In announcing the updated service, first launched in 2009, Lawspeed director Ravi Murphy said “tax regulation and rights such as under the AWR can prove a minefield for the uninitiated. The new public sector Chapter 10 rules, when combined with the agency tax rules and the 2007 managed service company rules all expose agencies to risk. Hirers also face risk under Chapter 10 and wherever engagements are made on any basis other than employment. So, in a crowded market place with a plethora of models available, how does an agency, hirer or candidate know whether a service provider it is dealing with is actually compliant and is therefore safe to work with?
The solution is for there to be an independent check of the service provider’s operations in the areas that are relevant. Lawspeed now offers such a check by on site audit and provides compliant operators with accreditation evidenced by use of the well known SPA logo, trusted by agencies since 2009. To ensure transparency, a brief description of the service provider’s audited operations and organisation will be available.”
“We believe that this independent accreditation will at last provide a solution for agencies, hirers and candidates to sort out the wheat from the chaff, in a market place that historically has vexed the industry, whilst at the same time affording compliant service providers with market advantage over their non-accredited competitors, some of whom may be operating in a non-compliant way.”
When asked how this compares with trade association membership, Murphy said “where a trade association commissions an independent audit of a service provider member, it may justifiably claim compliance provided that the audit result is open and transparent. However, none operate that way in the UK and Lawspeed SPA aims to address that gap.
Visit www.lawspeed.com/Expertise/Umbrella_ServiceProviders/SPA.aspx or call Lawspeed on 01273 236236 (quoting SPA)
