Mark Tobin
VP, Global Client Contracting & Launch Lead
Mark Tobin – Vice President, Global Client Contracting & Launch Lead, KellyOCG – takes a closer look at the biggest questions surrounding vendor-neutral MSP programmes.
A truly vendor-neutral managed service provider (MSP) programme must act with complete impartiality to all suppliers and service providers. It must have the ability and incentive to design, operate, and evolve its talent supply chain – acting solely in the best interests of the client organisation it serves. Crucially, a truly vendor-neutral MSP programme must be funded completely independently of other revenue streams.
But despite the huge benefits of vendor-neutral MSP models (many of which I explored in my recent blog), many leaders, hiring managers, and suppliers are still unsure as to whether this agile approach will work for their business. Today, I answer some of the most common vendor-neutral MSP questions and banish a few workforce strategy myths.
What do vendor-neutral MSP models mean for suppliers?
Vendor-neutral MSP models are not only good for the client organisation – they also work best for suppliers. Only under a truly vendor-neutral MSP can suppliers be sure of equality of opportunity to grow their business based on their performance. This results in greater supplier adoption, commitment, and price competitiveness. Here's why vendor neutrality matters in 2025, especially for the turbulent business dynamic across the globe: it empowers the smaller, specialist, and diverse players – the absolute experts in their domains. They're the ones consistently delivering the best, most specialized, and often elusive talent we need to move forward.
Does a vendor-neutral approach mean an MSP can’t use its own supplier capability?
No. This is a common vendor-neutrality myth and it’s simply not true. A vendor-neutral programme evaluates an organisation’s talent needs and determines the best mix of sourcing models alongside the best suppliers for each category in each market and location. In some cases, an MSP’s own staffing capability may be the best possible choice in a particular, market, category, or location. It’s this independence of purpose, independence of funding, and the freedom to make decisions based on client needs, not provider preference, that ensures a client organisation can trust its MSP to act with true vendor neutrality.
How can organisations ensure they are choosing a truly vendor-neutral MSP partner?
In 2025's interconnected global landscape, the imperative for an MSP to operate with genuine vendor neutrality remains paramount. It should be a non-negotiable factor when choosing and partnering with a solutions provider. The initial due diligence for any client organization must involve scrutinizing the MSP's funding model. An independently financed MSP is more likely to possess the autonomy required for truly unbiased vendor selection and management. Conversely, MSPs relying on cross-funding through supplementary revenue streams may face inherent challenges in maintaining genuine impartiality or in adapting swiftly to an organization's evolving global talent demands.
A second critical area of investigation is any instance where a solutions provider proposes its own talent supply capabilities within specific geographic regions or for particular skill categories, particularly if this entails preferential access or treatment. While a single or preferred supplier model might be strategically sound in certain contexts, especially for niche global skill sets, the fundamental question remains: is the solutions provider's in-house talent supply truly the best-in-class across the relevant global markets for that specific talent? If the answer is not a resounding yes, client organizations worldwide should rigorously question the rationale behind such a decision.
This isn't to suggest that a solutions provider should be precluded from offering supplementary services – for instance, supplying talent into the MSP program, managing a globally consistent client-branded direct sourcing strategy, integrating freelance management systems (FMS) or "human cloud" capabilities, or even providing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) services across multiple geographies. Organizations should strategically leverage a solution provider's broader global capabilities where it aligns with their international business objectives. However, it's crucial to ensure that the core MSP programme and any ancillary services operate with independent funding and are independently sustainable on a global scale, preventing any potential conflicts of interest or limitations in adapting to diverse international talent needs.
Is the future vendor-neutral?
Yes! A vendor-neutral MSP programme is adaptable, responsive, and sound – it can scale, tweak, and develop to meet the shifting needs of an organisation and the market it operates within. It also presents a chance for organisations to benefit from a streamlined talent supply chain design, with access to the top suppliers across the whole range of their talent requirements. In a nutshell, it’s the only model that’s flexible enough to react to a world of work that’s changing faster than ever before.
However, crafting a vendor-neutral supply chain that actively caters to the needs of a developing organisation can be a bit of a bother. I’ll be digging into supply chain design in detail in a blog coming soon – so keep your eyes open for more on that soon.
