Numerous compelling reasons exist that makes the concept of employing a non- permanent procurement professional advantageous such as:
- Increased Flexibility
- Access to skills, expertise and resources beyond the current internal ability of the department, for only as long as required.
- Guaranteed Neutrality, with client organisations best interests at heart
- Ability to cost effectively develop the organisation’s competitiveness and operational efficiency thru sourcing required strategic skills for quick fixes, accelerated development projects or other specialist purposes.
- To reduce HR operating costs, and management requirements whilst retaining required expertise
- To reduce number of permanent employees to a core number that is optimally manageable
- Increase departmental efficiency and output at minimum cost and involvement
Several obvious and non-obvious but pertinent facts exist as why using professional non –permanent personnel make perfect strategic sense:
- Sudden Departures: These include the obvious resignations but also include aspects such as transfers, secondments, maternity leave, sick leave, extended leave, holiday seasons etc. any of which could result in a shortage of Procurement staff.
- Extra Capacity: Where the nature of operational commitments and or special projects require either a greater number of heads within Procurement, or specialised Procurement knowledge, or both of, for limited time duration.
- Interim Management: In most organisations the requirement always exists for internal Procurement expertise to be further enhanced and boosted in order to remain competative. Furthermore, permanent Procurement staff members straddle several primary job responsibilities. As a result they are not qualified, experienced, nor often interested, to execute specialised tasks and projects, especially transformational or operational setup based. The long term feasibility usually does not justify maintaining this expertise permanently, in either scenario. Hence, the value of the non-permanent professional.
- Non- permanent professionals vs. temps: Non-Permanent Professionals are committed to working in a non- permanent capacity. This is driven by personal preference as a defined career choice and not dictated by circumstance (as with temps). Usually non- permanent professionals operate through their own business entities or maybe affiliated to recruitment agencies or other consulting houses or individuals, as part of their business network. Hence the character dynamics and motivations are very different from a traditional temp. This distinction needs to be acknowledged by the client at the outset, as it will certainly influence the decision to hire a non- permanent professional or a temp.
- Employment Sensitivity: In many countries, legislation and policy on employment sensitivity exists. Using non-permanent Procurement Professionals possesses a strategic advantage such as obtaining specialised expertise and skills available from a wide and diverse range of sources, not influenced by employment sensitivity related issues, but rather focused on meeting and successfully resolving immediate operational and management challenges. Many sensitivity based internal reasons exist where it becomes prudent to engage a neutral “outsider”, such as restructuring exercises, amongst others.
- Self- Management: Most non –permanent professionals are experienced in self- management orientated by virtue of their current career choice. Therefore most need minimal management oversight from the client, releasing permanent managers to concentrate freely on other critical management responsibilities.
- Specialised Customed Skills: Due to the fact that most Procurement staff fill multiple responsibility roles, they are generally not specialists in many critical, specialised and unique areas of Procurement. Procurement Ethics Policy is a simple but excellent example of using non -permanent expertise to develop a specialised and not so obvious area of Procurement. Using non- permanent procurement professionals is an excellent way to import and utilise specialist expertise and knowledge for a defined period and purpose.
- Tell it as it is: The golden rule of a true non –permanent professional is having the client organisations best interests at heart at all times. Thereby no allegiances or awe to any specific individual, or to any form of office politics should exist. The product of this golden rule is a neutral consulting policy of “tell it like it is” which is committed ONLY to the best interests of the client organisation, and the task at hand for which they are engaged.
- Rule of “No Expectations”: Non –permanent professionals, procurement or otherwise, make a business out of non-permanent roles. As a result, most such professionals have no job continuance expectations beyond the initial period and objective for which they were originally engaged on.
- Growth/New Markets: it is a proven fact that where an organisation is expanding or growing rapidly, the internal development emphasis is usually on critical functionalities other than Procurement which is often left way in the rear-guard , only to prove a costly operational oversight later. This is where using non-permanent Procurement Professionals are of the outmost importance to attain required heads, skills, objectives and outcomes. This is especially pertinent if that expansion/growth maybe limited in duration, strategically risky and or insecure. In such circumstances, an enlarged department of permanently employed staff could prove strategically unwise and even unnecessary in the long term
- Downsizing: Conversely the possibility of downsizing is always a real a credible possibility for many organisations. Non -Permanent professionals in such circumstances can prove strategically valuable as they are engaged on a “cut and go” basis with no strings and obligations attached as with a permanent employee.
What are your views?
Karl Furrutter is a business professional specialising in non permanent management solutions within Procurement, Warehousing and Asset Redeployment and Disposal. Should you have any pertaining enquiries email Karl at karl@furrutterandassociates.co.za or contact him on (27) 82 393-3685. Furrutter and Associates works nationally (South Africa) and internationally.