University of Melbourne Contractor Management Solution

This leading Australian University required a robust and compliant workforce engagement model to manage its diverse contractor base. This included directly sourced IT contractors engaged on a time-and-materials basis for project work, as well as academic and non-academic contractors engaged under statement-of-work milestone-based agreements.

The University of Melbourne needed a solution that smoothly integrated its processes into a customised contractor management workflow: making it easier to engage talent, uphold compliance and elevate the contractor experience. Given the scale of their workforce, they also required top-tier customer service to manage the contingent workforce program effectively.

What The University Had:
- Service levels of incumbent for the IC program were not met, impacting the brand's reputation with Contractors and Hiring Managers.
- Decentralised hiring processes leading to minimal control or oversight of contingent workers across the business
- Onboarding processes were inconsistent across Facilities and Departments.
- Potential risks in the management of contracts, insurance, onboarding documentation and tenure
- Limited visibility into contractor numbers, costs, and reuse opportunities.

Pendragon scoped the solution by engaging stakeholders to assess workforce challenges, compliance needs and goals. We identified inefficiencies and aligned the solution with the UoM's strategy.

Pendragon designed workflows that integrate into client processes, streamlining operations and ensuring alignment with existing systems.

Pendragon executed a smooth trial prior to test solution. We then implemented a bulk transition of 150+ contractors over two pay cycles.

What We Delivered:
- Successful 60-day trial.
- Seamless transition of a very large contractor workforce from the previous provider in under a month.
- Seamless process integration with existing finance and resource management systems, delivering a tailored workflow that optimised onboarding, streamlined invoice processing, and enhanced PO management.
- Centralised Contingent Management Solution, ensuring a single source of truth for The University.
- Tailored account management with SLAs and streamlined processes.
- Compliant Contractor engagements and risk mitigation.

Key Considerations That Were Most Important To The University:
- Workflows: A structured, user-friendly system to simplify workflows. From registering new resource requirements to contractor time/milestone tracking and payment.
- Compliance: A solution that ensures adherence to Fair Work regulations, taxation laws, and superannuation obligations.
- Visibility: Real-time reporting and dashboards for better oversight of contractor costs, and PO utilisation for managing budgets.
- Scalability: A flexible service provider that can adapt to changing business needs, contractor volumes, and regulatory updates.

Academic Environment: Recognising that many university hiring managers and contractors were unfamiliar with labour hire processes, Pendragon provided tailored guidance and support throughout the entire hiring journey. This included training, clear documentation, and dedicated onboarding assistance to ensure compliance and ease of engagement across diverse faculties and departments.

Compliant Operational Efficiency: The solution improves compliance by aligning all Contractor engagements with Australian employment regulations and Client policies. It reduces the administrative workload by enabling hiring managers to onboard and engage contractors with minimal effort. Additionally, it streamlines invoicing and approval processes, accelerating payment turnaround times.

Brand Enhancement: With dedicated account management and tailored workflows aligned with the university's procedures and systems, both the business and contractors now experience improved service delivery, strengthening confidence and enhancing overall satisfaction.