Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)

RPO, or Recruitment Process Outsourcing, allows businesses to hand over some (or all) of their recruitment processes to a third-party RPO provider. It’s like having a dedicated team of workforce specialists who handle everything – from identifying your talent needs to sourcing, screening, and onboarding the best candidates.

A common view is that RPO services are only for large companies hiring over 1,000 employees a year, but that’s not the case. RPO is flexible and works just as well for businesses with smaller hiring volumes as for those scaling up.

Who is RPO for?

Your business could benefit from an RPO provider if…

Hiring takes too long

Slow recruitment is causing delays. RPO providers help you fill roles faster and keep projects on track.

Hiring takes too long
Recruitment costs are unclear and rising

You’re spending too much on hiring but are not sure why. RPO identifies inefficiencies and optimises your process to save money.

Recruitment costs are unclear and rising
Specialist knowledge is lacking

Your team struggles to hire niche talent. An RPO model connects you with expert recruiters and industry-specific talent.

Specialist knowledge is lacking
In-house team relies on a PSL

Even with an internal team, you rely on a preferred supplier list to fill 30 - 40% of roles. RPO optimises and strengthens your hiring processes.

In-house team relies on a PSL
Brand reputation is suffering

Bad candidate experiences are hurting your brand. RPO hiring improves the candidate journey, making your hiring more appealing.

Brand reputation is suffering
Compliance and managing talent are getting harder

As your company grows, managing recruitment, compliance, and onboarding across various industries and regions becomes more complex. Recruitment process outsourcing is designed to handle it all.

Compliance and managing talent are getting harder
Lack of long-term workforce planning

An RPO provider helps you plan for the future by supporting every stage of the workforce lifecycle, from recruitment and training to Statement of Work (SOW) management.

Lack of long-term workforce planning

Our RPO Solution

Rullion’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing Services

  • Benefits of working with us

Why choose Rullion as your RPO provider?

We are specialists in critical infrastructure recruitment and know what it takes to truly unlock the full potential for your workforce.

More than recruitment

We cover the full range of workforce solutions, from sourcing and training new talent with our Train to Deploy solution to integrating experienced recruitment professionals into your team through our Embedded Resource service.

Experts in critical infrastructure hiring

From Transport and Rail to Utilities and Energy to Nuclear, we understand the ins and outs of key critical infrastructure sectors.

Commitment to sustainability

We incorporate equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability into your recruitment process to ensure a long-term, positive impact and help you achieve your ESG objectives.

NPS score of 93

With an NPS of 93 (well above the industry average of 29!), our clients trust us to deliver results, helping you avoid delays and uncover cost-saving opportunities across your recruitment process.

Candidates enjoy working with us

Bringing in the best, most engaged talent is just the start. Every candidate interaction matters to us. Strong relationships with talent communities mean access to great candidates whenever needed. 

Tailored solutions that fit you

Flexibility is built into every recruitment solution. Fixed budgets cover core services, with optional add-ons to complement your in-house capabilities. Our RPO services connect your workforce needs with the right talent, exactly when you need it.

Data and AI insights

Use our advanced technology and AI-powered reporting tools to make data-driven hiring decisions and improve outcomes.

Our frequently asked questions

Recruitment Process Outsourcing FAQs

 

Our FAQs cover the most common questions about what RPO is and how it can help your business. 

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is when a company transfers some (or all) of its recruitment process to a third-party RPO provider. It’s a dedicated recruitment team that handles everything from identifying your talent gaps to sourcing, screening, and onboarding.

  • Cost efficiency: Reduces time and cost pressures on your internal recruiters and recruitment advertising expenses.

  • Scalability: Easily ramp hiring up or down based on demand.

  • Access to expertise: Gain specialist recruiters and advanced recruitment technology.

  • Improved quality of hire: RPO providers use specialist knowledge and efficient AI data-driven methods and talent analytics to find better matches.

  • Faster hiring: Streamlined processes and large talent networks speed up time-to-hire.

  • Enhanced employer branding: RPO partners often help enhance your brand image to attract quality candidates.

There are typically three main types of RPO hiring solutions: 

End-to-End RPO: The RPO provider manages the entire recruitment lifecycle, from job profiling to onboarding.

On-Demand RPO: Used for specific projects or short-term hiring spikes, like seasonal hiring or new product launches.

Hybrid RPO: A flexible partnership that integrates with your internal team to share the recruitment workload, taking ownership of selected areas like sourcing, screening, or candidate engagement.

RPO differs from traditional hiring in that it involves a long-term partnership rather than a one-time service. An RPO provider collaborates with your team to manage all or part of your hiring process, with a focus on improving quality, speed, and cost efficiency. Traditional recruiting, on the other hand, is typically short-term and geared towards filling specific roles quickly, often for a fee per hire.

RPO is a good fit if your business hires regularly (regardless of company size) and needs help managing recruitment costs or wants to improve hiring quality. It’s especially useful if your HR team is overwhelmed or if you experience frequent unpredictable hiring patterns.

Chat with our RPO experts

Talk to our team about critical infrastructure recruitment through our RPO solution.

What our customers say about us

Real stories from the people and organisations we support

Discover why people trust us with their careers and hiring needs.

What's on your mind?

Our insights and tips on some of your most burning questions

RESOURCE
Five signs your hiring strategy needs a serious overhaul

Five signs your hiring strategy needs a serious overhaul

Recruitment isn’t static. As your business evolves, you may find your hiring strategy will need to as well to keep pace. If your hiring process is feeling sluggish, expensive, or just plain frustrating, you’re not alone. What is a hiring strategy? Simply put, your hiring strategy is the blueprint behind how you find, evaluate, and onboard talent. When it’s working, it keeps recruitment efficient, cost-effective, and consistent. When it’s not, the signs start to show. How do you know when your recruitment model has stopped working for you? 1. Time to hire keeps slipping If your hiring process is dragging on, or strong candidates are dropping out before you can make an offer, something’s wrong. Long waits, vague comms, and endless interview rounds are the enemy of a good candidate experience. It could be anything from approval bottlenecks, interview delays, or slow feedback loops. If you’re not speeding up, you’re losing out. And it’ll only get worse if nothing changes. 2. Inconsistent hiring quality You’re filling positions, but the results are all over the place. One hire is a rockstar, the next doesn’t even make it through probation. This inconsistency can indicate issues across more than just your hiring processes; it could also be highlighting issues with engagement, employee retention, and onboarding, too. Are your candidates aligned with your culture? Is your onboarding process setting them up for success? Poor alignment and engagement during these early stages can lead to higher turnover and lacklustre performance down the road. If you’re not consistently setting hires up for success from the get-go, your model needs a rethink. 3. Peaks and troughs are causing chaos Hiring demand isn’t consistent. But your recruitment capacity usually is. The unpredictable nature of hiring demand can send your team scrambling, or leave them twiddling their thumbs during quiet periods. To avoid this chaos, you need a scalable model that flexes with your needs without sacrificing quality. If your hiring process isn’t adaptable, you’re in for a rough ride. You need a system that can flex with your needs. 4. Your team is always playing catch-up If your talent acquisition team is drowning in admin tasks and spreadsheets, you’ve got a problem. The real value of a recruitment team isn’t in managing systems and logistics; it’s in finding, engaging, and closing the right people. Automating administrative tasks and outsourcing non-strategic functions will free up your team to focus on the high-impact stuff. 5. You lack market intelligence Hiring in the dark is a surefire way to waste time and money. If you’re relying solely on internal data or gut feel to make decisions, you’re missing an important piece of the puzzle. Without access to market trends, salary benchmarks, and competitor insights, you’re essentially guessing about what talent is available, what they expect, and what they’re willing to accept. The right insights give you a clear view of the market, so you can make smarter hiring decisions and avoid costly mistakes. So, what’s next? If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to take a hard look at your recruitment model. You need a process that aligns with your business goals and adapts to your evolving needs. At Rullion, we specialise in flexible, integrated recruitment solutions that adapt and scale to your unique business needs. Instead of treating recruitment as a problem to solve, we’ll help you make it a strategic asset. Ready to make recruitment work for you? Let’s chat to find out how we can help you get work done and build a strategic, data-driven recruitment strategy that can improve time-to-hire, candidate quality, and recruitment efficiency. Book a discovery session or learn more about our RPO solution for more information.

By Rullion on 16 April 2025

National Insurance Changes in 2025: What Employers Need to Know

National Insurance Changes in 2025: What Employers Need to Know

What’s Changed? Two major updates came into force this April: Employer National Insurance contributions increased from 13.8% to 15%. The earnings threshold for contributions dropped from £9,100 to £5,000 annually. For businesses with large teams or a strong reliance on lower-wage or temporary workers, these changes could lead to a notable increase in overall spend. 5 Ways Employers Can Reduce NI Impact in 2025 While the changes are mandatory, Gareth emphasises that businesses still have control over how they prepare and respond. His recommendations offer a framework for adapting with agility and foresight: 1. Prioritise Workforce Planning Employers need to sharpen their workforce planning. This means; forecasting demand, aligning resources, and ensuring operational readiness. Building flexibility into your workforce model can help manage costs without sacrificing productivity. 2. Leverage AI to Improve Efficiency AI is becoming essential. It is not here to replace people, but to reduce repetitive, manual tasks. Think CV formatting, interview scheduling, or contract generation. Leveraging automation where it makes sense can free up your teams and streamline hiring. 3. Upskill Existing Staff to Reduce Hiring Needs With hiring costs rising, keeping the talent you already have is crucial. Investing in training and development not only improves retention but prepares your workforce to meet evolving business needs. 4. Offer Relevant Benefits to Boost Retention Without Higher Pay A competitive, well-balanced benefits package can attract and retain employees without drastically increasing payroll. Focus on value and relevance, benefits that truly support your employees’ needs. 5. Embrace Flexibility in Your Work Models Flexible, hybrid, and remote working arrangements continue to be a draw for top talent. They can also reduce fixed costs and help businesses scale operations more responsively. Considerations for Temp and Low-Paid Hiring For businesses that depend on temporary or lower-paid workers, the impact of the National Insurance changes will be especially notable. Gareth suggests that some employers may scale back or adjust hiring volumes. Others may turn to workforce solutions providers like Rullion to create a more flexible, cost-effective workforce structure. A Tailored Approach Is Key Each business faces its own set of challenges. Gareth reinforces the value of tailored workforce solutions; designed to align with specific goals, constraints, and growth plans. It’s not just about compliance, it’s about futureproofing how work gets done. Build a Workforce That Works Helping organisations adapt to change is the foundation of effective workforce strategy. Whether the goal is to reduce overhead, improve hiring efficiency, or upskill internal teams, support is available every step of the way. Solutions like Train to Deploy enable businesses to equip their teams with the right skills, fast, while strategic workforce partnerships ensure the flexibility needed to navigate ongoing change. Explore how tailored solutions can unlock long-term value. Let’s talk about how your team can adapt to NI changes with minimal disruption. Book a discovery session to explore tailored workforce solutions. Watch the full interview below

By Rullion on 25 April 2025

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