Pretium Resourcing and Nétive VMS Forge Strategic Partnership to Revolutionise Neutral Vendor MSP in the UK and Beyond

By joining forces, the two firms aim to bring forth a pioneering collaboration that promises to transform the landscape of neutral vendor managed service provider (MSP) solutions in the UK and globally.

Both parties share such passion and excitement for the project, that we sat down with Sam Skelton, CEO at Pretium Resourcing, and Patrick Tiessen, co-founder of Nétive VMS, to talk about the strategic alignment and shared values driving this partnership forward.

Synergy in alignment from the start

From the start, there was a seamless alignment in values, ethics and operational ethos between the two companies. From their initial interactions to the thorough due diligence process, it became evident very early on that Pretium and Nétive VMS shared a common commitment to excellence and client-centric solutions.

Sam said, “When we first approached Nétive VMS about this opportunity, they didn’t just say ‘yep sure, let’s go for it.’ They wanted to do some serious due diligence on us first.  They said, ‘tell us about you and how you manage your processes’ – they gave us a thorough health check, which was really comforting from our perspective.”

Pretium, of course, brings to the table a deep understanding of HR technology, but they were excited by the opportunity to work with a software provider who truly understood the market and what it take to manage large scale workforces. And as Sam commented, “It’s not just about being a software provider, it’s about understanding what the software is there to do, and Nétive VMS does that, with its unparalleled VMS capabilities.” 

Patrick added: “It was important for us that the systems work together and that were we very much aligned. We were pleasantly surprised by the proposition – it feels to me it has a lot of potential and can really grow.”

The beginnings of a strategic partnership

The original idea for the partnership came from Pretium about 2 years ago. Pretium was formed back in 2017 and had always used a primary software provider – however, gaps had started to appear with their existing provider and it wasn’t keeping up with what they needed for their customers.

Sam said: “More gaps had been appearing with our existing provider and we believed that Nétive VMS could offer more, so we looked to push this forward. I reached out to Patrick on LinkedIn, we met in person with some of the team, discussed the commercial opportunity, then a few weeks later we shook hands, and here we are about to launch with our first big client, with more in the pipeline!”

For both companies, the partnership provides significant more opportunities for growing their respective businesses in a symbiotic and organic way.

Patrick added: “We were really intrigued by the opportunity when Sam reached out to us, and so even though the initial conversations were initiated by Pretium, there was quickly a mutual interest in pursuing this. The in-depth discussions and scoping sessions happened quickly, as we both recognised the immense potential for synergy and growth.”

Strengths and benefits of the partnership

The strengths each partner brings to the table are complementary, enhancing the value proposition for clients.

Sam explained, “Nétive VMS brings the ability to scale, and not just with our existing clients who have a substantial global presence. Our existing software provider wouldn’t allow us to scale outside of the UK. Initially we ‘interviewed’ 16 or 17 possible VMS providers to find “the one” – Nétive VMS was another league above everyone else. It’s best in class from a functionality and agility perspective, which is a huge benefit! We can bring our existing clients additional functionality, control, and scalability, with the ability to work across borders and continents, which we could never do before. It’s now firmly in our roadmap to scale into Europe and other countries.”

And there are numerous benefits for Nétive VMS as well, as alluded to by Patrick; “What we’re learning from Pretium is that there are some things specific to the UK workforce market which we don’t yet support – we have agreed to add those into the system and they are being built as we speak! It’s so important for both of our companies to have these additional functionalities in the system. We’re very open to learning how we can do better and adding even more value to the VMS for our clients. Currently we have a small position in the UK market, so this is an important step for us in expanding in this territory.”

Sam added, “Patrick and the Nétive VMS team have been phenomenal in taking on board this feedback from us: the system needs to be able to do “this” – we don’t ever expect them to do any of it, but if there is a case for it and it’ll bring value, then it’s worth doing. It’s so important that a VMS system constantly evolves, so it’s even more important to have a good partnership and path of communication between us which means we can stay ahead of the competition. We need to be ahead of what clients need before they ask for it. It’s been really refreshing to have that level of communication and understanding of what the clients need.”

It’s a win-win for our respective clients

Whilst there are many benefits of the partnership to both Pretium and Nétive VMS, ultimately it’s the clients and end-users who really benefit from this collaboration. For larger Pretium clients with international capabilities, having the same system cross-border is a game changer as they can log into one system wherever they are. Even for their UK-only clients, the added functionality (reporting, visibility, control) provided by Nétive VMS is a massive upgrade compared to their existing provider, according to Sam.

There are huge benefits too in terms of how quickly Pretium can rollout the software to their clients. Because Nétive VMS have trust in Pretium, they are training them and supporting them with the first few rollouts, but with the ultimate intention of giving Pretium full autonomy. As Patrick said: “We want to give to give them the ‘keys’ so they can handle the rollouts themselves. Its beneficial for both of us, as we can leave Sam and his team to work with the clients, and we can focus on delivering a world-class system. Then we’re both playing to our strengths.”

Embracing the Journey:

Both Patrick and Sam agreed that they look to build partnerships for life and are in it for the long-term. It’s probably one of the reasons it took Pretium so long to make the change to a new software provider. But Sam followed his gut feeling and that connection he felt from the start; it was a good feeling from the moment Nétive VMS and Pretium started talking.

As the partnership between Pretium and Nétive begins, there is an air of excitement and anticipation from both sides. Both are committed to nurturing a relationship built on respect, trust, and admiration, ensuring that every step forward is a step toward mutual growth and success.

Sam added, “Growth for us is of course key, but we want to enjoy it along the way. We believe Nétive VMS is that partner who will help challenge us to do things better.”