The client’s challenge

The ICP had an urgent requirement to fully resource and onboard a new team of contractors to start work on their renewable energy site as soon as possible. The organisation had rarely hired contractors previously and were concerned about the size of the operation. They had multiple projects on the go across the country, so their capacity to dedicate time to recruitment was very limited.

We had been supporting them as a trusted recruitment partner for a number of years, securing them mainly permanent employees and the occasional contractor.

They contacted us immediately to ask if we would be able to source the 10 initial roles involved. Although they suggested that, due to the high workload, they thought the volume of roles was too much for a singular agency, we informed them that we were confident in our team and capacity to increase our resources for them and dedicate a number of our recruiters to this project and fill the roles at pace. As we had hired excellent employees for them in the past quickly and efficiently, they trusted we would be able to secure these roles in the agreed timeline.

The ICP also needed additional support in following contractor compliance. They had only very occasionally hired contractors previously, so they weren’t confident in the complexity of the regulations, IR35 rules and their responsibilities as an employer of contractors.

Actions taken by VIQU Energy

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  Assigned 3 recruiters to cover the vacancies full-time, with a senior recruiter in charge as the point of contact for all communications to ensure ease and efficiency

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  Worked with the Operations Director to qualify the roles and identify key responsibilities and skills needed

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  Took control of the recruitment process end-to-end, from sourcing contractors, vetting and setting up interviews, through to having access to the hiring manager’s diary to book interviews, negotiating terms and rates, advising on compliance processes, and supporting onboarding

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  Supported through the contractor compliance process advising on the intricacies of IR35 Off Payroll Working rules, the use of umbrella companies and insurances details

The outcomes

We were able to place contractors into all 10 initial roles, fulfilling the fast turnaround the organisation required. As we successfully delivered the right skilled contractors on time and within budget, time and resources were not wasted waiting for the right contractors to be able to go onsite. The site went fully live according to the original timeline.

The organisation was impressed by our ability to hire at scale and speed, and have continued to work with us since whenever they have needed new contractors and permanent members of staff.

This has resulted in us successfully placing 26 skilled professionals across a range of disciplines — including 6 Commissioning Engineers, along with experienced Jointers, HV Designers, QA/QC Engineers, and key management staff, most of whom have extensive experience across the 33kV to 400kV range.