University Staffing Whitepaper FINAL 27729 TA 191224 - Flipbook - Page 8
Master vendor arrangements
How does this apply to universities?
The size and complexity of many modern universities can
make it dif昀椀cult for a single agency to handle the entire
end-to-end staf昀椀ng process. This is especially true if the
university requires large numbers of contingent or external
workers as an essential part of its operations. In this
situation, a retainer-based model may not be suitable.
Most modern universities in the UK have a long and
complex staf昀椀ng supply chain. While this does often mean
that individual departments can access the specialist talent
they need, it makes it hard for head of昀椀ces to gain true
visibility over how the institution is managing its staf昀椀ng
needs. In fact, they may only see the aggregated costs
at the end of the month without much insight into what
services were provided or how effective they were. Having a
master vendor in place can help add clarity and consistency
for visible spend across all staf昀椀ng activity.
A master vendor arrangement involves a university
designating one staf昀椀ng agency as the primary supplier
responsible for managing and coordinating all staf昀椀ng
agencies in its supply chain. The master vendor agency
acts as a single point of contact for all service queries
and manages the relationships with other agencies. If the
master vendor is unable to ful昀椀l a role itself, it releases
that vacancy to a wider network of second- and third-tier
agencies.
Bene昀椀ts:
This model has proven to be successful for UK universities
with one institution signi昀椀cantly simplifying the
management of multiple agencies through a master vendor
agreement that used a centralised client portal. This helped
the university achieve better coordination and control over
recruitment costs across its entire footprint.
Simpli昀椀ed management of multiple suppliers in a
complex supply chain.
Improved coordination and communication between
network agencies.
Greater control over recruitment costs and quality.
The master vendor is the main point of contact –
providing simpli昀椀ed process and data management.
Another implemented a master vendor
arrangement so they could secure
the right staff to launch a new food
catering service for students.
Potential disadvantages:
Success is dependent on the performance and
capabilities of the master vendor agency.
Limited 昀氀exibility in working with other specialist
agencies if not pre-agreed on the second and third-tier
supplier lists.
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