TCS scales back direct dealings, leaves staffing vendors unhappy

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd has hired a US-based firm to deal with its third-party staffing vendors as India's largest IT services provider boosts transparency in its recruitment processes.

- Devina Sengupta

Pontoon Solutions, a managed services provider, will become a bridge between TCS and its two-dozen-plus vendors, ensuring that they do not have direct contact with the IT giant's resource management group (RMG), a team of employees involved in hiring and placing candidates from staffing firms on contract.

"We were informed two months ago that we will now have to work with Pontoon Solutions. Until now, we interacted with TCS directly; there used to be quarterly interactions where RMGs and TCS employees from HR teams were there. We discussed our grievances, and they updated us on their latest needs and changes in hiring mandates. Now that will stop," said a senior executive at one of the staffing vendors for TCS.

TCS's hiring mandates will be uploaded to Pontoon's platform.

Once the vendors submit their candidates' profiles against these openings, Pontoon will conduct the first level of screening, and TCS will take the final call.

Pontoon is a unit of staffing firm Adecco.

TCS and Pontoon did not respond to Mint's queries sent on Saturday.