CASE STUDY Part 2 August 2003: LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
Synopsis
The surreyjobs
service has now been launched with the aim of simplifying the application
system to public sector jobs in Surrey and attracting more applicants.
In this snap-shot case study, the second in a series of four, we
describe the features and benefits of the system and outline the
partnership process through which it has been developed together
with the framework of agreements and contracts through which it
operates.
Amongst the issues which had to be addressed by the partners were:
- how a single recruitment pathway could be created which reflected
accurately the needs of a wide range of different public sector
organisations
- how the public sector partners could handle the very heavy
administrative workload which arose in the development of the
technical specification of the project
- how a legal framework could be created which was acceptable
to all the partners
- how the extensive consultation exercises were completed on
time and that necessary information was forthcoming from partners
- how the management of the project could be taken forward after
completion of the initial planning stage
- the commercial relationship between the public sector partners
and jobsgopublic
- how the site should be publicised and promoted
- how the project was to be funded and how financial contingencies
should be handled
Introduction
On July 1st at Royal Holloway College in Egham the surreyjobs.info
project (an internet-based recruitment facility for public sector
organisations in the county) was launched to a large audience of
public sector organisations. To underline the significance of the
event there were speeches by the local MP Philip Hammond, Enid Allen
from the Pathfinder Partnering Strategic Workforce of the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister and Tim Williams, Chief Executive of
Runnymede Borough Council.
The high point of the launch was a demonstration by jobsgopublic,
the project manager which had devised the software and manages the
site, of how surreyjobs works. The highly flexible system was the
result of extensive work not just by jobsgopublic itself but also
by the members of the twenty-strong partnership of public sector
bodies which had come together to create surreyjobs.info.
At the time of writing it is too soon to make any assessment of
its effectiveness in real terms although a target has been set for
the new service of a 10% savings in recruitment costs. What is clear,
however, is that many benefits could flow from surreyjobs for both
recruiters and candidates. The main challenge is to ensure that
the partnership is managed so as to maximise the effectiveness of
co-operation and to secure for Surrey public sector employers the
full potential that the technology promises
The Service
Surreyjobs is based upon four principal ideas
A: FOR POTENTIAL CANDIDATES
1. EASIER INFORMATION
By providing a single portal to all public sector vacancies in
Surrey it should be easier for potential applicants to discover
what is available whilst also presenting a slicker, more attractive
image of public sector opportunities.
2 EASIER APPLICATION
A single web-based application form makes it easier for candidates
to apply for jobs (and not just one jobs but, potentially, several).
B. FOR RECRUITERS
3. ACCESSING MORE CANDIDATES
By creating a talent pool of candidates employers can search awider
range of possible applicants for their job
4. COMMUNICATING WITH MORE CANDIDATES
By mobilising the power of technology candidates can be communicated
with much more effectively than through traditional systems.
In addition, all of this can be done at much lower cost and much
more efficiently than by conventional methods.
The Facilities
The facilities within surreyjobs are the result of extensive consultation
between the partnership (see 'The development of the project') and
jobsgopublic. To get a full idea of what the system offers it is
best to visit the site direct on surreyjobs.info.
However, as an overview, the system provides the following:
- a listing of all jobs (with full details and job descriptions)
currently vacant with participating organisations
- a once-only application form enabling candidates to make multiple
applications to all employers, and to save the form for future
use
- a facility for candidates to update and change details on their
application form (every three months candidates will be invited
to confirm that details are correct)
- a facility for candidates to search the vacancies by type of
job, location, salary etc.
- feeds to specialist diversity sites allowing jobs to be advertised
direct to minority groups
- an e-mail alert to candidates so that, having expressed an
interest in a type of job (including by salary and area) they
will be alerted instantly by e-mail when such a vacancy is posted
on the site
- a 'closing date' alert so that those who have expressed interest
in a vacancy, but not so far applied, can be notified of the imminence
of the closing date
- ease of use by employers so that minimal effort is required
to put job vacancies on site (vacancy details are uploaded direct
by employers)
- a facility to send out 'information packs' about vacancies
- individual brochure/information pages about each organisation
to contextualise what they do, explain their role and present
them in a lively way
- links to each partner organisation's existing website
- a 'Talent Pool' so that employers can trawl a database of all
candidates registered with the site (aside from those who have
screened out that employer) to look out for suitable individuals
who can then be contacted direct by e-mail.
Collectively these facilities have the potential for transforming
the recruitment process to public sector organisations in Surrey.
By making it easier and quicker to find out about and apply for
vacancies it is hoped that many more candidates will apply especially
among the shortage groups of the young, ethnic minorities and the
disabled.
The Development of the Project
In addition to breaking new ground technologically the surreyjobs
project also ventured into new territory through the active partnership
of a diverse group of public sector organisations (including local
authorities, the police, probation, further and higher education
and the NHS).
These organisations have traditionally each recruited in different
ways using different processes and procedures. Bringing them together
to co-operate and use a single pathway has been a challenging exercise.
Of the sixty possible public sector participants in Surrey about
one third have joined the project (a total of twenty). In order
to liaise with jobsgopublic to specify their requirements a Steering
Group was established to drive the project forward. It was important
nonetheless that all participants support what was being requested.
As a result extensive work was required to canvas opinion, garner
support for what was proposed and co-ordinate the 'technical specification'
(i.e. a definition of what the partners wanted from the system ).
This was of major importance because the technical specification
would form an integral part of the contract between the partners
and jobsgopublic (see section below on The Legal Context).
It soon became clear that this partnership process was a major project
management exercise which was much bigger than anyone had anticipated.
Although every organisation was involved to some extent the bulk
of the work was undertaken by a small group of dedicated individuals
on the steering group. Many extra, unpaid hours were put in, primarily
by staff in the lead authority (Runnymede) in conjunction with jobsgopublic
to ensure the system achieved its objectives.
As often occurs, the progress of the project - while important -
was seen as long term and consequently it was often sidelined by
other, more immediate priorities. As a result there was a constant
challenge to the steering group to ensure that consultation exercises
were completed on time and that necessary information was forthcoming
from partners. On some occasions - such as the preparation of the
partners' brochure/information pages - jobsgopublic had to intervene
to provide a resource to ensure the work was done on time and to
the necessary quality.
Through the dedication of a small but highly committed group of
staff from the partner authorities and jobsgopublic the project
was delivered on time and to standard. It should be noted for future
reference, however, that project managing an initiative such as
this is a major undertaking which requires substantial and sustained
commitment. (One participant commented that had all possible public
sector organisations joined, the management of the project would
have become almost impossible).
On completion of the development stage (end of July) the Steering
Committee dissolved. A new 'management committee' must now be appointed
for the continuing oversight of the service. At the point of writing
this case-study it is not clear who will be on the new management
committee or its precise role. Staff at Runnymede have indicated,
however, that they cannot continue to be involved. We will report
in more detail on this in Case Study 3.
Promoting the Site
An extensive programme of publicity was undertaken around the launch.
In addition to press-releases to the local press announcing the
launch of the new site there was widespread use of posters and the
distribution of leaflets and flyers through all the partners' premises
(including council offices, libraries, information points and so
on). The site was also promoted on the web through partners' existing
websites
Internal promotion to existing staff was by publicity linked to
wage slips and by intranet.
Looking ahead an important development will be publicity via job
advertisements in the press (whether that be local, trade or professional).
At this point it is not clear how this will work in detail. It is
hoped, however, that partners' job ads in the press will increasingly
be used as 'signposts' to direct possible applicants to the surreyjobs
website. This will reduce considerably the cost and size of the
advertisements whilst still maintaining a presence in the printed
media. (We will return to this issue in Case Study 3).
Funding, Finance and Fees
As discussed in Case Study One, a pump-priming sum of £60K
was allocated by the Surrey 2010 Group to the surreyjobs project
to
fund development costs (although at this point it is not clear how
the figure of £60k was arrived at).
A tender exercise was then conducted in which various providers,
including jobsgopublic, were invited to bid for the project. In
every case their fees were significantly in excess (sometimes wildly
so) of the £60K available. Subsequent negotiations brought
jobsgopublic, the lowest bidder, down to the target figure.
It should be stressed, however, that £60k does not provide
a realistic guide to the development of a project of this kind.
jobsgopublic made it clear that they were prepared to undertake
the project at this fee because they saw it as an important opportunity
and were prepared to invest time and money into it as a 'loss-leader'
and as a chance for them to gain valuable experience.
Meanwhile, in return for the £60K, the members of the Surrey
partnership gained the internet-based recruitment service. The development
cost did not cover, however, subscription/membership fees from the
partners (although these were in effect very low - again reflecting
the experimental nature of the project). These were paid on an individual
basis by partners to jobsgopublic as they joined the partnership.
In terms of the longer term funding and fees for the project it
is not entirely clear at the time of writing how these will be structured.
In early July jobsgopublic was still finalising their business model.
As they admitted, the internet business is still in its infancy
and there are no industry-standard ways of operating profitably
on it.
The most likely formula will be a combination of a subscription
fee (perhaps based on the size of the organisation) plus a transaction
fee for every candidate whose details are provided. More details
on this will be provided, once available, in Case Study 3 in November.
The Legal Context
Although the aims and objectives for surreyjobs were clear the project
was undertaken on an experimental/pilot basis (hence its 'Pathfinder'
status). This had implications for the legal agreement which bound
the partners together. Because there was a recognition that within
a very short time the technology might advance and the application
might have to change or be superseded there was a reluctance to
pin down too explicitly in legal terms the nature of the partnership
and the project relationships. Instead the presumption was made
that all the participants - both the public sector partners and
jobsgopublic - would act in good faith, in the interests of the
project and with the intention of co-operating positively together.
Moreover the sums being invested - at least by the public sector
partners - were not large. As a result it was decided to opt for
a fairly loose legal agreement with the intention that any problems
would be worked out amicably and informally between the partners.
As lead partner in the project Runnymede Borough Council undertook
to produce the draft legal documentation. It also acted as conduit
for the payment of the £60K development costs to jobsgopublic.
This payment was to be made in four stages with the final one being
paid at the end of July with the signing off by all the partners
that the service had been established as agreed in the Technical
Specification.
Although the contracts were to be kept to a minimum a protocol was
drawn up initially by Runnymede to provide a broad framework for
co-operation between the partners. This helped to establish the
basic ground-rules for the project's development.
A key point from the legal perspective was that for the provision
of the surreyjobs facility there was no single 'customer/supplier'
contract. Although the partners were co-operating together they
never created a single legal entity to represent them collectively.
This reflected the ad-hoc nature of the steering committee which
never gained the status of an authoritative, decision-making body.
So instead of a comprehensive contract drawing together jobsgopublic
and the partners a standard contract was developed by Runnymede
which was then used independently by each partner separately for
its agreement with jobsgopublic. In other words, twenty individual
standard contracts were signed between obsgopublic and the partners
for the delivery of the service. In effect the partnership was practical
but had no legal status.
One benefit of this would be that any legal disputes that might
arise would be between individual partners and jobsgopublic. In
the absence of a legal entity representing the totality of the partners
all disputes would be kept at the individual level. Likewise, if
an organisation failed to pay a fee then the dispute would be between
jobsgopublic and the individual public body. The broader relationship
would not be put in jeopardy.
The concomitant of this, however, was that the standard contract
was then subject to scrutiny - and possibly negotiation - by lawyers
acting for each body. In general partners were happy to go along
with the standard contract not least because its key element - the
Technical Specification - had been worked on laboriously by partners.
However, there were a couple of partners whose lawyers wanted a
more elaborate agreement, with greater safeguards, than the one
that had been drafted. Negotiating through this issue with them
was time-consuming.
Timescale
Under the terms of the contracts jobsgopublic is obliged to provide
the surreyjobs service, in line with the Technical Specification,
to the partners until July 2005. There is also provision for a dividend
to be paid to the partners in the event of any subsequent sale of
the system to other public sector consortia. In July 2005, however,
the contract will be up for renewal, re-negotiation or abandonment
as the partners and jobsgopublic decide.
Any Surrey late-joiners to the consortium will not be entitled to
the dividend from on-sales and their term would also end in July
2005.
The future shape of the legal agreement will now depend on how the
project develops.
Issues for Consideration
Arising out of the experience of jobsgopublic and the partners in
the surreyjobs project the following options may be worth considering
by any future consortia of public sector bodies:
- as far as possible can all the issues (legal, technical and
management) need to be scoped out in advance ?
- should a single legal entity be established by the partners
to contract with the jobsgopublic (or similar provider) ?
- rather than a steering group should a management board be appointed
from the start with powers to make decisions on the part of the
partnership ?
- should a committed and dedicated project manager be appointed
by the public sector partners to co-ordinate their interests and
drive the initiative forward ?
- is jobsgopublic (or similar provider) a part of the partnership
or is it 'partnering' with it ?
- what is the maximum practical number of partners ?
- are there benefits in restricting membership of partnership
to similar categories of public bodies (e.g. local authorities)
whilst still operating links to other related public sector sites?
IN THE NEXT CASE STUDY .....................
In Case Study 3 to be published in November we will look at:
- the developing promotional campaign for surreyjobs
- impact on conventional press advertising
- the creation and operation of the management committee
- the fee structure
- an analysis of the vacancies, applicants and appointments in
the first three months of the service
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