By Robin Schawe, Integrated Energy Vice President & Global Workforce Solutions Leader, KellyOCG
What happens when you gather some of the sharpest minds in procurement, human resources, and talent acquisition from the integrated energy industry in one room? You get real talk about real problems — and some powerful solutions.
That’s exactly what happened at our recent Talent Leadership in Action (TLIA) event in Houston, where we took a deep dive into the data, dissected trends, and explored new tech. One issue that dominated the discussion: the chronic mismanagement of services procurement energy.
Fixing Fragmented Services Procurement Should Be Your Next Strategic Priority
While often overshadowed by direct hiring or contingent labor strategy, poor management of services procurement, or project-based statement of work (SOW) engagements, is quietly costing the industry millions.
Why? Because services procurement in the energy sector is complex and often undermanaged. Many organizations still rely on fragmented processes, outdated spreadsheets, or decentralized decision-making to handle massive services spend.
The procurement leaders in Houston admitted they had little oversight or real-time analytics on vendor performance, costs, or contract outcomes.
The stakes are high: audit failures, HSE incidents, overspending, and operational inefficiencies are just the beginning. Without centralized governance and cross-functional alignment, energy companies risk losing control of a volatile, high-cost talent channel.
From Chaos to Control: Transforming Services Procurement in the Energy Industry
Services procurement must be handled with the same vigor and transparency as contingent labor programs. It’s time to treat SOW engagements as a critical part of the talent ecosystem. When services procurement is done well, organizations don’t just reduce risk; they unlock agility, savings, and measurable results, including:
- Optimized processes that make it easier to purchase services and enhance the user experience
- Actionable analytics that deliver visibility, clearer work definitions, improved supplier performance, better talent access, and stronger workforce planning
- Effective cost management through oversight, reduced leakage, contract compliance, automated controls, holistic budgeting, and benchmarking
- Strong compliance and risk mitigation with policy adherence, pricing controls, site and asset access management, worker classification, and reduced rogue spend
- Integrated technology via Kelly® Helix, our AI-powered tech platform, connects analytics, automation, and real-time data to manage the non-employee workforce, offering a single entry point, best-in-class user experience, and seamless integration with client systems to deliver real value
Today, smarter services procurement isn’t just about saving money or reducing risk. It’s about building a more agile, resilient, and future-ready workforce strategy.
Give Your Organization a Competitive Edge With Strategic Procurement
The conversations at TLIA weren’t just academic; centered on urgent issues. But the insights shared by industry leaders made it clear: the challenges facing the energy industry are solvable for companies bold enough to act.
As the energy industry tackles workforce shortages and changing market demands, KellyOCG stands ready with proven, proactive solutions tailored to manage talent, budgets, and compliance — no matter where you operate. With a global sourcing network and unparalleled expertise, we help energy companies attract and retain top talent, even in the most remote locations.
Ready to solve your workforce challenges? Reach out to KellyOCG today and find out how our deep industry experience can power your success.