Simplified Contractor & Vendor Management

Organizations cannot afford to approach their contingent workforce management in an ad-hoc, as-needed manner. They must begin to manage their entire workforce, including the contract and temporary segment, efficiently. A third party can assist organizations to create an effective contingent labour management program that gives visibility into the costs, mitigates risk, and provides a record of the worker’s employment with the organization.

Aberdeen research surveyed companies and divided these organizations into best-in-class, industry average, and laggard categories. The best-in-class category consisted of organizations that were in the top 20% performers. They had 87% compliance to federal/state/regulatory labour and tax policies concerning contingent workers, 4.4 contingent worker quality ranking score, and 21% contingent worker spend savings.[1] These organizations have implemented many best practices that organizations should imitate when using a third party or managing contingent labour internally.

There are various third parties that organizations can use that provide different aspects of a successful contingent labour management program.

• Independent Contractor Engagement Specialists (ICES) work with organizations to manage independent contractors — including high-rate, project-based SOW (Statement of Work) consultants — by acting as an Agent or Employer of Record (EOR) for IRS purposes. ICES will assess the eligibility of a potential contractor for 1099 status. If they are found ineligible, ICES will hire the worker as their own W-2 employee, allowing him/her to work for the client on subcontract. For those that are eligible, ICES will act as the “Agent of Record,” simplifying the process for their clients.[2]
• Vendor Management Systems, or VMS, are technology solutions that provide visibility into how many contractors a company is using, for how long, and for what. These technology solutions provide visibility into the cost of the overall contingent labour program. The basic systems handle everything from requisition to off-boarding, including hiring approvals and processing time sheets and invoices.[3]
• An MSP (Managed Service Provider) is an out­sourced service provider who is responsible for procuring and managing contingent workforce needs according to client requirements. MSPs may or may not offer a Vendor Management System (VMS) of their own but they normally combine a VMS technology offering into the programs they run for clients.[4]

All of these third parties can be used in combination or separately. Aberdeen research has found that although all types of third parties are used by best in class organizations, a VMS was the most commonly employed third party by best in class enterprises.[5] Top performing companies were 33% more likely to employ an MSP program than other companies.[6] Best in class organizations were 60% more likely to employ ICEs than other companies, and ICEs have historically shown to increase contract worker compliance by nearly 80%.[7]

For more information about how your organization can benefit from a third party, and to find out more about VMS, MSP, or ICES, Click here or contact:

[1] Dwyer, Christopher J. Contingent Labour Management: Strategies for managing the complexities of the Contingent Labour Umbrella. Aberdeen Group. June 2010

[2] The ROI in Enterprise Contract Talent Management. The Human Capital Institute. Sept 2009

[3] Muson, Howard. Treating Contingent Workers as a Strategic Resource. The Conference Board: Trusted Insights for Business Worldwide. Sept 2010

[4] The ROI in Enterprise Contract Talent Management. The Human Capital Institute. Sept 2009

[5] Dwyer, Christopher J. Contingent Labour Management: Strategies for managing the complexities of the Contingent Labour Umbrella. Aberdeen Group. June 2010

[6] Dwyer, Christopher J. Contingent Labour Management: Strategies for managing the complexities of the Contingent Labour Umbrella. Aberdeen Group. June 2010

[7] Dwyer, Christopher J. Contingent Labour Management: Strategies for managing the complexities of the Contingent Labour Umbrella. Aberdeen Group. June 2010