New to contracting - Been given a preferred supplier list... help me choose?

[misterpingu]

Hello - I am new to contracting and planning to use an umbrella firm for my first contract (may change later to ltd but for now will go umbrella) . This is for a govt department and they have given me a list of agencies with whom I have to pick one to register.

I wanted to ask a) from the quite long list below... which would folk recommend?
b) So I'm looking at a chain of (govt dept->capita->agency-> umbrella co -> me) - do any of the below do umbrella services so I can cut one out of the chain?
c)Do folk think I'm going about this the right way? I'm new and clueless

121 Recruitment
3SDL
Acorn Recruitment Ltd
Alium Partners Limited
Allen Lane Limited
Allyance
Alpine Resourcing Ltd
Ambridge Harris Associates Ltd
ARC IT Recruitment Ltd
Badenoch & Clark
BiS Henderson
Brightred Resourcing Limited
Centre4 Testing
Certes Computing Limited
Champion Employment Limited
COMX PS Ltd
Consulting Stream
Contracts IT Limited
Corecom Consulting
CPS Group UK Ltd
DATS Holdings Ltd
Digital Gurus-UK
DP Connect Ltd
EGB Consulting UK Ltd
Engage Technical Solutions
Evisa Solutions Limited t/a Malikshaw
Evodia Limited
Evolve Business consultancy
FPSG CONNECT LTD
Fusion People Ltd
Gardiner&Theobald LLP
GID ltd
Great Oak Professional Services Limited
Green Park Interim and Executive Limited
Hales Group Limited
Hammond Clarke Recruitment Ltd
Harvey Nash Group Plc.
Hays Specialist Recruitment
Interaction Recruitment, PLC
InterQuest Group (UK) Ltd t/a Sand Resources
ISOURCE IT UK LTD
IT Human Resources PLC
IT Works Recruitment
Keystream Healthcare Resources Ltd
KOSI Corporation Ltd
Laurus Consulting Ltd trading as Select Appointments
Lorien Resourcing
LYNX RECRUITMENT LIMITED
M&E Global
Mentis MC Ltd
Monarch Recruitment
Morson International
Network IT
Networkers International PLC
NonStop Recruitment Ltd
Northern Recruitment Group Ltd
Optimum IT Ltd
Osborne Thomas Ltd
Pertemps Recruitment Partnership Ltd
Polaris Consulting Limited
PS Computer Services LTD
Quo Imus Limited Trading as Qi Consulting
Radiant Systems Europe Limited
Recruitment Zone Limited (trading as RZ Group)
Reed Specialist Recruitment
ReThink Recruitment
Ripe4 Resourcing Ltd
Rullion IT Plus
Sanderson ISS
Sceneone Ltd
Set2Recruit Ltd
SLS Services
SmartSourcing Plc
SOLOS Consultants Ltd
Steria Recruitment Ltd
Summit Computer Recruitment Limited t/a itecopeople
Swan IT Recruitment Ltd
Synergize Consulting
Templeton and Partners Limited
The 100 Company TM Limited
Virtual Human Resources Ltd
WA Consultants
Wellingtone Limited
Wise Employment Limited

[stek]

Let me go through the list and check them all out for you...

[misterpingu]

Let me go through the list and check them all out for you...

Thanks! That would be amazing! (using sarcasm font)

Perhaps if the good people here know of some stand out ones then that would be a great help to narrow down my options. Plus I'm new - dumb questions happen at this stage.

[Fred Bloggs]

I'll recommend DATS Holdings, they pay on time, that's all you need.

[v8gaz]

Do they know what the phrase 'preferred supplier' actually means?

[GlenW]

I'm currently using Lorien Resourcing, no problems pay on time.

[Batcher]

I'm currently using Lorien Resourcing, no problems pay on time.

They've just altered payment terms on a brolly company to 30 days after invoice. That usually points to cash flow problems.

In saying that, I've not had any problems with them through my Ltd and Hays paid on time and weekly.

[GlenW]

They've just altered payment terms on a brolly company to 30 days after invoice. That usually points to cash flow problems.

In saying that, I've not had any problems with them through my Ltd and Hays paid on time and weekly.

Cheers mate, that's given me something to think about.

[bracken]

Direct to Capita

My not use Crapita direct and cut out the agency (who will take a %). Lots of people do that...I did when I was in Central Govt...Note though that the contract will be bad in terms of IR35. If you let us know the govt department, a kind soul on here may give you the name of their Capita contract...

B

[misterpingu]

My not use Crapita direct and cut out the agency (who will take a %). Lots of people do that...I did when I was in Central Govt...Note though that the contract will be bad in terms of IR35. If you let us know the govt department, a kind soul on here may give you the name of their Capita contract...

B

Thanks - I'll try that - the person I spoke to at Capita was v helpful already - they were very clear they couldn't recommend any agnet and stay impartial. I'm not worried about IR35 at the mo as I'll go with an umbrella for the first contract, get the contract reviewed (as I doubt I'll see the contract until day before I start) and then maybe switch to ltd co later. FYI - the %cut will be picked up by the client - all part of the lovely new CL1 process....