Costain’s Smart Infrastructure, Powered by Sharp Talent

The Challenge

Delivering the right talent for infrastructure delivery

When Costain, a leading UK smart-infrastructure company, approached Morson Edge, they faced a persistent challenge: sourcing the right engineering disciplines and operational skills, at pace, for major programmes across transport, water, energy and defence. They needed a partner who could go beyond simply filling vacancies – someone who would align with their business, plan ahead for future workforce needs, and deliver with transparency and high quality.

They required:

• A deep pipeline of qualified candidates with specialist engineering and contractor experience 
• A partner who would understand their project-by-project demands and deliver within budget and timeframe 
• A robust approach to diversity and inclusion so that talent supply reflected their values

The Solution

A dedicated team, tailored process, diversity-first approach

Morson established a dedicated recruitment team of more than 20 specialists embedded exclusively in Costain’s account. This team became part of Costain’s supply-chain ecosystem, working closely with discipline leads to anticipate and resource future requirements. Key features of the solution included:

• A four-step recruitment process designed to align with budget and schedule objectives 
• Vacancy-approval support: Morson helped Costain project future flexible workforce needs and built talent pools ahead of formal approval 
• Role-by-role collaboration: recruiting contractors with precisely the right experience, qualifications and skills for each position 
• A strong diversity and inclusion foundation: job adverts were crafted to be inclusive, the candidate pipeline delivered a minimum 3:1 CV-to-interview ratio, and performance-targets were time-bound to ensure consistency 
• Digital onboarding and timesheet management: a contractor-care team and online time-capture solution delivered full compliance with an auditable record of hours and service 

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Morson adapted fast: a dedicated “Covid-19 Support Hub” provided workforce updates, mental-wellbeing resources, and HR interim support, ensuring Costain’s contingent labour and permanent teams remained informed and engaged throughout disruption.

The Results

2,000+ Roles Filled, 98% KPI Success, Significant Cost-Savings

• Over the course of the partnership, Morson Edge filled more than 2,000 contractor roles across Costain’s infrastructure programmes. 
• Achieved 98 % of agreed key performance indicators (KPIs), delivering consistently against plan.
• Delivered significant cost savings via a commercial-strategic recruitment model integrated into Costain’s supply chain. 

Costain’s Head of Supply Chain, Richard Howell, said:

“The quality of their people is paramount, and they leave no stone unturned. We require specific engineering disciplines and operational skills, which are always delivered. Morson is transparent in its reporting, always open and honest about its results, which have been consistently strong in our time working together.

Morson is viewed as part of Costain, because the team is driven to go above and beyond their remit, supporting us to achieve our own objectives.”

Why it matters

How Morson Edge makes a difference for infrastructure clients

For infrastructure clients operating complex programmes with shifting demand for specialist talent, the difference between a reactive recruiter and a proactive partner is clear. Morson Edge brings:

• Embedded supply-chain alignment: becoming part of your workforce planning, not just filling roles 
• A diversity-by-design approach: staffing your projects with inclusive talent pools from day one 
• Operational resilience: even when the unexpected happens (e.g., a pandemic), we pivot quickly to maintain workforce stability 
• Measurable performance: we hold ourselves to the metrics that matter to you – roles filled, KPIs met, cost outcomes achieved