Serving Up a Winning Contingent Workforce for Sporting Events

Situation

This food service provider supports large public and sporting events at arenas and stadiums requiring thousands of contingent workers. In order to scale up and down to staff these peak season events and maintain their steady, day-to-day contingent worker staffing needs, the organization engaged PeopleScout as their managed service provider (MSP).

Further, the client was also struggling to create detailed purchase orders for each shift of an event. Their vendor management system (VMS) was not set up to support shift timecards, creating an excessive burden on suppliers and managers to create multiple job postings, work order assignments and timecards.

Solution

PeopleScout’s MSP team developed a solution that allows the client to scale up and down to meet peak season needs and is managed by PeopleScout’s highly trained program specialist to provide a high-level of support. This peak season strategy includes proactive planning for high-volume large events, including weekly meetings with the PeopleScout team, the client and suppliers to provide market analysis and ensure that the client is able to fill essential roles for the events. PeopleScout also conducted a full-scale market rate analysis for all active job titles to inform candid conversations about competitive pay rates.

PeopleScout is also working with the client to update their VMS to streamline the hiring manager, supplier, project manager and user experience. The new technology reduces manual tasks and provides more visibility into trends, spend, and overall program performance, so the client can operate more strategically.

Finally, monthly audits of the client’s internal accounts payable systems are conducted to help manage compliance and onboarding requirements to mitigate risk, provide visibility and reporting, and manage quarterly performance.

Results

The updates to the client’s program have eliminated a massive administrative burden on suppliers and hiring managers, leading to 100% customer and supplier satisfaction. The PeopleScout MSP solution achieved a cost savings of more than $645,000, with additional cost savings expected following the full deployment of the new VMS. At one high-profile event, proactive strategy planning resulted in placement of over 3,000 contingent workers. As an added bonus, PeopleScout has exceeded the client’s DE&I goals, with 20% of suppliers considered diversity suppliers and a 27% increase in diversity spend.