Working with recruitment firms to improve Equality & Diversity

Much has been said about the supposed deleterious effect of the use of recruitment firms (also known colloquially as 'head hunters') on recruitment exercises.

At UCL we use recruitment firms to supplement, rather than replace, external advertising for all ongoing roles.

Human Resources Policy Committee has recently approved a list of preferred suppliers of recruitment services to better align their work to the achievement of our Equalities and Diversity (E&D) objectives and to make sure that UCL gets value for money from the recruitment firms we engage.

Recruiting managers will be able to engage those firms on the preferred supplier list. Preferred suppliers will be required, as a condition of the framework contract we have made with them, to ensure, amongst other things, that their searches include analysis of diverse talent pools, that they present diverse long-lists and that they support diverse candidates through the selection process. Preferred suppliers have also agreed to provide their services at a discounted rate and within an agreed timeframe.

Firms on the preferred supplier list were selected by a panel of managers and academic leaders from across UCL using a tender exercise administered by UCL Procurement Services. Human Resources worked in consultation with the University's Equalities Networks on the preparation of the invitation to tender documentation to ensure that it covered issues of importance to the networks. The following suppliers have been awarded onto the agreement for a term of 3 years:

• Berwick Partners

• GatenbySanderson

• Harvey Nash

• Saxton Bampfylde

• Society

Recruiting managers who wish to engage a firm which is not on the preferred supplier list are able to apply to do so through writing to the Director of Human Resources. A guidebook to help recruiting managers to decide which supplier to use, simplify the recruitment process of senior staff and outline the terms and conditions that the suppliers have signed up to can be viewed at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/guidebook-rec-managers/Guidebook-for-recruiting-managers.pdf

Please contact Maria Pritchard, HR Project Officer at maria.pritchard@ucl.ac.uk for further information.

Nigel Waugh, Director of Human Resources