After spending several years in sourcing and procurement roles at TechnipFMC, an energy technology firm, Alicia Welch took on a new challenge in January 2020: sourcing talent rather than products. As the category manager for agency personnel, she had a steep learning curve and big goals.

In June 2023, she began to see the fruition of her vision. With Welch at the helm, TechnipFMC launched a re-imagined contracted workforce program, “Workforce on Demand.” Supported by a new, comprehensive vendor management system in partnership with a managed service provider to help with the day-to-day operations and recruitment functions, the company is well positioned for growth. Standardizing best practices for contracts, procure-to-pay processes, timesheets and invoices has been critical to the success of the program. These elements will also provide the data needed to effectively manage and forecast expenses.

“My biggest lesson learned in being successful with the launching of the program is getting early engagement with the right people at the right level in the organization — the true decision makers,” Welch says. Recently promoted to director of indirect sourcing and procurement, Welch will now oversee all category managers — from facilities to IT to operations. Everything the company needs to buy that doesn’t get delivered to the customer will fall within her scope. Taking what she has learned through the recent contingent workforce program creation, Welch will now build a new global operating model for buying indirect goods and services in a standardized, streamlined way.