Contractor compliance best practice

Trading since 1966, Sell & Parker Metal Recycling Services is an Australian owned and operated private company. It is a buyer and seller of all grades and all quantities of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. With over 200 hundred employees, it has yards at Blacktown, Banksmeadow, Ingleburn, Coffs Harbour, Nowra and Newcastle, stretching all the way to Port Hedland in WA and Darwin in the NT.

The challenge

All sites were running their own independent contractor compliance processes using different tools and systems, in some cases managing information in spreadsheets, etc. This approach, although not by design, significantly increased the risk around engaging potentially non-compliant contractors. Without a tool to provide the appropriate oversight across the organisations operations, it meant that remediating this issue at any given time posed a challenge.

Sell & Parker realised it needed:

• An efficient, easily accessible (all sites across the country) platform for contractor compliance.
• A process that not only pre-qualifies contractors to strict standards (validation criteria) but also ensures ongoing currency of all contactor compliance requirements.
• A process that complies with the appropriate due diligence provisions for company directors in the current WHS legislation.

The solution

Sell & Parker first implemented Conserve in April of 2014. An extensive review of the solutions on the market suggested that Conserve was among the most affordable, efficient and user-friendly platforms available. It provides a structured and consistent approach for the management of contractor compliance information across all sites in Australia. The Conserve App allows staff to access contractor information, allowing them to check compliance prior to engagement and monitor compliance while the contractors are providing services. The Conserve specialist support team assists Sell & Parker’s new contractors achieve compliance with their criteria.

The outcome

• 75% contractor compliance across the organisation and progressively heading towards 100% compliance.
• Average time for a new contractor to achieve compliance has been drastically reduced.
• A consistent approach to contractor compliance management across the entire business.
• Better visibility and stronger reporting on contractor performance.
• Assurance that legislative obligations are met in relation to contractors.
   

“Conserve has allowed us to optimise our contractor management processes, by providing an always available system that effectively prequalifies our contractors and suppliers and ensures they remain compliant during the period of their engagement,” said Mark Hutchings, Group WHS & Workers’ Compensation Manager, Sell & Parker.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/TTstudio