In Monty Python’s classic movie, “The Life of Brian,” there’s a scene where one of Brian’s disciples “hides” from the Roman centurions, who are looking for them by putting his head in a basket, while the rest of his body remains visible.
It makes me laugh every time I watch it. What this character is doing is effectively ignoring the (very real) problem at hand and hoping that it goes away.
I think that many large organizations do this with their contingent workforce. They don’t have a formal program in place to manage it; they’re not using a VMS, or – if they are – they’ve only captured a small percentage of their total addressable spend. As a result, they’re missing out; they’re not getting the right resources at the right time, cost, and quality. They’re leaving millions of dollars in savings on the table and exposing their organization to significant business and financial risks. Net-net, they’re not leveraging resources and services that are absolutely critical to getting product (whatever that product might be) out the door in the most optimal way.
SpendMatters recently published a great white paper, describing this gap; it talks about how services procurement is 10 years behind indirect procurement and 20 years behind direct procurement in using tools and best practices to ensure success. The quote that really sunk in with me was this:
“In short, services procurement (and especially the management of external labor) is complicated – and the nuances are often hidden from the C-suite. One study participant said it’s a “huge issue everyone wants to ignore.”
You and your organization can no longer afford to ignore your large, growing, and critical contingent workforce. It all needs to be strategically managed via a well run program and you need a VMS at the center that program. We can help you capture all of your services spend, regardless of sourcing type or strategy. Most importantly, this approach can help you address the items – the savings, the lack of quality, etc. – that you’re currently missing out on.
How do you get started? Give us a call or send us an email. We have the tools and services to guide you every step of the way.
Oh, and by the way, if you need a laugh, you can see the "Life of Brian" scene I’m talking about by clicking here.
