Cost Management & Compliance

Avoid nasty surprises.

Extended workforce costs can run away from you without anyone noticing. Compliance risks build up the same way — quietly, until something forces them into the open.

Most organisations don’t have a clear picture of what they’re spending on their extended workforce, how that spend is structured, or whether the people working for them are classified correctly. That’s three separate problems, and any one of them can become expensive.

We help you get on top of all three.

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 Contact Our Team

Knowing what you’re spending

Clarity on where your money’s going.

You’re probably spending more than you realise on your extended workforce, and the picture is spread across suppliers, systems and business units that don’t talk to each other.

We make it visible — who’s getting paid what, through which suppliers, for what work — so you can actually do something about it.

Spending it smarter

Better ways to save than squeezing rates.

Every time costs need cutting, someone suggests squeezing supplier rates. It shifts the problem and loses you the workers you actually want.

We help you find smarter ways to reduce spend — different delivery models, better processes, tools that reduce waste — without driving good people away.

Getting worker classification right

IR35, umbrella reform, and beyond.

IR35 caught a lot of organisations off guard. Umbrella reform has done the same. Misclassification isn’t just a compliance risk — it’s a financial one.

We help you audit how your extended workers are classified, identify where the risks sit, and put practical processes in place so you stay on the right side of the rules as legislation changes.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Practical compliance, not legal jargon.

Legislation doesn’t pause while you catch up, and “we didn’t know” isn’t a defence that holds up.

We help you track what’s changing, understand what it means for your business, and put practical things in place — worker definitions, tenure tracking, pay parity, supplier audits — so when something changes, you’re ready.

Find out where your spend and compliance exposure sits.

Concerto® includes a dedicated Cost Control & Supplier Spend Visibility assessment — identifying where money is leaking, where supplier relationships lack structure, and where compliance risk is building unnoticed. Register your interest and we’ll be in touch as soon as it’s available.

    Our Approach:

    • "The cost and compliance question is rarely about what people are spending. It's about what they can see. Most organisations are making decisions about their extended workforce without a clear picture of what it's actually costing them — and that gap between what they think is happening and what actually is, is where the risk lives."

      Jools Barrow-Read

    Latest News, Insights & Client Stories
    Across Cost Control & Governance:

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      Why managers bypass approved channels — and how to fix it

      Managers bypassing approved hiring channels is rarely an attitude problem. It's usually a clarity problem. Here's how listening to what managers actually needed led to something built to stick.

      Laura Handley

      Strategic Operations Director

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      Umbrella company reform and why it matters for HR

      When HMRC introduces joint and several liability for umbrella company tax failures in April 2026, many organisations will discover they have a significant blind spot. Nobody is actually accountable for their extended workforce. This article explores why this represents an opportunity for HR to lead, and how to start those conversations internally.

      Jools Barrow-Read

      Founder