Your manpower provider affects your operation every day, and a poor choice can expose you to compliance risk. These are the questions to ask before you sign.
When your business relies on people supplied by another company, that company becomes part of your daily operation. A worker who arrives late, a supervisor who is missing, a gap in the paperwork: each of these lands on your customers, not on the provider. Price matters, but it shouldn't be the whole decision. A manpower provider deserves the same scrutiny you would give any operating partner.
This guide sets out what to check and the questions worth asking before you sign.
1. Registration and licensing
Start with the basics. Confirm that the provider is an established Saudi company with a valid commercial registration, and that its registered activities cover the services you plan to buy. Ask for evidence that it is licensed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to supply labour services to third parties, and verify it through official channels.
It can feel like a formality, but it protects you from working with a provider that operates outside the regulatory framework, and from the sudden service disruption or unexpected liability that can follow.
2. Compliance, in detail
Everyone working on your site should be fully regularised. Ask the provider directly about:
- Qiwa: are employment contracts documented electronically on the platform?
- GOSI: is every worker registered with the General Organization for Social Insurance?
- The Wage Protection System: are salaries paid on time through approved channels?
- Anti-commercial concealment: is the company genuinely run by its registered owners, with clear policies against concealment?
A compliant provider will answer these questions readily and explain how it monitors its own compliance. Vague or evasive answers are a reason to look more closely.
Paying wages on time is not just a legal point, either. It is one of the biggest factors in whether workers stay, and how reliably they turn up on your site.
3. Range of roles and room to grow
What you need today may not be what you need in six months. A new branch, a peak sales season or an extra operating contract all call for a provider that can grow with you. Ask:
- Which roles does the provider actually supply, as opposed to the ones listed in its brochure?
- Does it have experience in your sector specifically: restaurants, retail, warehousing, healthcare?
- How long does it typically take to add more people when you need them?
Working with one provider that covers most of your needs saves you coordinating several suppliers, and keeps one standard of performance across your sites.
4. Replacement and field follow-up
Even with careful selection, some workers will need to be replaced, whether for performance or personal reasons. This is where providers differ most. Make sure the contract includes:
- A clear process for requesting a replacement, with a defined timeframe.
- Cover for absences and leave, so your operation isn't affected.
- A named field supervisor or coordinator who checks on the team at your site and acts on your feedback.
- Regular attendance and performance reports.
Regular field follow-up catches small problems before they grow, and frees your managers from work that isn't their core job.
5. A clear contract and clear costs
A low headline price can hide costs that appear later. Ask for an itemised quotation that shows what is included and what isn't, for example:
- Salaries and allowances.
- Accommodation and transport, if the provider covers them.
- Uniforms and personal protective equipment.
- Overtime and work on public holidays.
- Invoicing and payment terms.
Then check that the contract defines the scope of service, the number of workers and their duties, the agreed performance indicators, and the terms for renewal and termination. The clearer the contract, the fewer disputes you'll have once work begins.
6. Client references
Ask which businesses the provider currently serves in your sector or a similar one, and whether you can speak to one of them. An existing client will tell you more than any presentation: does the provider keep to schedules, how does it handle replacements, and how quickly does it respond when something goes wrong?
A short checklist before you sign
- Valid commercial registration and a licence that covers the activity.
- Contracts documented on Qiwa and workers registered with GOSI.
- Salaries paid regularly through the Wage Protection System.
- A clear anti-concealment policy.
- Experience in your sector and the capacity to scale.
- A written replacement and field follow-up process.
- An itemised quotation and a contract that sets out scope and KPIs.
- Current clients you can talk to.
Masar Alaqood: your manpower partner
Since 2008, Masar Alaqood has supplied qualified people to construction, food and beverage, restaurants and cafés, retail, sports clubs, hotels, healthcare, factories and malls, under regulated employment contracts and in line with the relevant Saudi regulations, with field follow-up and continuous performance evaluation.
If you are working out what your business needs, we'll gladly prepare a proposal that fits your scope. Request a quote through the website, or call us on +966 58 080 9777.
