Note: There have been changes to this plan following the publication of this article. We will update this information in the coming weeks.

UCSF is changing the way third-party temporary workers are ordered by departments. Currently, this is done via BearBuy in partnership with Supply Chain Management (SCM). Soon, requesting a temporary worker from an outside agency will be done using a standard form that will be routed directly to a managed service provider, Vizient. SCM Strategic Procurement will no longer be involved in this process. 

Vizient will manage external temporary staffing agencies identified to meet UCSF’s short-term staffing needs. They will coordinate temporary staffing across the full span of roles needed at UCSF, including finance, IT, technical, research, clinical. Vizient is vendor neutral, meaning they are not a staffing agency but rather a coordinator of multiple staffing agencies.

UCSF Health has worked with Vizient to manage temporary labor for over 10 years. The Vizient program is used throughout the University of California (UC) system, including at UCLA Health and campus. 

Benefits of the Vizient program:

• Broader access to staffing agencies:  Vizient will distribute temporary labor requests to multiple staffing agencies, which will increase access to talent and decrease the time to fill a request. It is anticipated that most existing agencies will move under the Vizient program.
• Cost savings: Vizient will negotiate competitive and market-based bill rates, taking the burden of this work off individual departments. This program is no cost to departments.
• Standard process: Across UCSF campus and Health.
• Greater efficiency: Vizient will provide technology for temporary labor timekeeping and invoicing, allowing departments to track expenditures and usage year over year. 

Some required changes with the new Vizient program:

• Departments requesting temporary labor will follow a new standard process.
• Departments will use a new system for requests, timekeeping, and bill approval.
• Departments currently working directly with temporary staffing agencies will work through Vizient rather than directly with the agency.

Next Steps

The Vizient program is scheduled to go live June 27.  Between now and then SCM will provide additional updates about this new program and opportunities to attend training.

Please note that the Vizient managed service program will not oversee UCSF’s Temporary Employment Program (TEP).  TEP will still be the preferred temporary staffing provider at UCSF for administrative and support services roles.

Questions?  Please contact Steven Wiseman, Director of Talent Acquisition [email protected]