success story
Solving a staffing challenge in the pharmaceutical industry
Contingent workers help accelerate vaccine development
- Industry
- Pharmaceuticals
- Client Since
- 2015
- Category
- Contingent Staffing, Services Procurement, Direct Sourcing, Resource Tracking
The challenge
Our client, one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, is dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to the most pressing health care problems with therapies that extend and significantly improve the lives of people around the globe. Their portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world’s best-known consumer health care products.
With the help of three managed services provider (MSP) organizations, the client had previously sourced and managed its extended workforce using two different vendor management systems (VMS), one in the U.S. and another in the U.K. For consistency, efficiency, and global visibility, it recognized the need to consolidate its program in a single, global VMS.
To develop and implement this complex system, Beeline involved resources in North America, Europe, and Asia, and the company continues to provide unparalleled support through Beeline’s client services and relationship management operations in the U.S. and Europe.
The solution
In an exhaustive due diligence process that compared the leading VMS providers, the client selected Beeline, citing technical advantages including Beeline’s superior user interface as well as a closer cultural fit between the two companies and Beeline’s ability to address all of the client’s needs.
Taking a highly collaborative approach with the client and its three MSPs, Beeline implemented the system in two phases, starting with Contingent Staffing and Services Procurement in the U.S. combined with Contingent Staffing only in Puerto Rico in November 2015, followed by Contingent Staffing in the U.K. in January 2016. The implementation, which included complex invoicing requirements and multiple integrations with client systems, now allows the client and its MSPs to see its contingent labor population in a single system for global reporting, significantly improving the procurement process.
The importance of this decision became apparent in 2019, with the onset of the global pandemic. At the client’s request, Beeline quickly implemented Direct Sourcing.
The results
Within months, the client used direct sourcing to recruit bench scientists and researchers to aid in vaccine development and other critical projects. The extended workforce program managed through Beeline now oversees approximately $200 million in spend including more than 2,300 contingent staffing assignments.
The system supports more than 3,000 users and incorporates approximately 350 suppliers in multiple geographies. Furthermore, as a result of recent acquisitions, the client is increasing its workforce managed through Beeline, which will replace the incumbent VMS solutions engaged by their acquisitions. Due to the multinational nature of the client’s operations, its MSP organizations, and its supplier base, the system supports five custom invoice feeds and produces nine custom invoice reports.