Freelance - a flexible way forward

When Boehringer Ingelheim needed a Global Research Manager to handle a global research programme they turned to the consultancy.

The 6 month contact was renewed for another 6 months and then another … so what’s going on?
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Freelance support meets the need for flexibility and keeps personnel off your balance sheet while enabling clients to carry out or manage research projects during those busy periods or as temporary replacements when key research staff are absent.

It’s all about matching - researchers have to have the right skill and knowledge. So in a period of intense research activity Boehringer Ingelheim maintains its research workflow, facilitates its international research projects and keeps it overheads low.

The Service

It’s all about matching ��" researchers have to have the right skill and knowledge but that is only the starting point. They also need the right language skills, after all deployment can be throughout Europe and need to establish rapport with your internal clients as they represent you throughout the company.

Researchers may be on your site but they still receive support and resources from our professional team.

The Delivery

…we think you get the picture.

Research Experience

Our experienced Research Directors can carry out every aspect of your research or deploy work to associates with required skills.

• Management of global research suppliers
• Commissioning and co-ordination of local, European or global research for all survey methodologies
• Management of all survey needs:
  • Internal client briefs
  • Translations
  • Questionnaire design
  • Data collection for all qualitative and quantitative methodologies
  • Data processing
  • Analysis
  • Interpretation
  • Report and survey presentations
  • Progress reports

Benefits

Maintains Research Workflow

• Ensures research projects keep to deadlines
• Maintains workflow when key staff are not present
• Enables extraordinary workloads to be managed without having to take on permanent overhead

Facilitates Research Projects

• European research suppliers are in place and proven over the last decade
• Immediate access an to an established infrastructure of proven European suppliers and other contacts
• Use of European market knowledge, resources and experience
• Communication in every European language
• Vertical sector expertise

Keeps Overheads Low

• No overhead costs
• Staff only retained for as long as required

Set up

• A detailed requirement brief is taken from the client.
• Terms of working are drawn together with essential contractual details such as confidentiality agreements.
• Reporting and administration procedures are established.

Candidate Selection and Placement

• Here we use our in house database of associates to isolate the most appropriate candidates.
• Once candidates have been screened we submit CVs for consideration.
• The client may prefer to interview the shortlist personally for assignments lasting 1 or more months and in these instances the client directly pays the travel and candidate time.

Management

• Candidates take all instruction from the client.
• All expenses concerned with the carrying out of duties ��" travel, communication, stationery etc. are paid for by the client market research budget.
• Part of the standard contract includes provision for 5 days holiday for every 12 weeks or 6 days every 12 weeks for contracts of 6 months or more.
• Invoices are submitted monthly at the end of each month.
• Regular performance evaluations are carried out as part of the contract.

Full employment

In those instances where the client wishes to employ the candidate then a reassignment fee of 15% of the final annual salary is payable.

Accommodation for Assignments Away From Home

• It is our policy to work with clients to establish the most cost effective solution for accommodation and travel.
• The costs of accommodation and travel when on assignments are met by clients as with any employee.