ContractorCalculator has reached a landmark partnership agreement with contracts website People4Business to promote its unique service connecting sellers of skills, like contractors, with ‘buyers’.
Contractors can register for free with People4Business as sellers. They can then offer their skills to over 2,650 buyers, all within an online marketplace that has 100% price transparency.
According to ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin, People4Business has the potential to revolutionise the contracting market: “Most contracts are controlled by agencies and there is ongoing ambiguity over rates and margins.
“With its complete price transparency, People4Business allows contractors to receive the rates they are worth and clients know exactly what they will pay, with no hidden extras.”
A totally new recruitment solution
Founder and Managing Director of People4Business Duncan Taylor, himself a former IT Director and recruiter of contractors, was inspired to launch the site in 2006 having become frustrated dealing with a number of recruitment agencies as a client.
“We have provided a unique marketplace where we connect sellers of skills with buyers,” says Taylor. “The price quoted is what the seller charges per hour plus a flat 10% management fee. This results in total price transparency for contractors and clients alike.”
When contractors have finished the fast and free site registration process, they may upload their CV and manage their profile online. Their details then appear on all People4 sites throughout the UK, exposing them to the largest possible market.
The price quoted is what the seller charges per hour plus a flat 10% management fee. This results in total price transparency for contractors and clients alike
Duncan Taylor, People4Business
Benefits to contractors
“When a sale is made, the contractor has their contract with People4 and we guarantee payment, even if the client does not pay on time,” continues Taylor. “In addition, as contractors start to get steady work through the site, they are rated by their clients, so good contractors will score highly.” This, of course, makes them even more likely to have the pick of future contracts, and increases the rate they can command.
In addition to online profile management, contractors also submit their timesheets online and can opt, for a small fee, for faster pay services where they receive their payment within five working days.
“In order to use the service, contractors must be working through their own limited company or through an umbrella company,” explains Taylor, “which is a standard arrangement for contractors and ensures an arms-length relationship with the end-user clients.”
Rapid growth through partnership
From a standing start in 2006, the site now boasts nearly 47,000 sellers, 2,650 buyers and 7,809 skills. Such growth has only been possible through key strategic partnerships, such as the one with ContractorCalculator.
People4 already has a foothold within the contracting sector as a partner with the Professional Contractors Group, and has established partnerships with Binleys in the healthcare sector, plus The Guardian online, which has 25 million unique visitors per month.
Dave Chaplin is a former IT contractor in the City of London, and is founder and CEO of ContractorCalculator, and author of the Contractors' Handbook.
Started in 1999, ContractorCalculator (this site) is the leading independent website for the UK contracting industry – most of whom are highly skilled knowledge workers.
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“We would not have grown so fast without the partnerships that have provided both additional site visitors and a certain amount of endorsement in sectors where we had no presence,” concludes Taylor.
Particularly in the current economic climate, contractors would be wise to search for new contracts from all potential sources, and People4Business presents an ideal, and free, opportunity to look for work.
Published: Monday, January 12, 2009
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