University Staffing Whitepaper FINAL 27729 TA 191224 - Flipbook - Page 9
Managed service arrangements
While a master vendor arrangement can provide
a long-term solution for universities, they can still be
complex and dif昀椀cult to manage due to the need to
maintain close coordination between the head of昀椀ce
and the supplier. A managed service arrangement can
potentially reduce this complexity while providing 昀氀exibility
and ef昀椀ciencies.
The university outsources the management of its entire
recruitment process to a managed service provider (MSP),
who takes responsibility for sourcing and managing all
temporary and/or permanent agency staff, providing
centralised data management, and acts as a single point of
contact.
Bene昀椀ts:
Eliminates the need to manage multiple suppliers – and
the potential costs associated with doing so.
Increased 昀氀exibility when it comes to tailoring the
staf昀椀ng service to the speci昀椀c needs of the university.
Outsourcing to experts can streamline compliance
activities and work昀氀ows.
Centralised management information for better
decision-making.
Frees up time so that departments can focus their
time and resources elsewhere.
Potential disadvantages:
A signi昀椀cant amount of staf昀椀ng control is outsourced to
the MSP which requires a strong working relationship to
see success.
There may be risks associated with ‘vendor lock-in’ and
the typically long-term nature of contracts.
How does this apply to universities?
Temporary and permanent staf昀椀ng agencies are experts
in sourcing and delivering candidates for their clients. It
is what their teams do day in, day out. University head
of昀椀ces on the other hand, have a range of priorities – from
delivering the right experience for students to supporting
teaching staff and maintaining infrastructure. They are
not typically experts in managing large-scale staf昀椀ng
programmes for organisations with needs as diverse as
a modern university. A managed service arrangement
effectively provides an experienced recruitment specialist
who can act as a seamless extension of the university,
allowing you to focus your department’s time and resources
on other integral activities.
It is a model that can have signi昀椀cant long-term bene昀椀ts.
One institution implemented a Managed Service
arrangement that led to £1 million cost savings, rationalised
pay rates, and helped mitigate the risk of non-compliance
with temporary worker legislation and IR35 regulations.
One Russell Group
University’s MSP
resulted in £1 million
cost saving, 100%
ful昀椀lment of all
contingent worker
roles, and a reduction
in the time taken to
昀椀ll vacancies.
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