From Temporary to Trusted: Creating a High-Performing Contractor Network
Your organisation is undergoing a digital transformation and you’re migrating from an outdated legacy system to a streamlined, fully automated process. As a result, you need niche skills, fast. You need someone who’s done this type of project before without the training lead time. It is imperative that they hit the ground running.
The pressure is on. You reach out to Morgan McKinley, who quickly supplies a contractor with the right expertise; someone we’ve placed successfully before, someone who has delivered, and someone we know is ready to go again.
No job boards. No long interviews. Less risk.
Now imagine if every critical hire could be that easy. That’s the power of working with a trusted partner like Morgan McKinley, who builds and nurtures a high-performing contractor network.
A New Era for Contractor Relationships
Businesses increasingly rely on contract talent to bring in skills on demand, drive innovation, and respond to change. But what happens after a contract ends?
At Morgan McKinley, the future of contracting comes from smart talent acquisition and building strong and lasting relationships. Establishing a reliable pool of contractors, consisting of thoroughly vetted, high-calibre professionals with a proven track record, is becoming a significant competitive advantage.
We pride ourselves on candidate experience, ensuring that contractors remain with us for multiple assignments. This means we can place them in your organisation with utmost confidence that they will deliver to expectation and timelines.
“At Morgan McKinley, we’ve built an industry-leading candidate experience that puts contractors first. Our goal is to make every engagement feel like a partnership, so they choose to stay with us assignment after assignment.”
— Laura Bruton, Global Head of Customer Experience
Why Building a Contractor Pool Makes Strategic Sense
When a business’s critical project requires delivery or a gap suddenly opens in your team, the last thing you want is to start from scratch. Morgan McKinley’s contractor pool offers clients immediate access to pre-vetted, proven professionals, individuals we know, trust, and can confidently recommend.
In our 2025 Salary Guide, 54% of contractors said “quality of work delivered” was the most important factor in their success.
Many clients of ours have hired the same contractor multiple times, which is more cost-effective than holding the permanent headcount.
Here’s why building and maintaining a contractor pool is a smart long-term move:
Why Contractor Loyalty Starts with Us
Many of the world’s leading companies, from EY to Microsoft, have long recognised the power of alumni networks. They leverage alumni networks to drive innovation, rehire trusted talent, and improve business development. At Morgan McKinley, we’ve applied the same thinking to our contractor network.
But instead of suggesting clients maintain these relationships directly, we take responsibility for nurturing our contractors. That way, clients benefit from trusted, experienced professionals, without the complexity or compliance risks of managing those relationships themselves.
These networks aren’t just about staying in touch. They create influence. Relationships built through alumni communities often lead to referrals, exclusive access to talent, business development opportunities, and even increased innovation. They are a proven way to maintain loyalty, grow professional reach, and reduce recruitment and marketing spend.
Our dedicated Candidate Experience team ensures that contractors:
- Feel supported and respected throughout their assignment
- Have a reason to stay exclusively registered with us
- Are regularly engaged with upskilling, feedback, and recognition
- Are matched more accurately to future roles based on their performance and preferences
This loyalty pays dividends. Many of our contractors choose to return to Morgan McKinley repeatedly, which means our clients benefit from reliable, high-calibre candidates who are ready to hit the ground running.
From Exit to Engagement: Building Lasting Value with Contractors
According to Gallup, only 24% of employees say they were “extremely satisfied” with how their organisation handled the offboarding process. For contractors, the experience is often even more transactional: a final invoice, a polite farewell, and silence. This is a missed opportunity.
Contractors often describe the end of a project as a “cut-off” point. At Morgan McKinley, we see it as a continuation.
We take contractor offboarding seriously, collecting feedback, acknowledging contributions, and keeping the door open for future opportunities. This ensures:
A strong contractor exit process can help:
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth in the contractor community
- Capture honest feedback to improve your ways of working
- Identify high performers worth rehiring
- Leave the door open for future collaboration
And we go a step further by keeping our contractor network engaged between roles. This includes:
- Early access to new contract opportunities
- Access to industry insights and career guidance
- Invitations to learning events, forums, and community initiatives
- Loyalty schemes designed to reward long-term commitment and performance
Our goal is simple: to be the partner contractors choose to stay with. That’s what makes our network more powerful and makes us a better partner for our clients.
The aim is to create two-way engagement that feels meaningful and worthwhile. Contractors who find real value in staying connected are more likely to return. They will also recommend others who can deliver just as well.
Technology Matters: Don’t Just Rely on LinkedIn
Platforms like LinkedIn help us stay connected. However, they do not support the ongoing engagement needed for a reliable group of contractors. We don’t rely on spreadsheets or disconnected databases. Our systems track contractor performance, availability, preferences, and feedback, allowing us to make more intelligent matches.
To build a contractor network that genuinely works for your business, you need the right tools in place. A dedicated system can help make a passive database more active. With the right contractor engagement platform or CRM solution, Morgan McKinley can:
- Track contract history, availability, and specialisms
- Tag top performers and high-potential future hires
- Segment talent by industry, region, or role type
- Communicate quickly and personally with targeted groups
- Run feedback surveys, pulse checks, and performance reviews
- Share relevant updates, training opportunities, or new roles
Crucially, it enables us to take a proactive approach. Rather than scrambling when an urgent need arises, you will have a roster of reliable contractors prepared to assist.
Contractor loyalty is built on more than just good experiences. It’s also built on how easy you make it for people to return and that starts with the systems you have in place.
What Morgan McKinley Is Doing Differently
At Morgan McKinley, we don’t just support contract recruitment. We help clients build lasting, strategic relationships with the best contracting talent available. Our approach is based on the idea that a contractor is more than just a temporary fix. They are an important part of business success, both now and in the future and that is why we have a dedicated Candidate Experience function to champion contractor satisfaction and retention.
Here’s how we’re helping organisations stay ahead:
- Pre-built talent pools aligned to client sectors
We maintain active contractor communities across key industries, ready to respond quickly. - Performance tracking and ongoing engagement
We monitor contractor success and availability to ensure our clients always have access to known, reliable talent. - Loyalty initiatives and re-engagement strategies
We're developing innovative contractor loyalty schemes that recognise excellent delivery and build long-term trust. - Advisory support on contingent workforce planning
From workforce strategy to compliance, we advise clients on integrating contract talent into their broader people plans. - Global reach, local expertise
Our presence across multiple regions means we can support cross-border contracting while navigating local market and compliance requirements.
Contracting isn’t just about skills and CVs. It’s about relationships and at Morgan McKinley, we’re committed to being the connector that brings the right people and opportunities together again and again.
Still not quite sure whether hiring a contractor is the best decision for your business? Have a look at our contract recruitment page for more information. Check out the articles at the bottom. They might help you decide!
If you have already decided that a temporary employee or contractor is the right hire for your requirements, get in touch and one of our specialist contract recruiters will contact you to find out more information.
