In our 2015 Contingent Buyers Survey for North America, we asked which vendor bidding models were in place in their organization. As illustrated in the graph, primaries and structured tiers were substantially more prevalent than open bidding and sole-source models. Because some programs use more than one model, respondents could select more than one option. The bidding models are:
- Primaries: Contingent worker recruiting opportunities distributed to a select handful of staffing agencies, who may in turn subcontract some jobs.
- Structured Tiers: CW recruiting opportunities distributed to specific groups of staffing agencies in a formalized order.
- Open Bidding: Staffing agencies bid on individual CW recruiting opportunities based on quality, price, and availability. Often implemented via a “reverse-auction” process.
- Sole-source: CW recruiting opportunities serviced via a single “master vendor,” who may subcontract some jobs.
