The UK staffing and recruitment industry is one of the largest in Europe, placing millions of temporary and permanent workers into employment every year. Whether you are a boutique executive search firm, a volume temporary staffing agency, or a specialist technical recruiter, the legal relationship between your agency and the businesses that engage your services must be clearly defined in writing.

A staffing agency contract — also called a client services agreement, terms of business, or recruitment services agreement — is the foundational document that governs the commercial relationship between an employment agency or employment business and its client organisations. Without a properly drafted written agreement, disputes over fees, transfer charges, liability for worker conduct, and compliance obligations under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 are almost inevitable.

The UK's regulatory framework for employment agencies is more complex than many business owners realise. The Employment Agencies Act 1973 is the primary statute, but it is supplemented by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/3319) — known as the Conduct Regulations — which set out detailed operational requirements. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93), implementing the EU Temporary Agency Work Directive, added a further layer of compliance obligations that significantly affect both agencies and hirers.

A critical threshold question that any staffing agency agreement must address is the distinction between an employment agency and an employment business. An employment agency introduces workers to hirers who then employ those workers directly. An employment business supplies workers who remain employed by or contracted to the agency, working temporarily for the client under the agency's direction. This distinction matters enormously: it determines who owes duties to the worker, who must pay them, and where liability sits if something goes wrong.

For clients engaging temporary staffing services, the agency agreement is equally important. It defines your financial obligations, your responsibilities under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, your rights if a placed worker proves unsuitable, and the circumstances in which a transfer fee is payable if you want to hire the worker permanently. A poorly drafted or absent agency agreement can expose client businesses to unexpected costs and legal liability.

In England and Wales, staffing agency contracts are governed by the general principles of English contract law, supplemented by the specific statutory framework described above. The Conduct Regulations also require agencies to provide clients and workers with certain written information, and any agency contract should be drafted with these disclosure obligations in mind.

Any employment agency or employment business operating in England and Wales that supplies workers to client organisations needs a written staffing agency contract with each client before services commence. This is both a regulatory requirement under the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and a commercial necessity.

Regulation 14 of the Conduct Regulations requires employment businesses to agree certain terms with workers before supplying them, and the terms between the agency and the hirer must also be clearly documented. The Regulations require that the agency inform the hirer about key worker information, including the likely start date, expected duration, required experience, and the rate of pay applicable to the engagement.

The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 make a written agreement between the agency and the client even more essential. From the first day of an assignment, agency workers are entitled to the same access to collective facilities as comparable permanent employees. After a 12-week qualifying period working in the same role for the same hirer, they become entitled to the same basic pay and working conditions as comparable permanent employees. Allocating the responsibility for AWR compliance between the agency and the client, and documenting how qualifying period information will be communicated, requires a clear written agreement.

Transfer fees — also called introduction fees or finders fees — are another area where a written agreement is indispensable. If a client wishes to directly employ a worker who has been supplied or introduced by an agency, the Conduct Regulations permit the agency to charge a transfer fee, subject to offering the client the alternative of an extended hire period under Regulation 10. Without a written agreement specifying the transfer fee and the opt-out hire period, disputes are almost certain to arise.

Permanent placement fees operate differently. When an agency introduces a candidate who is then directly employed by the client on a permanent basis, the agency's entire fee becomes payable upon the candidate starting work. The terms of business should clearly set out the fee, the payment timeline, any rebate provisions if the candidate leaves within a certain period, and the circumstances in which a rebate applies.

Framework agreements are appropriate when a client regularly uses an agency's services over time and wants consistent terms to apply to all placements rather than negotiating terms individually for each assignment. A master staffing agency contract sets out the commercial and legal framework, with individual assignment schedules or purchase orders used for specific engagements.

A well-drafted UK staffing agency contract should address the following key areas to protect both the agency and its client and to comply with the applicable regulatory framework.

Worker classification and agency type: The contract must clearly state whether the agency is operating as an employment business (supplying workers who remain on the agency payroll) or as an employment agency (introducing candidates who are then employed directly by the client). This classification determines who owes employment law duties to the worker and where payroll obligations and employer's liability insurance requirements sit.

Scope of services: The agreement should define the types of roles for which the agency will supply workers, the geographic areas covered, the skill categories or sectors involved, and whether the arrangement covers temporary placements, permanent recruitment, or both.

Fees and payment terms: The fee structure must be clearly set out. For temporary staffing, this will typically be the worker's hourly or daily pay rate plus a margin or markup, invoiced weekly or fortnightly. For permanent placement, a fee is typically expressed as a percentage of the candidate's first-year gross remuneration. Payment terms, late payment interest provisions, and VAT treatment should all be addressed.

Transfer fees under the Conduct Regulations: The contract must address what happens if the client directly employs a worker introduced or supplied by the agency. Regulation 10 of the Conduct Regulations 2003 requires the agency to offer the client a choice between paying a transfer fee or serving an extended hire period before the direct employment commences. Both the fee amount and the opt-out hire period must be specified.

Agency Workers Regulations 2010 compliance: The agreement should allocate AWR compliance responsibilities between the agency and the hirer. The hirer is responsible for ensuring day-one rights (access to facilities and vacancies) are met. For pay parity after 12 weeks, the hirer must provide the agency with accurate information about the basic pay and working conditions of comparable permanent employees within an agreed timeframe. The contract should address what happens if the hirer provides inaccurate information.

Health and safety: The client is responsible for the day-to-day health and safety of agency workers while they are working at the client's premises, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The contract should reflect this allocation of responsibility.

Equality Act 2010: The contract should include a representation by both parties that they will comply with the Equality Act 2010 and will not subject agency workers to discrimination, harassment, or victimisation on the basis of any protected characteristic.

Data protection and UK GDPR: Both the agency and the client will process personal data about workers, candidates, and each other's personnel. The contract should address data protection compliance under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including any data sharing arrangements.

Right to work checks: The contract should specify whether the agency or the hirer is responsible for conducting right to work checks under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. As a general rule, the employment business conducting the checks is primarily responsible, but the hirer should confirm it will not engage workers without seeing evidence of their right to work.

Termination and notice: The agreement should set out the notice period for terminating the framework agreement, the circumstances in which either party may terminate immediately for cause, and the effect of termination on any ongoing assignments.