Case Study

Having compared the various solutions on the market, RC Fornax opted to use the IR35 Status Tool within their onboarding process. The tool allows the team to answer questions based around case law, it then provides a detailed report and status determination to the contractor. If the contractor disagrees with the outcome, they can easily challenge this decision as the legislation requires, from within the portal.

Daniel Clark, Executive Director, RC Fornax explains “The Kingsbridge IR35 solution is multifaceted. Firstly, there’s the actual determinations and the ability to do those in a robust way. Secondly, there’s the facility to actually underwrite everything with the right insurance products – be it tax investigation and loss, Professional Indemnity, Public Liability, or Employers Liability, all of which we require our contractors to have.”

The tool makes it easy to track where contractors are in the assessment process and what their insurance status is, making it an important compliance tool in their armory.

Paul Reeves, CEO at RC Fornax said, “The visual management of the actual process, and the traffic light system for understanding who is and is not compliant is really good.”

By providing RC Fornax contractors with business insurance, and notifying them of any lapses or cancellations, the business has peace of mind that their contractors remain fully compliant and truly insured.

Paul added, “Most contractors already understand that they need insurance cover, but in the new world of IR35, that need is more prescient than ever. The feedback we have received from our contractors has been really positive. They are pleased with how Kingsbridge communicates with them and that they feel that Kingsbridge offers them great products at great prices.”

The IR35 Health Check provides a comprehensive review of precisely how an organisation engages with their contractors and what processes are in place to deal with IR35.

Alongside a review of any current policies, there is a discussion with the relevant policy setters and hiring managers to understand the engagement process, and provide recommendations to improve how IR35 is managed within the company.

Paul explains “This style of audit and subsequent report gave us so much because, although IR35 has been around for 20 years, it’s a new thing for a lot of people, since it was only recently rolled out into the private sector. The health check has given us some very important assurances that we are heading in the right direction in terms of staying IR35 compliant. It also presented us with opportunities for improvement, offering tremendous value via a non-intrusive process.”

He continued, “I think having that independent view from an outside organisation who can come in and look at what you are doing, how you are doing it, and pinpoint the good and the bad, can be hugely beneficial. There are still a lot of people with a very limited understanding of IR35, and what it means to them. Getting that wrong could be a very costly venture indeed.”

The Kingsbridge offering helps RC Fornax build confidence with both clients and contractors in their onboarding and IR35 process. As Daniel explained, “When you’re demonstrating to a customer the step-by-step process, and factors like the Status tool’s visual elements, it just add credence to everything you are doing.”

Working with Kingsbridge has helped RC Fornax give reassurance, both from a contractor and a customer perspective, that what they are doing is legitimate, robust, and underwritten.

“From our first contact with Kingsbridge, we’ve had nothing but a positive experience. We found the staff are all great and easy to deal with, they really go above and beyond, and truly understood what we were about, what we were doing, and what we are looking to achieve. Working with someone like Kingsbridge gives us that air of legitimacy and reassurance that our contractors are looking for.” Paul Reeves, CEO, RC Fornax