VMS and MSP Best Practices

For many clients, today's staffing market is a confusing place. Not that many years ago, businesses needing staffing assistance would simply contact one or more temporary staffing or permanent placement firms. Now clients—particularly large companies—are confronted by multiple work force management solutions and a blizzard of terms such as VMS, MSP, ASO, PEO, RPO, and VOP.

These services are not always well defined, and the result has often been confusion on the part of clients and staffing firms alike. To help alleviate this confusion, ASA provides several resources.

• ASA letter to clients: To ensure that large-volume users of staffing services have a balanced perspective on the various services and related issues, the ASA board of directors directed that a letter be sent to clients explaining the work force management solutions available in today's market and providing the facts they need to make informed choices. The letter was sent to executives at nearly 2,000 companies with U.S. sales of $1 billion or more. Download the letter (PDF 81 KB).

• The Work Force Solutions Marketplace: This issue paper is a guide to some of the work force management services staffing clients may be offered and the terminology used to describe those services. It also sets forth ASA's view of how these services are affecting the staffing industry. The paper is intended primarily as information for ASA members but may be used to answer questions from clients and prospects. Download the issue paper (PDF 72 KB).

• Best Practices for Vendor Management Systems and Managed Service Providers: The growing number of vendor management systems (VMSs) and managed service providers (MSPs) means that staffing companies and clients often must work through multiple software tools and processes. In response to these challenges, ASA formed an e-tools working group, made up of ASA member staffing firms and leading VMS providers and MSPs, to establish general best practices for this segment of the market. The best practices address a broad range of topics dealing with implementation, order and requisition management, candidate submittal, financial management, and staffing firm engagement. Staffing firms are encouraged to discuss these best practices with their VMS providers, MSPs, and clients. Download the best practices (PDF 86 KB).

• Protecting the Financial Interests of Staffing Firms and Buyers in VMS and MSP Arrangments: To address these concerns, ASA created a set of best practices to help mitigate the risk of financial loss to staffing firms and disruption of the client's business. Download the best practices (PDF 66 KB).

Future best practices will address technology issues, including systems integration and data conversion; procedures for scoring clients and suppliers against specific performance measures such as timely order approval and fulfillment; and standardized job descriptions.

Contact
Ed Lenz
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, and General Counsel
703-253-2035
elenz@americanstaffing.net