Our team at Broadleaf understands that selecting the right VMS platform is critical to supporting your labor needs and bringing value to your workforce. From system flexibility and compliance management to analytics and integrations with existing platforms, several factors will play into your final decision. 

To help educate your business on selecting the proper VMS for your workforce needs, we developed a list of the top third-party platforms on the market. Here are our findings in alphabetical order: 

Beeline 

The Global Workforce Intelligence Platform from Beeline is an efficient and effective way to manage your contingent workforce programs. Featuring a well-organized task-driven dashboard, utilization of business intelligence software, and ability to integrate with over 100 technology partners, Beeline is well-positioned as a top VMS provider. Plus, your organization will be well-positioned to drive efficient workflow with its top-rated user experience—that’s simple to navigate with a well-defined support model—and rapid deployment capabilities. Learn more at beeline.com. 

Elevate 

Elevate is a modern talent-focused workforce management and VMS platform bringing an enhanced focus on lifting talent quality and program excellence above and beyond the transactional oriented VMS platforms of today. The platform is built for middle-market and up buyers of external talent/SOW services and MSPs servicing their customers who are challenged with attracting and retaining high quality contingent talent. Customers are either establishing their first-generation programs and looking for innovative technology platforms or evolving to their second-generation programs and upgrading from their older, legacy VMS platforms. Learn more at elevatesaas.com. 

SAP Fieldglass 

As companies scale up their workforces worldwide, they need a contingent workforce management system to keep pace with their needs. SAP Fieldglass’s VMS platform can help businesses to initiate, engage, manage, and complete their contingent workforces through its CWM 360-degree solution while incorporating flexible workflows to drive oversight and compliance. Leverage machine learning tools to identify candidates, ensure full compliance with local labor laws, and save on external expenditures by cutting down on rogue and maverick spend. Learn more at fieldglass.com. 

Workday VNDLY 

With the acquisition by Workday, VNDLY has a strong, continued commitment to developing and evolving its VMS platform. One of the most modern cloud-based VMS technologies on the market today, Workday VNDLY’s system makes the talent management process easy and efficient for contingent workers and suppliers. Companies can configure pre-made job templates, evaluate talent pools, establish pre-onboarding compliance checklists, and generate standard or custom reports. Workday VNDLY’s easy-to-use yet robust VMS platform can be configured to align with changing program needs. Plus, valuable API integrations like ServiceNow and Okta enable customers to reap the benefits of a fully integrated technology ecosystem that efficiently moves data among departments. Learn more at workday.com. 

Interested in working with the Broadleaf team to select a best-fit vendor management system for your organization? Contact us today to learn how we can evaluate all VMS options with your HR and procurement teams.

The post Finding the Right Vendor Management System for Your Workforce Needs appeared first on Broadleaf Results.

The world of talent and workforce solutions is ever-changing. As innovative talent approaches and creative recruitment processes seem to be emerging by the day, the entire industry has seen improvements in efficiency and overall performance.

Over the last several years, there has been a steady rise in the number of smaller, “boutique” vendor management system (VMS) platforms that have burst onto the workforce management scene. Historically, VMS vendors like Beeline and SAP Fieldglass have maintained a firm grasp on the market. But today, several different VMS platforms have challenged these marquee brands. Companies like VNDLY, Coupa, VectorVMS, Renhead, and others have made their presence felt in the VMS space.

With a suite of VMS systems available on the market, it can be challenging for organizations to choose the one that will best optimize their workforce programs. To ensure your organization makes the right selection, here are some tips to choosing the VMS platform that will bring the most value to your workforce:

System flexibility

In a perfect world, your VMS system will enable you to customize it to your liking. However, not all VMS platforms offer this kind of personalization. While some clients may value having less flexibility to keep their hiring practices consistent across hiring groups, others might prefer the ability to build out more complex hiring practices within the VMS. Whatever your preference is, it will be important for your system of choice to adapt to your current hiring practices and align with your required process flows.

Data and reporting

As our world has become one that revolves around data and analytics, the same is true for VMS systems. Leveraging a proven VMS with in-depth reporting capabilities will be critical in tracking supplier engagement, evaluating cost savings, measuring minority spend, and identifying overall program trends. Find a VMS that offers reporting dashboards that enable users to view data at a glance. Ensure that the system integrates with data analytics platforms like Microsoft Power BI and Tableau. But remember: if your VMS’s reporting competencies are too complicated, they will not be utilized by key stakeholders. Striking a balance between ease of use and sophistication is key.

Compliance management

When managing a contingent workforce, there are several HR compliance standards that must be met. Some VMS systems have built-in compliance features to assist with these initiatives. For example, during the resource’s onboarding process, some platforms will trigger emails to associate suppliers, detailing the documents that must be signed by the worker. This automation removes much of the manual work from the onboarding process, saving you time and money. When selecting a VMS, ensure that the platform enables you to attach documents for each worker on assignment. This will allow you to maintain all required documents like pre-assignment test results, workplace training completions, and signed codes of conduct in one secure location.

Integration with existing technology

There are dozens of HRIS and onboarding systems available in the marketplace today. Make sure that your VMS of choice connects with your internal systems to create a seamless process for onboarding and contractor assignment updates, changes, and terminations. In addition, most modern VMS systems can integrate with billing systems, which will enable a smoother remittance and payment process.

Summary

At Broadleaf, our organization has intimate experience in collaborating with many of the premier VMS platforms available on the market. We conduct in-depth consultation sessions with our clients to understand their comprehensive workforce needs before making a recommendation on the VMS system that will align best with their organization. If your organization is seeking to optimize your VMS selection, contact us today to learn how our team can help.

Contact us to learn more!

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What did we learn? What are HR and procurement pros talking about? Well, we already know that total talent management (TTM) solutions are dominating the conversation as a holistic workforce solution—but when it comes to specific services that teams are looking for, here are three that people are talking about.

1. Direct Sourcing
Take a bite out of traditional recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and you get direct sourcing services: a third-party solution with an in-house feel. Direct sourcing is when the client, or the MSP, uses its ATS and various talent pools to find temporary labor.  That labor is then routed to a payroll provider, which acts as the employer of record. To paraphrase a perspective from our CWS panel: “We have no internal recruiting organization. That’s why we needed RPO and admin capabilities.”

With Broadleaf, we customize RPO according to your needs—we work alongside your team to customize talent solutions that help you recruit the people you need, when you need them. With proven adaptive sourcing models, we’ll manage all of, half of, or just some of your internal sourcing functions. It’s your call.

2. Payrolling
A good number of exhibitors at the conference were dishing out payrolling services as a standalone service to HR and procurement teams. While this is a reasonable strategy, it fails to acknowledge the cohesion needed between both departments. As we heard from our panel, “We had a highly decentralized organization, but MSPs allowed us to develop a relationship between Procurement and HR.”

Broadleaf’s MSPs (managed service programs) are specially designed to help you source candidates, consolidate invoicing, manage contracts, and more—all as a single service. With all your HR and procurement needs in the same place, you can reach peak efficiencies.

3. IC Compliance
IC compliance was another hot topic among vendors wheeling and dealing at the CWS Summit, and for good reason. Keeping tabs on your independent contractors can save you thousands of dollars come tax time—but sometimes a more flexible statement of work (SOW) and procurement management solution is the better option.

Why? How? With SOW services, you get a standard process for tracking and managing independent contractors and suppliers. That means unlimited visibility of all your contract developments in real time, a single system of record for all non-direct employees, and a standardized approval process at your disposal. Paired with a vendor management system (VMS), SOW is more than just IC compliance—it’s a symbiotic, streamlined solution.

One of our panelists said it best: “Moving ICC to SOW model has allowed us to reduce the number of invoices—our PO process is more streamlined. Down 60% in volume of POs.”

Sure, these three services can be effective on their own. But when you put them under the same umbrella, or TTM strategy, they are even more effective. Why take one or two management services from this company or that? Instead, get your hands on a complete suite of total talent management solutions from Broadleaf Results.

For more insights about the global workforce and how to manage it, check out our Resource Center. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram!

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1. Solidify communications with HR.
We understand how complicated it can be to handle procurement responsibilities while managing a contingent workforce at the same time. When the landscape becomes too tough to navigate, or there just aren’t enough hours in the day, talk to your HR Department about a better way to get the job done. Our suggestion? Let us work alongside your teams to identify needs and deliver solutions that make a difference.

2. Get your Statements of Work (SOW) done right.
If you’re responsible for securing the best, most cost-effective solutions to carry out projects for thousands of suppliers every year, you’re probably working with limited time and resources. Want to simplify your tasks? Find a partner that will alleviate administrative duties, enforce business controls, and manage suppliers every step of the way.

3. Use a Vendor Management System (VMS).
A VMS is the technology that powers your procurement solutions. What’s more, these solutions are in high demand. Seventy-two percent of U.S. companies say they use an all-encompassing program to manage their vendors and labor. And, as the contingent workforce becomes more complicated in the coming years, that number could rise. Employing a VMS—or partnering with a company that has its own—will help you keep up as your procurement and workforce needs evolve.

As it happens, Broadleaf has handpicked several procurement-, HR-, and contingent workforce-related conferences to sponsor in 2019. Will you be at any of these shows? If so, stop by and say hi!

In the meantime, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

HRO Today Forum
National Harbor, MD | May 6 – 8
“HR thinkers, practitioners, technologists and partners that are building tomorrow’s World-Class Workforce today.”

CWS Summit
San Diego, CA | September 9 – 12
“The largest peer-to-peer networking event for contingent workforce professionals.”

HR Tech
Las Vegas, NV | October 1 – 4
“THE place to get the whole picture of the HR technology market.”

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Securing the talent needed for productivity and growth remains a challenge, but the methods behind work procurement have evolved.

Around 300 B.C., the first known large-scale organization of “work” was observed. During that time, the development of unique skillsets was born from necessity and influenced by both available resources and engagement of said resources. Work was organized based on a person’s abilities, and we didn’t have wide ranging labor classifications.  Form followed function, one might say.

During the 1800s and 1900s, the focus shifted as employer/employee relationships crystallized, and employers sought different kinds of resources to mitigate business risks and costs. With the industrial revolution, we saw the formation of unions, and freelancers, independent contractors, and temporary workers found footholds in the modernizing workforce. We saw function following form.

Today, advancing technology (together with other factors such as unemployment rates, talent shortages, millennial preferences, and healthcare/retirement packages) continues to evolve the talent landscape.  That evolution is bringing us back to a world in which form can follow function.  Technology is allowing companies to more readily align direct staff through RPO, contract employees through staffing companies, ICs and freelancers via management systems, and even SOW vendors.

But there is an elephant in the talent landscape. The elephant is the operational implication.  How does a company organize—and even harmonize—all of these processes across historically separately-owned HR and Procurement functions?

Total talent management organizes the workforce landscape. It manages the needs of both HR/Talent Acquisition and Procurement and provides tools to meet each party’s needs more effectively. TTM provides:

• Faster, greater access to talent
• Amplified cost savings/quality
• Unification of processes and goals
• Consolidation of points of contact
• Increased compliance controls
• Heightened economies of scale

Change is here, and we have a brave new world of talent.  Already, forward-thinking organizations are seeking to purchase not only contract labor through their successful MSPs, but also independent contractors, SOW vendors, and direct employees. They are making choices based not on resource type, but quality and cost. The right partner—who is consultative, strategic and technologically savvy—is critical to driving sustainable results… #functionoverform

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Controlling and managing a large-scale contingent labor force can be a highly taxing job. Doing away with old processes to switch to a MSP/VMS technology can pay incredible dividends, but as HR and procurement leaders seek solutions for this task, they can be overwhelmed with the amount of content out there. Not only can doing the research be difficult, but convincing executive leadership increase anxiety. However, when done with the right partner—in the right way—huge returns make the effort worthwhile.

Where to begin?

Analyze Current State

CFOs love numbers. Prepare a deep analysis addressing not only current-state performance indicators, but pain points and inefficiencies solved by an MSP/VMS deployment. Case studies and other content that shows similar scenarios working for other customers in similar scenarios can also prove beneficial.

Set Your KPI and ROI Requirements

Organizations need to set their KPI and their ROI expectations in the discovery process. There are different models that can affect the way your program performs, and picking the one that is customized toward your organization’s overall goals is critical. Knowing what your requirements are will help you make a sound selection.

There are many elements within an MSP/VMS that can affect your ROI, but some of the most important to focus on are implementation, time-to-fill, worker quality, hard savings, resource allocation and other benefits. Once established, organizations can address other benchmarks to address. Note that buyers achieve a median of 10% savings in their contingent workforce spend during year one.

Be Convincing

One person cannot drive the implementation of a MSP/VMS technology as a solo mission. It will take the village to raise this child into a cost savings champion. To draw support and sponsors, explain the benefits for internal hiring managers, HR, legal, IT, and the C-suite. Keep in mind that the primary motivator for MSP/VMS programs is the cost savings that most companies achieve while undertaking the shift from internal management to a centralized MSP/VMS solution.

Understand Your Risks

Managing large volumes of contingent labor can increase the rate at which errors occur. At the rate that specialized workers are used, organizations will become more susceptible to the risks involved in using contingent labor. As contingent workforces have grown, a common trend has been that companies employing larger amounts of contingent workers offload these burdens onto already burdened workers who cannot handle the additional workload.

Without a successful program, organizations can fall prey to unrealized savings, reduced productivity, and a myriad of different legal exposures that can tack on hefty IRS fines.

Making Your Pitch

Hiring Managers: Explain the streamlined processes and easy-to-use interfaces that will help them not only manage their workers, but also get better performers at reduced costs.

IT: IT pros are going to look for security and integrated technologies. Look for a VMS deployment that is fully-customizable to your firm and vetted to ensure that your processes and information are secure.

Legal: Regulatory compliance and risk aversion should be paramount. It can be dizzying to manage and account for every contractor or SOW worker for internal teams. By engaging an MSP with this task, legal teams have a little less to worry about.

Finance: The financial benefits of an MSP/VMS are probably the most important thing to your organization. Calculate the potential cost savings of consolidating vendors into one centralized hub. MSP/VMS providers ensure that rates are standardized; billing and invoicing are consistent; and processes are seamlessly integrated.

C-Suite: C-level executives care about all of the above, but they also care about business intelligence that arms them with analytical tools to make swift and intelligent decisions. A MSP/VMS is a real-time, data-driven tool, and your MSP partner will provide broader-reaching information on industry trends and emerging regulations.

The post Building The Case for MSP/VMS: What You Need to Do appeared first on Broadleaf Results.

Sonoco has awarded Broadleaf the 2016 Quality and Innovation Award for their achievements in contingent program labor management.  One of the goals for Broadleaf is to continually manage the compliance/risk reduction and cost savings efforts for Sonoco, while also sustaining valuable relationships with suppliers that provide vital support Sonoco plants.

The Quality and Innovation Award means a great deal to Broadleaf, as it represents their continuous strides in increasing efficiencies through their MSP.  Broadleaf focuses on creating the highest levels of services, from managed service programs to their proprietary VMS (Work Nexus), Broadleaf’s focus is on the needs and objectives and increasing their customers’ bottom line.

Broadleaf formed a partnership with Sonoco in 2008 with an aim to provide a seamless transition from its “first generation” model to an outsourced, streamlined solution that leveraged best practices and provided cost savings. In 2016 over 150 Sonoco plants have deployed the Broadleaf MSP/VMS solution, which continues to drive Sonoco’s goals and business objectives.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by a company such as Sonoco, who is a truly innovative leader in their industry,” said Lynne Marie Finn, President and CEO of Broadleaf Results, Inc. “I’d like to thank Sonoco for this honor, because they are a valued partner, and it is a true reflection of Broadleaf’s dedicated employees, whose commitment to going beyond continues to deliver innovative and agile solutions.

About Broadleaf

Founded in 1965, Broadleaf is a WBENC-certified provider of strategic workforce process solutions. The company’s strategic services enhance productivity through the provision of managed service programs (MSPs), vendor management systems (VMSes), independent contractor compliance programs (ICCPs), and other procurement/supply chain management solutions. Headquartered in Williamsville, NY, Superior maintains offices throughout North America, as well as in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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For the third year in a row, Broadleaf has been named by HRO Today Magazine to their annual Baker’s Dozen list. The results were announced at the HRO Today Forum in Philadelphia, ranking Broadleaf 9th out of 13.

The award is based on three categories: breadth of service, annual spend levels, and quality of service. Each company is weighted on these three variables through HRO Today’s proprietary algorithm. Ultimately, the criteria for these scores are based solely on anonymous buyers’ surveys.

“Earning recognition alongside our esteemed peers on the HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen List is an honor,” said Lynne Marie Finn, President and CEO of Broadleaf Results, Inc., a member of the Aleron company. “This honor not only reflects the team’s diligence, but also evidences our commitment to continually developing the best solutions for customers’ business needs.”

Link: https://www.hrotoday.com/news/talent-acquisition/msp-contingent-labor/2015-bakers-dozen-customer-satisfaction-ratings-managed-service-programs-2/

About Broadleaf:

Founded in 1965, Broadleaf is a WBENC-certified provider of strategic workforce process solutions. The company’s strategic services enhance productivity through the provision of managed service programs (MSPs), vendor management systems (VMSes), independent contractor compliance programs (ICCPs), and other procurement/supply chain management solutions. Headquartered in Williamsville, NY, Superior maintains offices throughout North America, as well as in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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For the third year in a row, Broadleaf has been named by HRO Today to their annual Baker’s Dozen list for Managed Services Programs. The results were announced at the HRO Today Forum in Philadelphia.

Organizations on the MSP Baker’s Dozen list are analyzed across three categories: breadth of service, size of deals, and quality of service. Results are calculated based on a set algorithm that weighs questions and categories in relation to levels of importance. Each company’s scores are determined solely by feedback from buyers of the rated services.

Read the article in HRO Today

The post HRO Today Recognizes Broadleaf on 2015 Baker’s Dozen MSP List appeared first on Broadleaf Results.

When a company processes less than $20 million in annual temporary labor spend, does it make sense to deploy an MSP/VMS program? Operationally, administratively and financially, the answer is “yes.”

In the past, many companies worried that annualized spend of less than $20 million did not warrant – or could not sustain – a full MSP/VMS solution. To some extent, that was true, and so these companies managed their programs in-house through their Procurement and/or Human Resource teams.

Read the rest of Joe’s piece by clicking here.

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