A radical overhaul of the social housing staffing sector will come into force in January limiting the number of recruitment agencies permitted to supply staff.

Following feedback from housing associations and registered social landlords, the unique Agency Labour agreement, developed by Procurement for Housing (PfH), will mean the end of ad hoc-based recruitment from a large pool of recruiters. The new deal is designed to create a strategic approach to labour purchasing and put housing providers more in control and save them money on commission rates and finders fees.

The agreement, which is scheduled to launch in early January, has been developed by PfH - the only national procurement organisation dedicated to the needs of the social housing sector.

The research said there is a lack of quality candidates available plus inconsistent invoicing data which often hides the true cost of recruitment.

PfH’s Agency Labour deal will provide an all encompassing solution to both the office-based and housing-based labour needs of housing organisations. PfH members will order and deal directly with suppliers without any third party vendor interference.
An EU compliant framework agreement has been drawn up and seven local and national suppliers have been appointed, providing UK-wide coverage. Suppliers include Better Healthcare, Beresford Blake Thomas, Blue Arrow/ Blue Arrow Care, Eden Brown, Enterprise, Hays and Reed Healthcare.

Commission rate calculators will be standardised amongst all seven suppliers. This allows housing providers to make like-for-like comparisons between agencies and creates transparency.