Stop Wasting Money: How a VMS Can Slash Your Contingent Labour Costs

In today's UK business landscape, contingent and temporary workers are a vital part of many organisations' strategies, offering flexibility and access to specialised skills. However, managing this flexible workforce often comes with hidden costs that can silently erode your budget. From inflated agency fees to unoptimised processes, inefficient contingent labour management can lead to significant financial leakage. The good news? A robust Vendor Management System (VMS) isn't just about efficiency; it's a powerful tool to aggressively cut down your contingent labour expenditure.

One of the most immediate ways a VMS saves you money is through rate standardisation and enforcement. Without a VMS, different hiring managers might be negotiating different rates with the same agency for identical roles. This lack of consistency inevitably leads to overspending. A VMS allows you to set clear, pre-approved rate cards for various roles and skill sets, ensuring that all agencies adhere to agreed-upon pricing. Any deviation is flagged, giving you control and preventing unnecessary mark-ups.

Next, consider the impact on procurement cycles and competition. A VMS streamlines the process of sending out requisitions to multiple approved agencies simultaneously. This fosters healthy competition, driving agencies to submit their best candidates at the most competitive rates. Instead of relying on a single, potentially expensive, supplier, you leverage the market to your advantage, ensuring you always get the best value for your investment.

Invoice accuracy and reconciliation are another major area of cost saving. Manual invoice processing for contingent workers is notoriously error-prone. Discrepancies in hours, rates, and overtime can easily slip through the cracks, leading to overpayments. A VMS automates time tracking and integrates directly with invoicing, cross-referencing approved hours and rates against submitted invoices. This drastically reduces the likelihood of billing errors, ensuring you only pay for what was actually delivered.

Furthermore, a VMS provides unparalleled spend visibility and reporting. Imagine being able to see, at a glance, exactly where your contingent labour budget is going. Which departments are spending the most? Which roles are most expensive? Which agencies offer the best value for money? This granular data allows you to identify areas of overspending, negotiate better terms with suppliers, and make informed strategic decisions to optimise your workforce mix. It transforms anecdotal cost concerns into actionable financial insights.

Finally, by improving compliance and reducing risk, a VMS helps avoid costly penalties and legal fees associated with misclassification or non-compliance. These indirect cost savings can be substantial, protecting your business from unforeseen financial hits.

How expressHR can help: expressHR is designed to put you in control of your contingent labour spend. Its robust features for rate card management, competitive bid processes, automated time and expense tracking, and comprehensive financial reporting empower you to identify savings, enforce policies, and ensure every penny spent on your external workforce delivers maximum value.