Orion ISP: Why an MSP is a Smarter Way to Recruit

A growing number of organisations are moving away from traditional recruitment suppliers. They’re turning to Managed Service Provider (MSP) recruitment, contractor workforce management, and supplier consolidation models that deliver visibility, control, and accountability.

With almost 40 years of experience, Orion has redesigned its MSP workforce solutions to meet these demands. The updated framework aligns with our Group identity and today’s market needs, giving clients a smarter way to hire.

In this blog, we explain what an MSP is, how our models — Single Source, Contractor Consolidation, MSP, and RPO — work in practice, and what to look for in a recruitment partner.

How Can an MSP Make Recruitment Smarter?

Are you still juggling multiple suppliers, inconsistent compliance and rising contractor costs? That setup slows hiring and creates risk. Independent studies show that moving to a managed service approach can change the picture. KPMG has found organisations lifting operational efficiency by 15–20 percent, sometimes as high as 30 percent. Deloitte reports that senior executives now rank governance of the extended workforce as a strategic priority. 

Orion builds its MSP workforce solutions to deliver the same kind of impact. More than operational support, they bring measurable improvements across the whole recruitment cycle: tighter cost control, clearer workforce visibility, supplier consolidation and stronger accountability.

Working alongside each client, we review existing processes, identify bottlenecks and design a scalable MSP hiring model tailored to the business. Whether the goal is reducing time to hire, streamlining supplier networks, embedding best-practice compliance or improving contractor workforce management, the focus is on adding value at every stage.

Model 1: Single Source Service – Simplify to Amplify

Many organisations assume that using multiple recruitment suppliers increases reach and choice. In reality, it often produces slower hiring, inconsistent compliance and no single point of accountability. That’s especially risky in regulated sectors such as oil and gas, life sciences and engineering contractors, where visibility and governance are critical.

Typical pain points of a multi-supplier approach:

• Mixed messages to candidates and hiring managers
• Variable onboarding and compliance checks
• Conflicting pay rates and contract terms
• Admin overload from multiple invoices, timesheets and reports
• Higher spend with little transparency

How Orion’s Single Source Service solves it:

• One trusted partner managing the entire contingent workforce supply chain
• Central point of contact for hiring managers and suppliers
• Dedicated recruitment teams aligned to your business and culture
• Supplier consolidation without losing access to niche talent
• Transparent KPIs and reporting through our Vendor Management System (VMS)

This MSP hiring model gives clients faster, more consistent hiring with economies of scale and smarter resource use. It improves candidate alignment and experience, strengthens compliance and allows accurate forecasting of workforce spend.

Why choose it:

For businesses frustrated by fragmented recruitment supply chains, the Single Source MSP Service delivers the simplicity, control and accountability that traditional models lack — without sacrificing specialist reach.

Model 2: Contractor Consolidation – Control, Compliance, and Cost Savings

Over time, organisations often accumulate a sprawling network of contract labour suppliers. This fragmentation can lead to inconsistent terms, duplicated efforts and weakened compliance, exposing businesses to financial and legal risks — especially in tightly regulated industries like oil and gas, life sciences, pharma and engineering contractors.

What Contractor Consolidation Means

Contractor Consolidation is a form of contractor workforce management where all existing contractor engagements are brought under one accountable partner. Instead of juggling dozens of suppliers, your organisation has one contract, one process and one transparent view of your contractor workforce. This includes onboarding, payroll, compliance tracking and supplier performance.

How Orion Delivers Contractor Consolidation

• Begin with a full audit of existing suppliers, mapping contracts, rates and compliance status.
• Rationalise the vendor base, retaining only high-performing, fully compliant partners while maintaining access to niche talent pools.
• Use our Vendor Management System (VMS) to give you real-time visibility of spend, workforce status and supplier performance.

Key Benefits for Your Organization 

• Consistent onboarding, contracts and service levels across all placements
• Greater transparency over contractor numbers, costs and compliance
• Reduced risk and tighter audit readiness for regulated industries
• Stronger commercial terms and improved supplier performance
• Accurate forecasting of workforce spend and faster response to market changes

With Orion’s frameworks and experienced teams, the transition to a consolidated contractor model is seamless and delivers lasting improvements to performance, safety and cost control.

Model 3: Managed Service Programme (MSP) – Total Workforce Visibility

An MSP from Orion gives organisations complete oversight and control of their recruitment function. It is a strategic solution for businesses that want to centralise all resourcing activity including contingent labour, permanent hires or both under one accountable partner.

Two proven delivery models

• Master Vendor MSP – Orion manages and delivers all hires directly, including supplier performance.
• Vendor-Neutral MSP – Orion oversees an approved list of third-party suppliers, ensuring fair competition and best value.

In both models Orion implements a Vendor Management System (VMS) so every stage of the recruitment lifecycle is tracked and reported in real time. This provides clients with full visibility over candidate pipelines, time-to-hire metrics, supplier performance and compliance status.

Why organisations use Orion’s MSP workforce solutions

• Centralises all recruitment activity and streamlines the supply chain
• Brings consistent governance and audit-ready compliance across every workforce segment
• Reduces duplicated spend through supplier consolidation and clearer commercial terms
• Supplies data-driven insights for workforce planning and cost control
• Ensures a smooth roll-out with a three-stage methodology covering planning, communication, legal review and stakeholder training

By combining MSP recruitment expertise, transparent reporting and advanced technology, Orion gives organisations in sectors such as oil and gas, life sciences, energy and engineering total control of their workforce supply chain and a model that flexes as business needs evolve.

Model 4: Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) – Beyond the Hire

Where an MSP focuses on operational delivery, Orion’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) model takes outsourcing further. It redefines how companies manage every part of the talent acquisition journey and gives them a single, consistent framework.

What Orion RPO delivers

With an Orion RPO, organisations can outsource a broad range of recruitment and HR functions beyond sourcing candidates. Typical services include:

• Job design and workforce planning
• Executive search for senior and specialist roles
• Interview coordination and candidate assessment
• Onboarding and off-boarding support
• Rate management, benchmarking and contract negotiation
• Market analysis to inform hiring strategies
  
  

Why it matters

Integrating these processes within a single RPO framework enables consistency, efficiency and better communication with internal stakeholders. It frees HR and management teams to focus on strategic initiatives instead of administrative tasks.

Who benefits

This model is especially effective for growing companies experiencing rapid change or global businesses seeking harmonisation across regions. It suits organisations in sectors such as oil and gas, life sciences, engineering and energy where speed, compliance and quality are critical.

With Orion, RPO is not just about recruitment. It is about enabling your business to scale smarter, improve compliance and create a seamless experience for candidates and hiring managers alike.

Why Visibility, Accountability, and Data, Matter

What truly distinguishes Orion's MSP is our ability to combine global reach with local expertise and back everything we do with real-time data and performance metrics.

Each MSP model is delivered with tailored Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), giving clients the confidence that every action taken can be measured, reviewed, and refined. Our Vendor Management System (VMS) gives you the insights you need to make evidence-based hiring decisions and adapt quickly in a shifting labour market.

In short, we don’t just manage recruitment; we make it measurable, accountable, and aligned to your business goals.

Why a Consolidated MSP Model Outperforms Fragmented Recruitment

Modern hiring has become more complex and fragmented. Many organisations are juggling multiple recruitment suppliers, varied processes and inconsistent standards. This slows hiring, drives up costs and weakens compliance. By moving to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) model, businesses can bring order to their workforce supply chain and gain the visibility and control needed to scale.

Fragmented Recruitment Holds Businesses Back

When recruitment is split across disconnected suppliers, organisations often experience:

• Protracted or missed hires
• Poor candidate experiences
• Duplicated spend across suppliers
• Non-compliance with labour laws or industry regulations
• Damage to the employer brand and slower operational performance

These challenges are magnified in sectors such as oil and gas, life sciences, engineering, and energy where speed, safety and regulatory compliance are critical. A consolidated, data-driven approach like an MSP workforce solution gives organisations a recruitment system that performs, adapts and scales with the business.

What Makes a Strong Recruitment Partnership

An effective outsourcing relationship is built on:

• Shared ambition and clear objectives
• Open communication and transparency
• Flexible delivery models that evolve with your business
• A commitment to continuous improvement and measurable outcomes

This is the approach taken with Orion’s MSP recruitment services. Regular feedback, flexible delivery and alignment to strategic goals help organisations build high-performing teams rather than simply filling vacancies. 

Poorly structured outsourcing, by contrast, often results in broken communication, supplier complacency and a lack of accountability. Orion MSP frameworks are designed to solve these issues across international projects and global frameworks.

How Orion MSP Changes the Game

Traditional supplier relationships are no longer enough to meet the demands of modern workforce planning. Orion MSP offers a smarter, more responsive alternative:

• Simplifies hiring and streamlines contractor supply
• Centralises recruitment activity under one accountable partner
• Delivers total visibility through advanced Vendor Management System (VMS) technology
• Embeds best-in-class compliance and reporting across the workforce

With Orion you gain a recruitment partner, not just a service provider. Our models are flexible, scalable and backed by deep sector knowledge and technological support to help you build a world-class talent acquisition engine.

Building a Better Future for Workforce Delivery

If your current recruitment model is falling short, now is the time to rethink it. Orion's MSP is purpose-built to meet the challenges of today and prepare your business for the opportunities of tomorrow.

To explore how an MSP could transform your recruitment performance, get in touch with our team here, or visit our website.

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