Our case study, showcasing how we placed project-based contractors for a global digital transformation project, that required IR35 compliance.
The background
Beyond the Book had been working with this large, global based design engineering consultancy for 3 or 4 years, placing permanent employees and freelancers within their 90 strong internal creative team. In early 2022 they had a very large internal project to plan for and they came to us for consultancy and resource.
The challenge
The project was to condense the 16 intranets being used Globally across their teams, into one intranet that would be used across the globe, ensuring consistency and efficiencies in communication.
It was going to be a significant UX/UI project, and too large, immersive, lengthy (12 months) to assign to any of their existing team of UX/UI designers.
They established that the most effective strategy would be to onboard several UX/UI contractors to dedicate themselves to the project and the Head of Creative came to us to source, onboard and manage the resource for them.
There were several important considerations to ensure the right contractors were sourced and for the project to run smoothly:
- A need to source and onboard the designers quickly
- Ensure all contractors would work Inside IR35
- Provide contractors who were experienced in remote working and working with stakeholders across the globe.
- The cost per contractor needed to fall within the budgeted day rate, despite the Inside IR35 status
Our approach
After several meetings where we consulted on the UX/UI market and realistic day rates, the project was approved and, given we have a dedicated contracts team here at BTB, we were able to quickly immerse ourselves in the project.
We used our experience and network in the UX/UI market to efficiently search and engage with contractors. We selected only those that met the agreed criteria and used our knowledge of IR35 and legislation to ensure all contractors were compliant. After this, overlaying our client knowledge to further select only those that would fit culturally, and work well with internal teams.
The contractors were to have a lot of stakeholder meetings, both locally and abroad, so ensuring the right culture fit, as well as excellent communication skills, was as important as their end-to-end UX skills.
Once the team were in place, we ensured the financial processes were managed seamlessly, and were able to pay the contractors, ensuring their payments were regular and on time. We made sure the invoices and PO’s were streamlined, with clear communication throughout.
Success
The contractors did a fantastic job and after extending their initial contracts, one was taken on as a permanent member of the team. Our client, the internal creative team, were very happy that their stakeholders were extremely satisfied with the delivery of the project and, of course, the creative team itself had found a solution that didn’t disrupt the workflow of their permanent team.
Overall, a success for all involved! It was a fantastic team effort, where our partnership approach was without doubt the key to such a great outcome.
