Breaking with convention

It has been a challenging year for all and with the prospect of uncertainty in most sectors for 2010 I have noticed a considerable shift in the way clients, and contractors, are behaving towards contract recruiters. The influence an established recruiter can have on the fortunes of the people they deal with should never be underestimated, and now is the time to place your trust in your recruiter to look after your best interests.

It has never been more important to understand the increasing pressure each party is under in these economic conditions, and for each to offer above and beyond the usual standards of professional conduct and service without a depression in rates. Frustration at the lack of jobs on the open market, an over-supply of available contractors, and the ineptitude of most recruiters has led some suppliers to employ desperate tactics when seeking their next contract. Good recruitment consultants are increasingly wrongly treated as administrators, largely due to a shift in the value supplier companies place on their abilities.

A good recruiter will know his suppliers, their strengths and weaknesses and will match them to their client where their unique experience will be of greatest value. At Vector, we appreciate that the work our suppliers do, and their conduct at client sites, directly influences the overall contract term and subsequent business relationship. Suppliers to Vector are representative of Vector at client sites, and know that our collaboration ensures the longest and most commercially viable contracts. I am aware that some recruiters do not treat suppliers with the respect they deserve, and we seek a working contract based on trust and mutual respect always. Coupled with our superb back office administration, Vector has a balanced relationship with its suppliers. Supplier companies treat Vector as their client, reinforcing the assertion that they are representative of their own businesses. Social changes have had a negative effect on the ability of professional contractors to promote themselves as service companies, supporting service contracts. The expectation of non-career contractors is to be treated as an employee by either the agency or the client which often leads to confusion in the supplier relationship chain. Vector is working hard to support the efforts of career contractors, and to help raise their profiles above those who behave as employees and therefore the label of ‘temp’. We aim to safeguard the IR35 status of all our contracts, and treat our suppliers as the independent businesses that they are.

Equally, Vector work against the tide of opinion with clients, re-establishing the concept of professional contracting. We behave as a consultancy to our clients, offering them inclusive solutions to their technical and business problems. We provide answers, working with them to save their time and money, and delivering the outcome they want. Part of this is improving their perception of professional contractors – for every agency they have had a bad experience with, they will have had more than one under-performing contractor – and most of this is achieved by knowing our suppliers and setting an expectation of what is achievable in advance of the contract being signed. Again, many clients have fallen into a trap of process, largely because of the ineptitude of most recruiters to provide a structured service or to confidently recommend a known supplier. We enjoy a lot of repeat custom because of the tried and trusted way we work, and because we have a market leading conversion rate of instruction to contract award.

I predict that 2010 will see better equilibrium to the market, where contractor numbers will decline and specifications will become more varied and interesting. We have an opportunity to once again enjoy the diversity and flexibility contracting brings, and whether you are a client of Vector’s, or a supplier to us, I challenge you to join me in setting an example to the industry as a bastion of professional contracting services.
 

Martin Pite, Team Manager, Vector Resourcing