University of Southampton Boosts Financial Efficiency in 5-Year Managed Service Partnership with Tate
3 min read time
We are pleased to announce that the University of Southampton has selected Tate as their Managed Service Provider (MSP) and recruitment partner in a new five-year contract.
Having worked with the University of Southampton over the past four years, successfully delivering recruitment services under an MSP agreement, Tate is delighted to continue this strong partnership as the university's sole MSP provider.
The University of Southampton’s mission is to provide its students with an excellent experience during their academic endeavours. They follow strict procurement guidelines when choosing suppliers, including their contingent staffing partner, to help achieve this. The university issued a competitive tender process through the YPO framework, with four agencies preparing tender responses and presentations. The judging panel focused on cost, quality, and social value including sustainability.
Tate received the highest scores across all questions in the tender process, demonstrating their capability to support the university's mission. Tate's high-touch, human approach, enhanced by technology, will provide the University of Southampton with effective workforce planning, delivering further efficiencies and cost savings, with complete visibility and insight into their contingent workforce.
Key Proof Points of Tate's Service:
- Comprehensive Coverage: Responsible for all temporary and contractor recruitment across various staffing types; including procurement, finance, administration, marketing, HR, IT, engineering, project management, facilities & estates, catering, and driving.
- Efficient Process: Capture all temporary recruitment activities using a tech enabled Vendor Management System (VMS), for visibility, consistency and efficiency in the process.
- Cost Savings: Achieve cost savings through supply chain rationalisation, demand management and a uniform pay & charge matrix.
- Compliance: Ensure compliance with temporary worker legislation and IR35 regulations.
- Collaborative Implementation: Partnership approach with HR, Procurement and Finance; aligned to shared values to meet common objectives and achieve best practice recruitment.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with 250+ staff members to deliver recruitment needs and meet service delivery.
- Brand Representation: Positive representation of the university brand and EVP to the candidate community.
- Payroll Services: Provide efficient payroll services for contractors.
- Specialist Partners: Introduce niche and specialist supply partners.
- Centralised Information: Provide visibility of spend and quality through centralised management information.
“It is always a pleasure to work with the team at Tate. I feel that we have an excellent partnership, no problem is too complex to solve. Every challenge that has been put in front of Tate has been effectively resolved, even if that means looking at alternative ways of reaching a resolution. They are always keen to understand the requirements of the University, and time is taken to work closely with the multitude of University stakeholders to determine the hiring needs. Every communication is met with a friendly and positive approach. Operationally, this is a very strong and secure contract, and that is all credit to the hard work of the Tate team who consistently go above and beyond to support the University.” Victoria Waterman, Sourcing & Supplier Contract Manager, University of Southampton.
"Following a robust compliant tender process, we are delighted to continue our partnership with Tate as our Managed Service Provider for temporary recruitment. Their commitment to compliance, efficiency, and stakeholder engagement has been instrumental in broadening and enhancing our recruitment processes. We look forward to achieving even greater efficiencies and supporting our mission to provide an excellent experience for our students." Christine Trotter, Head of HR Operations, University of Southampton.
John O’Brien, Corporate Sales Director at Tate, commented: “We are delighted to have been chosen as University of Southampton’s Managed Service Provider and are excited to build upon the strong working partnership we have developed over the past four years. This new five-year contract allows us to continue providing a dedicated MSP service to the university, working towards our shared focus of ensuring an excellent experience for the students.”
Tate will continue collaborating with the university’s HR & Procurement teams and supply chain partners to provide a dedicated service across all faculties and professional services departments. This partnership will continue to enhance efficiencies, achieve cost savings, and ensure compliance, ultimately supporting the University of Southampton in delivering an outstanding student experience.
