How to Amplify Your MSP Programme Success with Direct Sourcing

Low unemployment, skills gaps and more positions than applicants are a few of the ongoing trends that have contributed to a tight labour market in the UK and across Europe. Workforce leaders need to continuously evaluate and adapt their workforce strategies to incorporate new approaches to accessing the talent required to get work done.  

As a leading managed service provider (MSP), Allegis Global Solutions (AGS) has seen a greater number of clients turn to direct sourcing as a cost and time effective way to boost the value of their MSP programmes and harness the power of the extended workforce. 

In this article, I will cover a few real-world examples of how organisations are amplifying the impact of their MSP programmes through direct sourcing.

Improved Candidate Experience  

When it comes to effective workforce planning, positive and proactive action is almost always preferred and yields better results than reactivity. Most organisations have a very clear strategy for attracting and retaining their permanent workforce. The candidate value proposition is clear; the route to engage with the company is clear from a candidate perspective; and organisations make their diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, working policies, benefits and career progression opportunities clear for all to see.  

Most of the recruitment of the permanent workforce is done directly through an internal talent acquisition team or through a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner that engages on behalf of the company with full access to the employer’s branding. Yet, when it comes to go-to-market strategies for contingent workers, companies tend to rely on third-party suppliers to engage with contingent workers leveraging their staffing firm’s branding. But a dedicated contingent worker landing page helps lead to improved contingent worker attraction, which is often not included on an organisation’s careers pages. 

To be clear, a solid and well thought out supply chain strategy is a critical element to MSP programme success; however, this can sometimes be at the risk of losing the consistency and effectiveness of a contingent worker value proposition message when multiple suppliers are sourcing on a single role but leveraging separate strategies and messaging to engage that contingent talent.  

An MSP partner with direct sourcing capabilities can ensure consistency in messaging while leveraging the company’s branding and messaging for a clear, consistent and integrated candidate experience.  

Accelerated Time to Fill in Contingent Roles

An MSP programme provides your organisation with the support and infrastructure needed to source, contract and manage the extended workforce. A direct sourcing programme from your MSP partner can actually accelerate this process. 

Your MSP partner’s intimate knowledge of your business needs and access to extensive talent pipelines through regional delivery centres positions them to quickly match the best candidate to fill the role. Further, there is no lost time briefing an external source when the MSP team you already trust will source suitable people to fit into your workforce plan. In a recent case study, a large financial institution experienced an average of 38 days to fill a role contracting talent through regular channels; however, through direct sourcing with AGS the average shrunk to 17 days.  

AGS invests in further building a proactive pipeline through a strong, supportive technology ecosystem, including our Acumen^® Workforce Intelligence platform. Not only can technology give you more visibility into the talent pool, but it also helps to re-engage with known candidates.  

As we’re heading into a likely recession, you still need to be able to get work done. Being able to quickly adjust your extended workforce quickly without sacrificing quality will only prove more important as a competitive advantage.  

Advance Progress on Your DEI Goals

Often cost savings are not a client’s most pressing workforce need. More and more organisations are working to increase the impact of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts through many different angles, including the extended workforce, but often do not know how to effectively bridge that gap. Visibility, process, attraction, technology, sourcing and inclusion being some of the main challenges.  

An experienced MSP partner with a strong commitment to DEI can help organisations capture diverse spend, identify gaps within your contingent workforce program and engage a more inclusive group of suppliers. As a direct sourcing partner, your MSP can also utilize targeted marketing campaigns and their trusted supply chains to access the talent that your company needs. 

For one of our clients in the financial services industry, we maintain a dedicated DEI direct souring recruitment team with people of all ages and different disabilities and abilities. Working with job boards, and through our partnerships with communities, charities and not-for-profit organisations (NGOs), we have been able to increase the presence of women at the executive level, a target of 30% to achieve a 110% of the hiring goal for women at the executive level which was achieved within 12 months. 

Further, as your MSP partner is aligned to your strategic DEI goals, bringing in direct sourcing recruiters will further their capabilities in delivering diverse talent options that address specific areas of underrepresentation in your business.  A direct sourcing partner also can leverage your organisation’s brand equity in their recruitment marketing efforts to extends your company’s reach while showcasing your specific DEI EVP message in the marketplace. Thus, direct sourcing can be an additional, and often underutilized, channel to reaching your DEI goals.  

Direct Sourcing Amplifies MSP Value

For every organisation there is a unique workforce plan that matches the right people with skills that you need to get work done. Your MSP partner is a key partner in determining how contingent workers fit into that overall workforce plan. By engaging your MSP programme to include direct sourcing, all your extended workforce needs can be met by a team of people with which you already have a trusted relationship. So, the benefits you typically engage an MSP to receive – visibility, cost savings and compliance – are additionally enhanced through direct sourcing.