The Challenge: Ramp Up Staff Quickly While Complying with DoD Protocols
Federal contractors commonly experience “surges” – periods when they need to staff up quickly to accommodate new work. While these firms can sometimes manage surges internally, this was not the case when one prominent science and technology services provider landed a massive $400M contract.
The firm needed to quickly hire, onboard, and payroll a brigade of new talent. And because the contract was with the Department of Defense, the new workers would be working on military bases. This added a new layer of complexity and nuance to an already challenging situation.
In addition, the client recognized that the size of its workforce would always fluctuate depending on its contracts. So flexibility was key – and a smooth and rapid offboarding process was critical to maintain ideal talent levels.
Knowing it couldn’t handle its newfound hiring needs alone, the firm turned to IES. The client recognized that IES could deliver more than just proven employment, payrolling, and HR expertise – IES also understood the unique requirements needed to hire positions on military bases, including adherence to Service Contract Act requirements.
The Solution: Deliver a Full-service EOR Solution with Customized Onboarding
IES partnered with the client to create a customized and compliant Employer of Record (EOR), onboarding, and payrolling program that integrated seamlessly with the client’s existing temporary hiring protocol.
As part of this solution, IES conceived and implemented a specially designed onboarding process that complied with the client’s hiring systems and adhered to other contract-mandated security requirements. “IES’s creative solution allowed us to respond quickly and effectively to the unpredictable and ever-changing hiring needs characteristic of our industry,” a client representative said.
Once the client identified the appropriate new workers, IES did the rest. In addition to onboarding the workers, IES served as their legal employer of record (EOR), administered their timekeeping and expense tracking software, managed their payrolling and tax filings, provided all necessary business insurances (Workers’ Comp, Liability, Unemployment, etc.), handled benefits administration, and provided full HR support.
The Results: Cost Savings that Have Spurred New Growth
IES helped this valued client seamlessly hire the staff it needed to fulfill this surge. IES also managed the payroll process quickly and accurately, delivering proactive communication to the client and its critical talent. And IES has continued to do so for many other surges that have followed over the course of the relationship.
In addition, IES’s services have delivered:
Significant Cost Savings
IES enables the client to cut costs by up to 50% compared to a traditional staffing model and about 10% compared to hiring internally.
A Strong Foundation for Business Growth
Not only does the client pass these savings along to its customers, it now has a significant competitive edge when bidding on contracts. “IES’s flexible solutions have not only helped us achieve our business objectives,” the representative added, “they’ve also helped us win new contracts.”
More Time to Focus on Core Business Operations
Since handing off all surge-related hiring and payroll management tasks to IES, the client has saved over 1,000 hours of admin time each year. Now, it spends less time worrying about staffing logistics and more time focused on fulfilling its contracts.
Full National Coverage
As the client has grown, IES has stayed by its side. Today, IES helps the client hire, onboard, and pay hundreds of contingent workers each year across all 50 states – which has been critical in enabling the client to fulfill its defense contract requirements.
