Building a contingent workforce program from scratch begins with defining clear business goals, ownership, policies, approval paths, and measures of success. Then, establish the supplier, compliance, technology, and change management capabilities needed to make the program easy for managers to use and visible to leadership.

A recent ProcureCon Contingent Staffing discussion emphasized that early programs often struggle because stakeholders have not agreed on what success means. Jade Santiago, Program Manager, Responsible Sourcing at Liberty Mutual Insurance, put it plainly: "expectations from many different stakeholders look different… and we all define them as wins in a different way." A new program needs shared definitions for speed, quality, compliance, cost, worker experience, and stakeholder accountability before its operating processes can work consistently.

A separate conference conversation observed that first-generation programs can inherit fragmented supplier arrangements built through historical relationships rather than a deliberate talent strategy. Without a clear direction for supplier coverage and performance, organizations may spread demand too thinly, limit accountability, and create an inconsistent candidate experience.

For contingent workforce leaders, the practical next step is to create a 90-day launch plan that identifies the executive sponsor, program owner, workforce categories in scope, approval rules, compliance requirements, supplier strategy, baseline metrics, and communications plan. Start with one well-defined business area or labor category, gather user feedback, and expand only after the operating model is working.

Join ProcureCon Contingent Staffing to compare practical approaches for launching, governing, and improving a contingent workforce program with procurement, HR, talent, and workforce leaders.