WMTemps: Transforming Shropshire Council’s Highways Department

Shropshire Council’s Highways department had long depended on a trusted agency for temporary workers. This arrangement delivered a steady supply of staff, but sat outside the council’s centralised workforce model.

When the council moved to Opus People Solutions via the WMTemps framework, it saw a chance to bring all Highways temporary recruitment under one compliant and well-managed supply chain to support greater visibility and savings.

The WMTemps framework provides robust governance and streamlined access to a wide range of suppliers through a single managed service. By moving Highways recruitment onto the framework, the council would gain stronger workforce planning support and full alignment with contractual requirements, enabling the department to gain the insight it needed to realise savings, plan its future workforce and strengthen pathways into permanent roles.

With the original agency initially not agreeing to join Opus’ supply chain, Opus identified other on contract suppliers, demonstrating to Highways managers that they could still access quality workers even if their previous agency didn’t join. This proactive approach led the original agency to rethink its position and ultimately join the Opus supply chain.

Once on contract, Opus engaged hiring managers to raise awareness of the WMTemps framework benefits, particularly the no fee temp to perm model after 12 weeks. This supported more confident workforce planning and removed historic barriers to converting high performing temporary workers into permanent staff. By bringing the agency onto the approved supply chain, the council gained full visibility of spend, usage, and supply routes without disrupting workforce continuity.

Highways managers now have clearer insights to support forecasting and the freedom to compare value across suppliers. Most importantly, the shift has unlocked significantly more temp to perm opportunities, benefiting both the council, through improved stability, and candidates seeking secure, long term roles. The department is now better positioned to plan its future workforce structure, supported by compliant sourcing, transparent data, and enhanced pathways from temporary to permanent employment.