The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has indicated that the opportunity for recruiters to supply temporary and interim workers on a large scale ahead of 2012 London Olympics could be over.

In a statement to Recruiter, the ODA said it was "working hard to reduce the numbers of agency and interim staff on the project as we recruit full-time permanent positions".

The news came after a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the ODA spent more than £7.7m hiring 65 temporary workers last year.

The information revealed that management agency Hedra received £491,885, Rockpools, London received £1,885,898 and Reed Personnel Services, Northampton received £525,939.

The ODA said that most of the money was paid to recruiters to supply key people for senior and technical roles, vital to completing the first construction phase on time and on budget.

Balvinder Sangha, partner regeneration, construcLondon 2012tion and housing at Rockpools, told Recruiter that he wasn't surprised that a new organisation such as the ODA would need interim staff. He said it was "an inevitable process" that once it had put proper policies, procedures and operations in place it would move on to taking on permanent staff.