Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Seven key questions to ask before choosing an RPO provider

by Hannah Vickery 23 Jan 2012
by Hannah Vickery 23 Jan 2012

The first thing any organisation should do before embarking on discussions with suppliers about recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is to look at its current processes. What works well? What could work better if you had more resources? Are there any areas in which the organisation lacks expertise?

Since most organisations going into RPO deals tend to be recruiting several thousand staff members per year, their main focus should be that the service is first, scalable, and second, measurable. Ask suppliers for examples of how they have met peaks in recruitment activity for other organisations.

But while references from other organisations may assuage any concerns about whether or not the supplier can cope with the workload, these organisations will have very different requirements to your own. You might get a better feel for which providers can best meet your needs by meeting with as many as possible, getting them to know your processes and potential areas for efficiency, and then comparing solutions.

Long-term RPO contracts that encompass a large number of recruitment functions (and other HR or business processes) often go out to competitive tender, but this is not always the case.

Peter Collis, managing director of  RPO provider Elemense, advises HR professionals to narrow down their shortlist to as few suppliers as possible: “Have a really detailed discussion with one or two of them, perhaps under a non-disclosure agreement, to figure out what it is they can deliver for your business. Try to look beyond the transaction costs to what value they can add. It’s a strategic, service relationship, so you need to find someone you can work with.”

To help decide if a particular RPO provider is right for  your business, ask yourself these seven key questions:

  • Can they manage recruitment processes end-to-end (if this is what you are looking for)?
  • Do they have experience in your industry sector? Or do they have relationships with niche agencies for specialist roles?
  • What technology platforms have they worked with and will they work with for your organisation?
  • Are they able to cope with any specialist compliance requirements (certain sectors have specific referencing requirements, for example)
  • Do you want them on-site? Some organisations opt to have an outsourced resourcing team on site in the early stages of the relationship so they can retain control, but move it offsite or to a shared services arrangement as it matures.
  • Do they understand your employee value proposition, or can they help you to articulate it?
  • What additional services do they provide, for example outplacement, psychometric testing or assessment centres? Do you need any of these? What will these cost? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

 

 

Hannah Vickery

previous post
Legal Q&A: TUPE basics
next post
Going global: the case for international RPO

You may also like

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders receive 400% pay rise

4 Jul 2025

FCA to extend misconduct rules beyond banks

2 Jul 2025

‘Decisive action’ needed to boost workers’ pensions

2 Jul 2025

Business leaders’ drop in confidence impacts headcount

2 Jul 2025

Why we need to rethink soft skills in...

1 Jul 2025

Five misconceptions about hiring refugees

20 Jun 2025

Forward features list 2025 – submitting content to...

23 Nov 2024

Features list 2021 – submitting content to Personnel...

1 Sep 2020

Large firms have no plans to bring all...

26 Aug 2020

A typical work-from-home lunch: crisps

24 Aug 2020

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+