MSP recruitment: reference compliance for suppliers
What a managed service provider is, what it expects from supplier agencies, and how to pass its compliance checks on references.
What is MSP recruitment?
MSP recruitment is when an organisation hands the management of its temporary and contract workforce to a managed service provider. The MSP runs the supplier agencies, rates, onboarding, compliance checks and reporting, often through a vendor management system. Supplier agencies must show evidence for every worker. RefAssure gives you consent, chasing and a signed PDF for each reference.
How does an MSP work?
Large employers often use dozens of agencies for temporary, interim and contract staff. Managing them separately leads to uneven rates, uneven checks and no single view of spend. A managed service provider (MSP) takes that work on for the client.
What an MSP typically does
- Selects and manages a panel of supplier agencies.
- Sets rate cards and terms for each role type.
- Distributes requirements to suppliers and manages timesheets and invoicing.
- Sets the compliance standard workers must meet before starting, and audits suppliers against it.
- Reports spend, time to fill and compliance back to the client.
Vendor neutral and master vendor
In a vendor neutral model, the MSP does not fill roles itself; it manages independent suppliers on equal terms. In a master vendor model, one agency fills most roles and passes the rest to second-tier suppliers. Either way, the supplier that places the worker usually does the vetting.
MSPs often run a vendor management system (VMS), the software suppliers use to receive requirements, submit candidates and upload compliance documents.
MSP vs RPO
An MSP manages contingent workers: temps, contractors and interims. Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) covers permanent hiring. See our guide to RPO recruitment.
What MSP supplier audits look for in references.
Each MSP sets its own standard, but supplier reviews tend to ask the same questions of a worker file.
Every required reference
The right number of references, covering the period the client's standard sets.
Dated before the start
Proof the references came back before the first shift.
Consent on file
A record that the worker agreed to the checks.
The same process for all
No difference between workers placed by your busiest consultant and your newest.
Easy to upload
One document per reference that drops straight into the VMS.
Exceptions explained
What you did when a referee did not reply.
One process for every MSP client.
Save a template per client standard and every consultant sends the same questions, chased the same way.
- Up to 10 templates per account, up to 25 questions each
- Unlimited team members on shared credits
- A signed PDF with a timeline for each reference, ready to upload
- Told after day 12 if a referee is silent, with a record of every reminder
How to stay a preferred supplier
MSPs usually tier their suppliers. Agencies that fill roles quickly with clean files get first sight of new requirements; agencies with audit findings drop down the list. References are one of the easiest places to lose ground, because they depend on people outside your business.
- Read the client's vetting standard closely. Note how many references it requires, the period they must cover and any questions it insists on. Build that into a template once.
- Start references at registration. If a worker is on your books before a requirement lands, their references can already be back when you submit them.
- Keep exceptions visible. When a referee will not respond, record what you tried and when, add another referee, and tell the MSP if its standard requires it.
- Keep the evidence together. One signed PDF per reference, with consent and a timeline, is quicker to upload and easier for an auditor to read than a forwarded email chain.
For roles with vulnerable people, the Conduct Regulations 2003 require two references whatever the MSP standard says.
Hit the MSP's time-to-start targets.
5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days, stopping the moment the referee replies. Half of our completed references came back within 24 hours.
MSP recruitment questions
More in the full FAQs.
What does MSP stand for in recruitment?
Managed service provider. It is an organisation that manages a client's contingent workforce programme, including supplier agencies, rates, compliance and reporting.
What is the difference between an MSP and a VMS?
The MSP is the service and the people running the programme. The VMS is the software platform used to manage requirements, candidates, timesheets and documents. Many MSPs run one, some clients run their own.
Who does the reference checks in an MSP programme?
Usually the supplier agency that places the worker, to the standard the MSP sets. The MSP audits that evidence. See recruitment agency compliance.
Does RefAssure connect to a VMS?
No. RefAssure produces a PDF for each completed reference, which you upload to the VMS like any other compliance document.
How do I meet different standards for different MSP clients?
Save a template for each standard. You can have up to 10 templates per account, built from a starter template or uploaded from your own form.
What does it cost to run references for an MSP programme?
Credits cost from 99p down to 80p each, with no monthly fee, no per-user fee and no VAT added. See pricing.
Related guides
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