Costain: Smart recruitment for smart infrastructure

​Costain, the smart infrastructure solutions company, has used the Morson Group as its talent partner for well over a decade, benefitting from our extensive candidate reach and proven business improvement processes.

A dedicated division

Having developed a dedicated, 20+ strong Costain recruitment team at the start of our relationship, we have been able to truly align with the business’ disciplines, implementing a four-step process that ensures the firm can meet its objectives to budget, and on time, for every project.

As part of our vacancy approval service, we delve into Costain’s future, flexible workforce needs, then talent pool candidates ahead of the approval process, to deliver a more efficient talent solution. For new requirements, we work with Costain’s discipline which leads to an understanding of all elements of the roles available, ensuring contractors are delivered with the right experience, qualifications and skills.

Equality and diversity are the foundations of our candidate attraction and recruitment processes.

We support Costain to write job adverts that are inclusive and encourage all qualified candidates to apply so that no implied barriers exist. During the hiring process, we provide a 3:1 or better CV to interview ratio.

We act to time-bound performance targets to ensure a consistent candidate and hiring manager journey throughout, while our onboarding and time capture programme is digitally optimised. Through our contractor care team and online timesheet solution, we provide all Costain hiring managers and contractors with a dedicated point of contact whilst retaining a fully auditable log of compliance and hours.

Covid considerations

In March 2020, Costain temporarily paused some of its operations at the very start of the Coronavirus pandemic. We adapted our delivery rapidly but effectively in order to ensure it could continue operations, keeping its contractor workforce updated on process and policy changes as they emerged.

In line with new legislation, we implemented a ‘Covid-19 Support Hub’ for Costain, arming its permanent team, as well as its contingent labour, with support as the world around them continued to change.
 

As well as offering advice on workplace safety audits, flexible workforce solutions and providing interim HR support, the hub also shared advice on maintaining physical and mental wellbeing through a seriously challenging period of time, and as sites became operational once more.
 

While Covid-19 enforced an alternative way of working throughout 2020 and into 2021, we are committed to achieving the same outstanding levels of service we have for Costain across our previous years working together.

An ongoing commitment

Throughout our partnership, our dedicated talent team has filled more than 2,000 contractor roles on schemes, our robust delivery has seen us achieve 98% of KPIs, and we’ve achieved significant cost savings via our commercial and strategic recruitment model.

Richard Howell, head of supply chain at Costain, said:

Morson’s partnership is one of our more strategic relationships; it’s collaborative, integrated and highly effective. The team is client focused, has an in-depth understanding of the markets we’re involved in – and those we want to enter in the future – and how we operate, and can anticipate our needs and support them through to fruition.

The quality of their people is paramount, and they leave no stone unturned. We require specific engineering disciplines and operational skills, which are always delivered. Morson is transparent in its reporting, always open and honest about its results, which have been consistently strong in our time working together.

Morson is viewed as part of Costain, because the team is driven to go above and beyond their remit, supporting us to achieve our own objectives.

It’s our specialist expertise our clients come for, and their personal experience that makes them stay.

If you would like to find out more about our talent solutions and how we can help your organisation cost save, continuously improve, and transform, get in touch with Morson director, David Lynchehaun at david.lynchehaun@morson.com.