Ariba teams with Kelly Services for temporary labor procurement

By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff November 20, 2008

With the prices of core commodities largely out of their control, companies are on the hunt for opportunities to drive savings in other areas to maintain their cost structures and competitive advantage. And one category in which they are finding them is temporary labor.
To help companies quickly convert these opportunities to hard-dollar savings, spend management solutions supplier Ariba reports the launch of a new, network-based offering that will enable companies of all sizes to quickly and easily procure temporary talent across categories leveraging a pre-enabled catalog sponsored by Kelly Services , a world leader in human resources solutions.
“A highly challenging economic environment with increasingly volatile labor markets demands that hiring managers look to temporary labor as a means to stay competitive and flexible,” says Andrew Bartolini, VP of global supply chain management for Boston-based Aberdeen Group. “Companies with the right tools and processes in place to optimize the management of their temporary labor spend will be best positioned to drive productivity and impact the bottom line.”
Delivered as part of Ariba Services Procurement via the Ariba Network, the pre-enabled, temporary labor channel offers flexible and granular visibility into spend, as well as fast access to services across a wide range of temporary labor sub-categories: accounting/finance, contact center, creative services, education, electronic assembly, engineering, health care, IT, legal, light industrial, marketing, office, professional, and scientific.
“Good people are hard to find, but through the power of the Ariba Network, companies can quickly access the talent they need to support their business globally and deliver results,” says Rick Collison, an Ariba director for procurement and content. “Participating suppliers benefit as well through process efficiencies that ultimately enhance their operations.”
Using the temporary labor channel, buyers can perform key actions through a single interface right from their desktops, including:
• Request a resource by creating a detailed purchase requisition outlining job requirements;
• Negotiate value;
• Select a candidate;
• Get approvals for candidate;
• Issue PO;
• Onboard candidate;
• Pay invoices based on timesheets submitted;
• Handle contractor expenses;
• Manage compliance; and
• Report on services spend.
“As budgets continue to shrink and labor markets tighten, it’s critical that companies carefully manage their labor spend and create efficiencies throughout the supply chain,” says John Healy, VP of Enterprise Workforce Solutions, Kelly. “In joining forces with Ariba, we can help organizations locate the best people at the best value faster and more efficiently than ever before.”