Upwork Newswire: When Rogue Spend is Good

This biweekly column features the latest freelancing trends and Upwork’s role within them.

Spend Matters | When Rogue Spend is Good: The Case for Online Services Platforms

“Rogue spend” is spending that happens outside a business’s established process for obtaining supplies and resources—spending that isn’t necessarily accounted for or economical. It’s a problem for people who work in procurement, but Andrew Karpie argues there’s a case for rogue spending when it comes to the contingent workforce.

The problem, he says, is that existing supply channels can’t always meet demand. When it comes to freelance talent, business managers are looking for more effective and efficient ways to do their jobs. Sidestepping established channels, Karpie explains, gives them better access to the talent they need.

“In the current environment, many types of talent are in short supply, and the established sourcing channels (e.g., temporary staffing suppliers) are costly, slow, have quality-control issues and do not support short-interval, intermittent engagements. So there is a problem, and business managers are stepping up to solve it, achieve superior performance and save the company money,” Karpie said.

Noting that there are reasonable objections to rogue spend on independent contractors, Karpie suggests the risks can be mitigated. Further, he says, the data generated by online work platforms can actually enhance procurement’s abilities to monitor activity and ensure compliance.

Read the full commentary here >>

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