In January 2008, PfH launched its new Agency Labour Agreement, which will be a first for the sector and deliver unrivalled benefits. Members will be able to make up to 40% savings on commission rates, up to 100% on finder's fees and temp-perm costs and significantly 80% will be saved on any VAT costs where VAT mitigation is applied.

However, PfH appreciates that the recruitment of staff is a complex area and the agreement has been carefully developed to focus on the very specific criteria of the sector: lower costs; better candidate availability; better candidate quality; better customer service; and totally transparent costing and invoicing.

PfH's OJEU compliant agreement provides a solution for both office-based and housing-based labour requirements and includes local and national suppliers to ensure UK-wide coverage.

Why choose PfH for agency labour?

• The agreement is OJEU compliant and supplier contracts are managed by PfH
• Approximate savings of 30 - 40% on commission rates can be gained
• You can get major discounts for finder's fees and temp to perm fees (up to 100%)
• Up to 80% savings on any VAT costs can be gained where VAT mitigation is applied. VAT mitigation is standard (where VAT is charged against the agency commission and not the net invoice total)
• National and local suppliers ensure national coverage
• Transparent invoicing includes all aspects of commission rate, candidate wage, NI (National Insurance) and WTR (Work time regulation charges)
• Standardisation of commission rate calculations - allows "like-for-like" comparisons between suppliers
• Fixed agency commission rates have been agreed
• Criminal Records Bureau checking is included

This is the first agency labour agreement of its kind. It is national, dedicated to the sector's needs, takes a strategic approach and critically it addresses the issue of commission rates and price clarity.

For more details about the Agency Labour agreement contact the PfH team on 01457 891906 or email info@procurementforhousing.co.uk.

Further detail about this Agreement are available on the Members' Website.