with my MSP programme?
</li>
<li>
What are the benefits of Direct Sourcing?
</li>
<li>
What is Advanced Direct Sourcing?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
The Complete Guide to Advanced Direct Sourcing
</li>
<li>
Why is direct sourcing important?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is the difference between recruiting and direct sourcing?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
Why does direct sourcing need to use an employer brand?&nbsp;
</li>
</ol>

Direct Sourcing helps organisations attract, curate, and engage groups of talent by activating their employee brand. Direct Sourcing is vital for companies that have repeatable hiring needs as they are able to find talent with the skills that they need, and who are engaged by the brand. Direct sourcing is generally considered more cost effective than recruitment through the supply chain.&nbsp;

Why is direct sourcing important? 

Direct Sourcing focuses on identifying and engaging good quality potential candidates using the organization's brand. Recruiting also involves the interviewing and hiring stages of finding new talent. Recruiting is not possible without first sourcing these candidates in some way and so does not solve staff or skills shortages.&nbsp;

What is the difference between recruiting and direct sourcing? 

Using an employer brand ensures you can attract better quality candidates. It's the way in which&nbsp; organisations can differentiate themselves in the labour market, and a strong employer brand will help businesses better compete for the best talent. Working with a direct sourcing partner can help you establish your brand and establish credibility.&nbsp;

Why does direct sourcing need to use an employer brand? 

Direct Sourcing gives a company access to a pool of pre-screened engaged, specialised contingent talent. &nbsp;With a pool of engaged contingent talent to call upon, that a business knows is aligned with their brand and culture, employers can quickly, and more cost effectively attract and retain the right people for any given project or assignment.
Direct sourcing programmes are typically more cost effective than traditional supply chain approaches for large-scale, repeatable and seasonal hiring needs.

Why use Direct Sourcing?

Often, Direct Sourcing recruitment is best done in partnership with an <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">MSP</a>, as part of a strategic CWM (<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-contingent-workforce-management-cwm">Contingent Workforce Management</a>) programme. By working in partnership with a specialist MSP, employers can leverage their own EVP (Employee Value Proposition) and employer brand to target and attract the best quality and most diverse talent for the most relevant role.
The MSP will use state-of-the-art technology including AI in recruitment, for matching skills to roles, and supporting DE&amp;I (diversity, equity, and inclusion). They will also use benchmarking and forecasting tools, create automated talent community nurture and job alerts, and real time reporting and analysis.
The MSP will use its own talent delivery team to engage candidates and applicants in a meaningful way, ensuring thorough compliance and seamless onboarding. They will also manage contingent workforces, with redeployment keeping quality candidates and temporary workers engaged.
Long-term, a direct sourcing strategy with an MSP can have a significant impact on a business&rsquo;s hiring capability - particularly when skills shortages and competition for top talent are rife - and, most importantly, can save considerable time and money.
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="../../../../../../solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing/">Advanced Direct Sourcing solution page</a> to see what a cutting-edge direct sourcing solution looks like.&nbsp;

Direct Sourcing with an MSP (Managed Services Provider)

<a href="../../../../../../solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing/">Direct Sourcing</a> complements and accelerates your MSP programme with the support and infrastructure needed to source, contract and manage your extended workforce including temporary staff, seasonal workers, and independent workers/contractors.&nbsp;
Direct Sourcing creates diverse talent pools to facilitate repeatable hiring, support the re-deployment of existing staff to suitable roles, and sourcing contingent workers to meet seasonal needs. Direct Sourcing is a managed service that boosts the power of your MSP in a time and cost-effective manner.&nbsp;

How does Direct Sourcing work with my MSP programme?

In an increasingly volatile talent market, it is no surprise that more and more companies are exploring the possibility of implementing their own direct sourcing strategy. Direct sourcing can help businesses to:
1) Access a pool of engaged, talent Direct sourcing gives a company access to a pool of pre-screened, specialised contingent talent.&nbsp; Direct sourcing also enables companies to forge and nurture long-term relationships with contingent workers &mdash; contributing to increased loyalty and buy-in from external employees and expanding the network of company advocates.
2) Improve cost savings Third-party recruiting or consulting firms can often be expensive to work with. The cost markup of using an external recruiter can often range from 20% to 40%, particularly for hard-to-fill and technical roles. Direct sourcing tools such as online marketplaces bring flexibility to talent acquisition, giving hiring managers the means to source and self-select the right contingent talent for specific projects. By cutting out the intermediary in the recruiting process, companies save time and money and free up valuable resources for other important business ventures.
Moreover, a properly implemented direct sourcing strategy will simplify the vetting process &mdash; minimising the risk of misclassifying workers and accruing costly legal fees or penalties.
3) Enhance other aspects of the organisation Not only can direct sourcing save a company money when hiring contingent talent, but it also has a number of softer cost savings that frequently go overlooked.
Typically, direct sourcing reduces time-to-hire, encourages faster and more effective onboarding, and creates a more effective talent pooling of contingent candidates. Consequently, these soft savings can enhance a business&rsquo; employer brand and company culture, further strengthening its chance of hiring top talent in the future.
4) Become a &ldquo;client of choice&rdquo; In recent years, gaining a reputation as an &ldquo;Employer of Choice&rdquo; has enabled companies to attract and retain the best talent based on the strength of their employer brand. By expanding this to become a &ldquo;Client of Choice,&rdquo; businesses stand to attract the best contingent and self-employed workers, even in highly competitive, skills-short industries.&nbsp;

What are the benefits of Direct Sourcing?

Guidant Global&rsquo;s integrated approach &ndash; <a href="../../../../../../solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing/">Advanced Direct Sourcing</a> - activates your <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/complete-guide-to-building-a-unique-evp">EVP</a> and employer brand to attract, curate and engage exclusive talent communities to support repeatable hiring needs without the need for suppliers in a cost-effective way.
This approach uses cutting edge direct sourcing technology and automation, ensuring you source talent in a holistic, integrated way, that includes talent marketing and talent delivery expertise. For more information on Advanced Direct Sourcing page <a href="../../../../../../solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing/">here</a>.

What is Advanced Direct Sourcing? 

For greater insight into how Advanced Direct Sourcing can be used successfully to take your acquisition of contingent talent to the next level, download <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/the-complete-guide-to-direct-sourcing">The Complete Guide to Advanced Direct Sourcing</a>.

The Complete Guide to Advanced Direct Sourcing

What is Direct Sourcing?

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Why use Direct Sourcing?
</li>
<li>
Direct Sourcing with an MSP (Managed Services Provider)
</li>
<li>
How does Direct Sourcing work with my MSP programme?
</li>
<li>
What are the benefits of Direct Sourcing?
</li>
<li>
What is Advanced Direct Sourcing?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
The Complete Guide to Advanced Direct Sourcing
</li>
<li>
What are the benefits of a contingent workforce?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>
What is a contingent worker?&nbsp;
</li>
<li>What companies use contingent workers?&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

The key benefits of contingent worker management over permanent employees are flexibility and cost efficiency. When a contingent worker&rsquo;s contract or project is completed, the organisation is not required to continue to provide work to that worker on a permanent basis. &nbsp;
This means that organisations with seasonal demands or who need talent for short projects but not beyond don&rsquo;t end up paying for employees they no longer need at quieter times, without staff shortages during busier times.&nbsp;

What are the benefits of a contingent workforce? 

A contingent worker is a worker hired on a fixed-term contract or temporary basis to fill a specific role or provide a service for a specific project. A contingent worker is not an employee and as a result has different rights and responsibilities to permanent employees in terms of benefits and conditions of employment. Once a contingent worker's contract ends, unless they are given a new contract or contract extension, they leave the organisation.&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is a contingent worker? 

Nearly all industries make use of contingent workers, in both the public and private sectors. A few examples are healthcare, where hospitals, care homes, community care facilities and clinics rely on contingent workers to fill skill gaps quickly and at short notice, or in construction and engineering companies who rely on contingent workers to carry out specific developments or projects. Organisations who have fluctuating needs are most likely to use contingent workers, and this accounts for the majority of them.&nbsp;

What companies use contingent workers? 

While it may be all too easy to group the entire workforce together, when it comes to effective management of talent there needs to be a separation of permanent and contingent workers due to the varied and nuanced nature in which they are employed.
Contingent workforce management is the hiring and management of non-permanent employees. This includes independent contractors, gig workers, those engaged under a <a href="../../../../../../insights/page/what-is/what-is-statement-of-work-sow-/">Statement of Work</a> (SoW), agency contract labour and temporary staff (find out more about the differences between each of these segments <a href="../../../../../../insights/how-to-manage-contingent-workers/">here</a>).

What is Contingent Workforce Management?

The make-up of the non-permanent workforce is complex to say the least. But it has multiple advantages, from the ability to rapidly scale resources and access to niche skills to delivering projects and meeting seasonal demand.
However, without effective management, the full benefits of the contingent workforce simply can&rsquo;t be realised. As a case in point, there may be resources in one part of the business that could fill a need in another area, but due to the lack of transparency around the workers that are being engaged, costly recruitment processes are being implemented to source skills that the company already has access to.
If we also consider how fluid the non-permanent workforce is, the need for CWM to ensure workers themselves have a positive experience is key. This segment of your <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/what-is-a-talent-pool">talent pool</a> will have access to an array of other employment opportunities, so if they become disengaged, there isn&rsquo;t always the guarantee that they can be re-employed when the need arises again.

Why manage the contingent workforce?

The flexibility that the contingent workforce affords a business is one of the greatest selling points for employing this segment &ndash; with employers able to scale the workforce up or down where necessary with relative ease. However, it is the fluid nature of this talent pool that also creates the greatest challenge. With such a wide range of ways contingent workers can be employed, HR and procurement teams will be facing managing multiple suppliers, in a variety of sectors, locations and job roles, as well as a workforce that they arguably don&rsquo;t have complete oversight on.
With differing working arrangements, how you track and engage with each section of your contingent workforce will vary significantly. As a case in point, Agency Workers will be very much driven by the agency they are deployed by, so you will likely have much closer contact and involvement with the third-party vendor than the individual.
Independent contractors, on the other hand, will be much more directly connected to HR and procurement functions.
Ensuring your contingent workforce is being employed compliantly is also a key challenge. But with the potential for the risk to be passed down the supply chain to the end-client if an individual isn&rsquo;t being paid or managed in a compliant manner, or doesn&rsquo;t hold the required level of employment or specific job role certification, it is a highly crucial element of contingent workforce management that should not be overlooked.

What are the key challenges?

While there may be a number of challenges when it comes to managing your contingent workforce, the simple fact is, it is a necessity. Perhaps more importantly, it needs to be done right. With the gig economy growing and reliance on contingent workers increasing (not to mention the fact that more people want to be employed in a more flexible way), businesses that don&rsquo;t have an effective CWM program will soon find their competitive talent pools shrink.
Of course, it is possible to manage this in-house, but it will require expert resources with the knowledge of supplier management processes and compliant employment methods, as well as access to real time data of the organisation&rsquo;s contingent supply chain. For already over-stretched HR and procurement teams this in reality just isn&rsquo;t feasible, which is why alternative options are often chosen.
In these instances, there are three main options for an organisation:
<ul>
<li>Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Or employing contingent workers under a Statement of Work. We mentioned SoW above as a segment of the contingent workforce, but it is possible to drive elements of your CWM through this <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/is-global-sourcing-the-same-as-outsourcing">employment model</a>. In essence, you would engage a third-party professional services company to deliver specific work for a defined cost and period. The people who deliver the work will likely be employed by a services company or operate through a Limited Company, so you would have an agreed contract in place with the company itself to deliver the work.</li>
<li>Utilising a <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/whats-the-difference-between-vms-and-msp">Vendor Management System</a>: This is essentially software that facilitates contingent workforce management. It&rsquo;s often cloud-based and hosts a wealth of data that informs your CWM, but it will require management either internally or through another management solution. As with all other tech platforms, it is only as good as the data going into it and the processes and governance which surrounds it.</li>
<li>Engaging a <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">Managed Service Provider</a> (MSP): This is an outsourced provider that manages all or part of your contingent workforce recruitment &ndash; including the <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/whats-the-difference-between-vms-and-msp">VMS</a>. This is often the preferred choice for effective CWM due to the access it grants businesses to expert knowledge and experience of compliance, vendor management and technology platforms.</li>
</ul>
Take a look at Guidant Global's <a href="../../../../../../solutions/msp/">MSP solution page</a> for more information on our award winning contingent workforce solutions.

What are my options for effective contingent workforce management?

Clearly effective contingent workforce management is a necessity. As non-permanent workforce numbers continue to grow, ensuring that you have the programs in place to best manage and deploy this segment of your company now is key to ensuring your business can flex and adapt in the future.
To find out more about Guidant Global&rsquo;s <a href="../../../../../../solutions/msp/">Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions</a>, <a href="../../../../../../contact/">contact</a> our team today.
Need a workforce solutions partner? If you&rsquo;re looking for a workforce solution that exactly meets the selection criteria for your organisation but not sure where to start, look no further! Based on our experience we've put together the first instalment of our MSP handbook, '<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/the-msp-handbook-a-guide-for-first-generation-buyers">The complete guide to securing a first-generation MSP solution for your business</a>'.
The aim of this guide is simple: to give you the full picture of what benefits an MSP partner provides, and information to help you decide if it's the right solution for your organisation.

Getting your CWM in order now

What is contingent workforce management (CWM)

<h4>What we will cover</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Why do businesses choose to outsource recruitment?
</li>
<li>
How does outsourcing recruitment work?
</li>
<li>
The different outsourced workforce solutions
</li>
<li>
The benefits of outsourcing
</li>
<li>
Outsourcing recruitment benefits existing teams
</li>
</ol>

The most obvious reason why businesses choose to outsource their recruitment is that it leads to cost savings. According to Brandon Gaille, 46% of companies outsource to reduce operating costs. The talent market today is also more competitive than ever.
With global skills shortages, new ways of working, and technological disruption, attracting and retaining the right skillsets a business needs to grow is fraught with difficulty. But through purchasing an MSP, RPO or SoW solution, a business can lean on the expertise of their staffing partner who can utilise their world-class capabilities to attract the best candidates &mdash; even for difficult to fill positions.
See how businesses are benefiting from outsourcing <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news">here</a>.

Why do businesses choose to outsource recruitment?

Outsourcing, specifically related to outsourced recruitment, changes the way businesses attract talent. Traditionally, when a business needs new staff, it uses its internal HR or talent acquisition teams, or quite often, hiring managers contact a traditional staffing recruitment agency, to find people for the job in hand.
Outsourcing recruitment under an MSP, RPO or SoW solution is similar to recruitment, except a workforce solution provider tackles every aspect of the recruitment process, and often at scale. Whereas a traditional recruitment company works on a role-by-role basis, a workforce solution provider over time develops talent pools that are ideally aligned with a business&rsquo; needs. Under an outsourced recruitment model, people doing the same job are always paid at the same rate, increasing pay consistency throughout a business.
Similarly staffing agencies engaged by the outsourced recruitment provider are each paid the same rate, saving the client company money and increasing agency fee rate consistency throughout the business.
Moreover, an end-to-end outsourcing solution takes on other beneficial purposes. From designing the onboarding process to using data analytics to predict future hiring needs, an outsourced workforce solution enables hiring to be strategic, improves a business&rsquo; employer brand, and ultimately gets the best talent at speed whenever a business needs it.
&nbsp;

How does outsourcing recruitment work?

Workforce solutions come in a number of guises. To help you understand the basic differentiators of MSP, RPO and SoW, as well as learn their unique strategic advantages, here are brief explanations of each solution:
Contingent RPO
Contingent RPO takes all the benefits of the best permanent RPO solutions (such as employer branding, EVP, technology implementation and direct sourcing teams) and implements them within a contingent MSP programme.
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-contingent-rpo">Discover more about Contingent RPO</a>
Managed Services Programmes (MSP)
Managed service programmes are solutions designed to optimise your contingent workforce. From freelancers and contractors to business consultants, 40% of today&rsquo;s workforce is composed of non-employees. A Managed Service Provider (MSP) designs, implements and manages your non-employee talent. From optimising recruitment processes to supply chain management, programme analytics to cost control, MSPs provide the best talent at the best price through a fully-optimised non-employee programme.
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">Discover more about MSP</a>
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
Recruitment Process Outsourcing is a solution designed to improve the hiring of permanent staff. When sourcing permanent employees, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) maximises the quality of your hires while minimising the resources needed to identify, attract and recruit them. Operating either in partnership with your existing talent acquisition team or as an alternative resource, RPO teams are often based on-site, enabling them to become fully embedded in your culture.
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-rpo">Discover more about RPO</a>
Statement of Work (SoW)
A Statement of Work is a solution that allows you to hire the best talent on a project-driven basis. Under an SoW, a business requests that its workforce solution provider to use its expertise to hire in the talent necessary to successfully complete a project. There are two widely used SoW models &mdash; Time and Materials SoW, and Outcome-led SoW. In some regions, such as the UK, Outcome-led SoWs are increasingly the go-to for businesses looking to reduce spend, and ensure projects are completed on time, without any cost overrun.
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-statement-of-work-sow">Discover more about SOW</a>

The different outsourced workforce solutions

Though cost savings are often the primary driver for business looking to outsource recruitment, there are other major advantages of buying a staffing solution from a workforce solution provider.
For global businesses, one of the main advantages of outsourcing staffing is compliance. Two workers doing the same job in two different countries will likely be held to different employment laws. When you expand this situation across thousands of workers in numerous territories, the situation can become complex.
With an MSP, RPO or SoW solution, however, a business can outsource this complexity knowing full-well that every worker will be compliant &mdash; whether they&rsquo;re a software development professional in Seattle or a project management expert in London.
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-contingent-rpo">Unsure what RPO is? Find out here</a>

The benefits of outsourcing

&nbsp;Cost savings and improved efficiency are, of course, the two main drivers for acquiring workforce solutions.
But another aspect often gets overlooked. By outsourcing recruitment, HR teams are set free to work on other important tasks. Often, these projects can lead to greater creativity, happier teams, and reduced attrition, not only within HR functions but company-wide. Though attracting the right talent is the most difficult aspects of modern business, retaining talent is equally important.
Outsourced workforce solutions tackle both attraction and retention head-on, but HR teams with greater time resource can also engage the remaining workforce (who are not engaged by the workforce solution provider) in new and innovative ways. For a business, a workforce solution is a genuine win-win.
Ensure your business gets the best solution | <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/creating-an-rfp-for-outsourced-workforce-solutions-part-1">Download our guide to writing a great RFP</a>

Outsourcing recruitment benefits existing teams

What is outsourcing?

<h2>We’ve been recognized by the industry</h2>

<h2>Insights to drive workforce performance</h2>

<h2>Workforce insights in your inbox</h2>Sign up for our newsletter with the latest workforce management news, insights, analysis and more.

<h3>Unlock your non-employee workforce’s full potential through a unique collaboration of recruitment industry leaders.</h3>

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<h2>Drive better workforce performance</h2>Book a discovery call with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. Filling in the form is the first stop to better performance.

<h2>Delivering #ABetterway</h2>Our prime objective is to change the quick-fix, profit-first, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry. Put simply, we deliver #ABetterWay. In the new world of work, we need new solutions, motivational work practices, and leading technology. We anticipate what’s needed to help our clients achieve not just their program KPI’s but ultimately build better businesses.&nbsp;

<h1>Workforce solutions #ABetterWay</h1>We provide global workforce management solutions that help companies find the best contingent and permanent talent. Our uniquely shaped solutions, people-centric approach, culture and collaboration with others truly sets us apart from others in our industry.

<h3>Join #TeamGuidant</h3>People. Lead. Growth. Three simple words. That’s the secret to our people-centric approach.

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<h1>Making an ESG impact</h1>As part of Impellam a key area of our focus is our global ESG impact. Below are just a few of the initiatives we are delivering at Impellam to play our part in cultivating a better world.&nbsp;

<h2>Drive better workforce performance</h2>Book a discovery call with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. Filling in the form is the first step to better performance.

<h2>Drive better workforce performance</h2>
Book a discovery call with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. Filling in the form is the first stop to better performance.

<h2>We’ve been recognized for our CWM, ED&amp;I &amp; direct sourcing capabilities</h2>

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<h2>Unique in the market</h2>Our approach is not reliant on technology alone. It’s a holistic, integrated solution that includes talent marketing and talent delivery expertise - underpinned by the latest technology. We work in partnership with you to develop a bespoke direct sourcing strategy and build talent communities.

<h2>We’ve been recognized for our CWM, MSP &amp; SAP capabilities</h2>

<h3>Rethink your non-employee workforce management</h3>

<h2>Unlock your non-employee workforce’s full potential through a unique collaboration of recruitment industry leaders.</h2>Introducing @Pace from Guidant Global and SAP Fieldglass.

<h1>Recognized as leaders</h1>Awards, accreditations and outstanding analyst rankings - we’ve been recognized by many of the leading institutions and analysts in our industry.&nbsp;

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We’ve actively taken the lead within the recruitment industry for diverse and inclusive workforce strategies. By actively working with our clients, suppliers and industry partners, we’re opening doors for people historically overlooked by the recruitment sector.&nbsp;

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<h1>Global workforce solutions that put people first</h1>
We champion #ABetterWay &ndash; a forward-thinking way of working; moving away from &lsquo;recruitment by numbers&rsquo; and shifting the perspective to focus on people.

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People. Lead. Growth. Three simple words. That&rsquo;s the secret to our people-centric approach.

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Guidant Global offers you direct and often exclusive access to amazing jobs with some of the UK's top employers.&nbsp;

<h2>Our solutions</h2>
Agile. Digitally enabled. Scalable. Evolving with you. Our solutions are designed to help organizations achieve new levels of workforce quality, cost savings, compliance and efficiency.

<h1>Integrated Workforce Solutions&nbsp;</h1>Guidant Global is proud to be part of Impellam, a connected group offering unparalleled workforce and STEM talent solutions expertise to provide your organization with mission-critical skillsets to future-proof your business. Our blended approach fuses extensive workforce solutions expertise, with access to deep communities of STEM talent.&nbsp;As one of the largest workforce and STEM talent solutions companies in the world, we help clients to get the best possible ROI from nearly £4.5bn of workforce spend and 2,900 supplier relationships, across nearly 80 countries.&nbsp;

<h2>Impellam’s journey to Net Zero</h2>We've made a long-term commitment to our blended working policy, which encourages less impactful working behaviors – such as working from home and conducting meetings online.We calculate our environmental impact across Scope 1, 2 and 3 (selected categories) for our UK operations. Our 2022 UK emissions were 894,249 kgCO2e (down from 969,569 kgCO2e in 2021). This is an average impact of 442 kgCO2e per £m revenue (down from 582 kgCO2e per £m in 2021).We achieved carbon neutral certification for 2022 by offsetting our carbon emissions, as stated above, using the PAS2060 framework.2022 was our first full financial year of purchasing 100% renewable electricity for our UK operations. In 2021-22, our supplier’s fuel mix was zero carbon and 100% renewable energy, made up of 82.5% wind, 9.3% solar and 8.2% hydro power.Our head office has achieved accreditation to ISO 14001 in relation to its environment management systems.<h2>UNITY - Our inclusion council</h2>We want to create workspaces that reflect the diversity of our society. Where everyone – from any background – can be their authentic selves and do their best work. We are inclusive and welcoming for people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, disabilities, abilities, military statuses, socioeconomic statuses, ages and faiths.We do this internally through UNITY, our equity, diversity and inclusion council, and externally by working with our clients, suppliers and ED&amp;I partners to design strategies to attract and engage under-represented groups and to remove barriers to recruitment.

<h1>Our people are different&nbsp;</h1>Our people bring our #ABetterWay mission to life. We are a collective of like-minded, passionate, experienced and approachable individuals united by #ABetterWay. Many of our people have appearing on SIA’s famed lists covering ‘SIA 100 Europe and North America’, ‘Women In Staffing’, ‘40 under 40’ and ‘ED&amp;I influencers’.

<h3>Optimise contingent workforce performance with an MSP solution built around you.</h3>

<h2>MSP solutions</h2>Optimise contingent workforce performance with an MSP solution built around you.

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<h3>RPO solutions giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent</h3>

<h2>RPO</h2>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.

<h3>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.</h3>

<h2>RPO solutions</h2>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.

<h3>Enhance enterprise outcomes through optimized services procurement management.</h3>

<h2>Services Procurement (SOW)</h2>Enhance enterprise outcomes through optimized services procurement management.

<h2>We’ve been recognized for our services procurement and SoW sourcing capabilities</h2>

<h1>Solutions to drive workforce performance</h1>Agile. Digitally enabled. Scalable. Evolving with you. Our solutions are created on the unique challenges of each client. Not the one-size-fits-all, quick-fix, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry.

<h2>Solution benefits</h2>Not the one-size-fits-all, quick-fix, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry.

<h2>Our solutions</h2>Agile. Digitally enabled. Scalable. Evolving with you. Our solutions are designed to help organizations achieve new levels of workforce quality, cost savings, compliance and efficiency.

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<h1>#ABetterWay for supplier relations</h1>MSPs often neglect suppliers. At Guidant Global, we do things differently. We partner. We collaborate. We nurture.

<h1>Award winning SRM&nbsp;</h1>Our supplier and strategic partner relationships have helped us win APSCo’s coveted RPO/MSP of the Year Award four times – and three awards in consecutive years — the only RPO/MSP to ever achieve this!We’re well-versed in assuming control of existing supply chains and preferred supplier lists, giving them the opportunity to supply within a Guidant MSP program. We then install governance that allows us to review performance so we can refine the supply chain to include only the very best suppliers. <h2>Using our INfluence. Driving inclusion through supplier diversity</h2>Our INfluence Supplier Diversity Program has a vital role to play in nurturing more minority suppliers into our supply chain. Working in a two-year partnership, Guidant Global provides selected diverse suppliers with multiple tools to help them achieve greater success and the platform to build mutually beneficial relationships with our clients to help inform and support their ED&amp;I goals. <h2>Suppliers driving candidate diversity</h2>We work with pre-selected suppliers to create a set of diversity metrics which both Guidant and the supplier commit to. For example – if the client is focusing on driving female representation in an area of their workforce, our suppliers agree that 3 out of 5 candidates submitted will be women.&nbsp;&nbsp; <h2>Aligning suppliers to Impellam’s ED&amp;I UNITY program</h2>At Impellam we have UNITY – our internal ED&amp;I program. UNITY brings our people together to build communities, find allies across our regions, to raise awareness and champion change. Our BRG’s (business resource groups) align to each protected characteristic (and more, such as veterans). We align strategically suitable suppliers to each BRG area, based on the accreditations they hold and initiatives the supplier promotes.&nbsp;This is designed to both extend the reach of our BRG’s but to also help clients find capable suppliers who can help drive specific areas of diverse talent into their workforces.&nbsp; <h2>Supporting growth</h2>Our Ascend program is designed to identify a small number of suppliers each year and forge a deeper partnership, resulting in growth and brand amplification for both Guidant and the supplier. We achieve this through access to a host of Guidant resources, alignment of shared values, shared intelligence and collaboration across our teams, especially with Sales.

<h1>Become a supplier</h1>We only work with the very best recruitment suppliers. Like-minded partners that share our candidate-centric approach. If you would like to know more about becoming a Guidant Global supply partner, get in touch.

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<h2>The right technology partners. Configured to meet your unique needs.</h2>Our end-to-end technology approach covers identification and configuration to training, change management and ongoing support.

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<h1>Vision. A powerful, personalized data ecosystem.</h1>Vision is powerful. A dataset built from your own workforce data and that of thousands of global suppliers’ integral performance data, past and present.