
What is an MSP (Managed Service Programme) Anyway?
Posted February 17, 2025An MSP explained
An MSP (Managed Service Programme) is an outsourcing solution in which a partner takes responsibility for managing the contingent workforce for an organisation.
The contingent workforce can be made up of temporary employees, contractors and consultants deployed under Statement of Work (SoW) agreements.
Typically, an MSP partner will manage the full contingent worker lifecycle from resource planning and approvals, through the end-to-end recruitment process, to onboarding, payroll, extension management and offboarding. In addition, an MSP partner provides market intelligence and guidance, access to great talent, consistency of process, compliance, cost management and reporting across the contingent workforce.
Who may benefit from an MSP?
When they first started, the main appeal of an MSP solution was focussed on the time savings and efficiencies associated with the management of the contingent worker process.
Enterprise organisations with large contingent worker populations (250+), would appoint a partner to ensure that roles had been approved, to co-ordinate the recruitment process and to centralise time keeping and invoices into one, consolidated format.
The introduction of VMS technology has automated much of this process, enabling MSP providers to expand the scope of the service across multiple geographic areas, or, to focus their attentions on cost saving, risk mitigation, and access to high quality contingent talent.
With more agile MSP partners entering the market, size and scale is no longer a barrier to entry for organisations.
What should I be asking before starting an MSP?
The key questions any potential MSP buyer should ask themselves before getting started are:
Are contingent workers a consistent part of your resourcing strategy?
Would you like to access the best contingent talent in the most cost-effective manner?
Is it important that your contingent workforce complies with local regulations and legislation?
Do you struggle to gain visibility of contingent workforce spend across your business?
Does recruiting, managing, and onboarding contingent workers take up more time than you would like?
Ready to find out more?
If you’re looking to deliver real business value from your contingent workforce and are ready to get started with an MSP, download our ultimate guide to getting started today.
Answering all of your questions from what types of MSP are available to you, what the benefits are through to how to get started, this Guide will set you up for success.
Have any more questions? Reach out to Steve Phillips today [email protected]