Your Step-by-Step Guide to MSP Deployment

If you’re in the market to deliver real business value from your contingent workforce and are exploring the world of Managed Service Programmes (MSPs), you might be looking for a resource to help guide you through the process and to answer any questions on if this is the solution for you?

We hear you!

We recently sat down with Sanderson client Karl Whelpdale, a Strategic Procurement Lead with over 30 years’ experience in external workforce management and delivery of global MSP and contractor solutions to get his insights into first-time MSP deployment, why an MSP could be a good option to manage your contractors and advice on starting an MSP journey of your own.

Let’s dive in…

What challenges might arise if you’re managing a contingent workforce without an MSP?

Without an MSP in place, organisations may struggle with fragmented processes and limited visibility on their contractor population. You might face issues like different departments using their own suppliers, inconsistent rates, poor compliance and even a risk around IR35. Not to mention onboarding delays, a significant manual effort for HR, Finance, and Procurement and then ultimately find it difficult to control costs, manage risk, or plan strategically thanks to the lack of a unified solution.

What might trigger a business to consider implementing an MSP for the first time?

Typically, this can be a combination of pain points. Think spiralling contractor costs, audit or compliance issues, and overworked internal teams. Or sometimes it’s as simple as needing access to talent at speed, especially in competitive markets. A well-designed MSP can introduce the control, transparency and agility that’s needed when you want to scale your business.

What are the key stages in successfully deploying an MSP?

You can break this down into four simple steps. First up, start with discovery. Understand the current state of your contingent workforce, map your stakeholders and gather data. Secondly, look at design. Define what success looks like to your business, choose your supplier model and build a governance framework. Thirdly, build and test. Look at how you can integrate systems, train users and prepare for go-live. And fourth and finally you’re at post-launch. Here it’s all about adoption and continuous improvement based on metrics and feedback.

What should you consider when selecting an MSP partner?

As well as having experience in delivering first-generation Managed Service Programmes, other key factors to consider in a talent partner are: a supplier who understands your business culture and industry, someone who’s happy to introduce you to current clients and invite you to meet their teams, whether the provider can offer the level of support you require and if the provider has the tech stacks you’re hoping to use.

Why is stakeholder engagement critical for MSP success?

Stakeholder engagement is critical for a smooth MSP implementation process. If you have early and ongoing buy-in from teams like HR, Legal, Finance (and especially your Hiring Managers) and you ensure they all understand “why” an MSP is critical for your business operations, you’re going to experience a far smoother implementation process.

What makes a first-time MSP deployment uniquely challenging?

When you’re starting from scratch it can be overwhelming when faced with no baseline data or established processes, let alone trying to piece together a raft of legacy suppliers. But if you set your expectations early and formulate a structured roll out plan, you’ll be on your way to smoothly deploying your first MSP with ease.

How can you measure the success of your MSP programme?

To effectively measure the success of your MSP programme, start with leading indicators like time-to-fill, shortlist ratios, and hiring manager satisfaction. Then move on to things like cost savings, compliance rates, tenure of contractors, and redeployment levels. Remember that success isn’t just about cost, it’s about quality, control, and speed to productivity.

What are the long-term benefits of implementing an MSP properly?

A properly implemented MSP will bring with it a whole range of benefits. From gaining full visibility and control of your external workforce, to reducing your risk, increasing your agility and positioning your business to being able to quickly adapt to market changes. You’ll also find that your organisation becomes more strategic, not just reactive as you’ll have built yourself a foundation for total talent strategies and the blending of your permanent, temporary and freelance workers.

Ready to get started? 

Sanderson are specialists in MSP deployment, so please do reach out to Karen Alexander, Sanderson Solutions Managing Director or contact our expert team if you would like a discussion around your MSP ambitions.

We’ve also created a video guide 

To help bring the world of MSP deployment to life, we’ve created an exclusive video guide so you can explore the practice of MSP in action.

Click here to watch the videos.