Working together since 2017, we are proud to announce that Westminster have extended their contract by direct awarding Matrix SCM under YPO2 as their Managed Service Provider for Temporary Staffing.

The goal of the new contract is continuity, as we maintain providing great workers, through a great supply chain and deliver great social value to Westminster’s community. In this post we look back to a conversation we had with Harbinder in 2017 to review how the contract has developed over the last 3 years, with some insight into what is happening now in 2020.

Looking back at why Westminster chose Matrix SCM:

When Harbinder joined Westminster Council she found that they were not being well served by their incumbent supplier. Off contract spend was high and the recruitment process inefficient as managers had to sift through a high volume of irrelevant CV’s from agencies.

2017: “Westminster appointed Matrix because they provide the best of both worlds, a systems-driven approach that can drive efficiency, supported by a senior account manager and an on-site support manager who brings a deep understanding of the market to help hiring managers fill hard-to-fill roles.”

Harbinder Manku, Corporate Contracts Manager, Procurement Services, Westminster City Council

Within the first year of working together, we projected annual savings of £1.3 million, introduced unique pre-employment checks and managed 290 Active Workers across over 19 job categories through our system CR.Net with 100% fulfilment rate.

How effective has the System been for Westminster Council?

One of the reasons Westminster chose Matrix SCM was because of the system driven approach that can drive efficiency. Having worked in partnership for the last 3 years, we asked Harbinder how effective the system had been:

2020: “We have been working in partnership with Matrix SCM on CR-Net for past 3 years which has been a seamless transition for our Hiring Managers. It’s been an evolving relationship with Matrix with their new improved Management Information reports on the Business Intelligence suite, Integrations between CR.Net and other internal systems speeding up processes, as well as new tools such as live chat functionality. The on-site manager has been a great support to our hiring community in fulfilling roles when needed.”

Harbinder Manku, Corporate Contracts Manager, Procurement Services, Westminster City Council

Westminster Council have been a great client for showcasing the growth of the system, as when we started the contract the efficiency from CR.Net came from digitising processes. Now 3 years later, we have introduced new additions to CR.Net such as our Business Intelligence tool that gives you visual dashboards and the ability to dive into data. As well as working on integrations so other departments systems can speak to each other to stop the need for double entering data.

How have the teams supported you since 2017?

Another reason that Westminster chose Matrix SCM was because of the team’s set-up to support and ensure they are always getting the best value of the contract. So, we thought it would be good to understand how these relationships have developed over the last 3 years:

2020: “Matrix SCM are proactive at supporting Westminster and delivering their requirements throughout the contract in particular; our Senior On-Site account managers, Head of On-Site delivery, to the Regeneration Manager and Business Director, KPI’s and SLA’s are being achieved as set out as part of the awarded contract. Matrix have supported Westminster by making sure we have access to good quality interims, leading suppliers in the market place and driving social value in our community.”

Harbinder Manku, Corporate Contracts Manager, Procurement Services, Westminster City Council

With Senior On-Site Account Managers existing to help with the day to day running of the contract, supporting suppliers and hiring managers through the process. Our Business Director is there to ensure you are getting best value from your contract.

The interesting insight here is that Westminster were one of the first Councils we saw introduce Social Value as part of their tender. Since then we have developed our Social Value offering, introducing a Regeneration Manager who works closely with Westminster Council and others to drive local community engagement.

What are your plans for the extension of the contract?

2020: “The next steps of the contract for Westminster is to continue doing more of the same great work with Matrix and the hiring community, whilst working closely  with our On-Site account managers and driving more Social Value in our local community.”

Harbinder Manku, Corporate Contracts Manager, Procurement Services, Westminster City Council

We are excited and proud to continue working with Westminster Council, helping them to get the best value of their temporary staff as their managed service provider and driving more Social Value in their local community.