Vetting 30,000 candidates a year: How Sodexo replaced paper with a process that scales

Sodexo is a global leader in facilities management and food services, operating across more than 4,500 sites in the UK and Ireland. With a workforce spanning multiple high-security, regulated, and complex environments, robust candidate vetting is not optional, it's mission-critical.

Challenge

Entirely manual, paper-based screening process
No central visibility across sties or services lines
Onboarding took a significant amount of time
Increased candidate dropout, due to complexities of checks
Audits required pulling records from multiple locations

Approach

Access Screening Evo - a centralised, digital vetting platform
Configurable workflows tailored to each client and role type
Candidate-led digital journey replacing paper forms
Secure, auditable portal for better risk management
Dedicated account management and support

Results

Onboarding timelines reduced significantly
30,000 candidates vetted per year
Candidate -drop-out rate dramatically reduced
Application review time cut from 1–2 hours to minutes
Audits completed in hours, not weeks

From paper chaos to a candidate-led process

Before adopting Access Screening Evo, Sodexo's vetting operation was largely manual. Candidates were sometimes asked to provide the same documents for multiple checks, while site teams collected and forwarded paperwork to a central team for review. Any queries or missing information required further communication, which could extend the screening process considerably.

The candidate now leads the journey, rather than the administrator. Our vetting team has gone from processing paperwork to acting as subject matter experts.

— Maria, Compliance Manager, Sodexo UK & Ireland

With 30,000 candidates vetted annually across more than 4,500 sites - including clients in high-security industries - the risks of a manual approach were significant. Candidate-drop-out, GDPR exposure, inconsistent standards, and an inability to give candidates a clear start date.

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The implementation: A system that works and a team that delivers

Sodexo gave The Access Group a perfect NPS score of 10 out of 10. When asked why, Maria's answer was immediate: "Communicate, act and deliver."

It's not about just the system. I have an extremely good relationship with the team behind Access Screening. When we raise a question, an issue, or a potential improvement, we get the engagement that we need. If they say they're going to do something, it's done. There's no chasing or asking for something twice.

The relationship extends beyond a single point of contact. Maria highlighted the wider Access team - including customer service and support - as consistently responsive, even when dealing with Sodexo's complex, multi-client scenarios.

The features that made the difference

Configurable workflows

Sodexo operates across dozens of client types, each with different vetting requirements. From basic DBS checks to Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), Counter Terrorist checks, and Preliminary Acceptance Certificates (PAC). Previously, managers had to rely on memory or contract documents to know what was required. Now, when a manager logs in, the correct vetting package is pre-configured for their site and role type.

If you work at a certain site in a certain role, the vetting package is what you see when you log in. One client may require quite extensive checks, but we're no longer relying on a manager remembering every element, because it's already built into their workflow.

Automated gap detection

Reviewing a five-year employment history on paper could take one to two hours per application. Access Screening Evo automatically identifies gaps in employment history and can be configured to make it mandatory to review those gaps before a check is approved - reducing review time to minutes.

Audit-ready records

When an auditor requests 100 records from a site of 1,000 people, Sodexho can now produce a full vetting profile for each person. Right-to-work date, DBS submission, documents used, result, and any risk assessments, in a matter of hours. Previously, that process involved filing cabinets, multiple systems, and potentially weeks of effort.

Audit-wise, it's cleaner... and auditors prefer it because they can see all the time stamps and who did what.

GDPR and data security

Moving from paper to a secure portal eliminated a significant compliance risk. Access to records is controlled and auditable, removing the uncertainty of who has seen, copied, or misplaced sensitive documents.

In a portal, it's secure. Only people with controlled access can see it. It's auditable. Even from a sensitivity perspective, the solution is far better than relying on paper everywhere.

The impact on candidate experience

The impact on candidate experience has been equally positive. Candidate drop-out rates have reduced, and applicants now have greater clarity throughout the screening process, including a clearer indication of their expected start date.

Access Screening Evo has also strengthened Sodexo’s vetting processes by providing a consistent and auditable approach, supporting increasingly robust audit and information security requirements.

Now we can give candidates a start date and communicate clearly about how long their checks will take. Before, it was simply 'you'll start when the checks are back', and that could be a couple of months.

Days

Average end-to-end onboarding time (previously months)

Candidates

Vetted per year across the UK

Hours

Time to complete a full audit (historically took weeks)

What organisations should know before implementing Access Screening Evo

For organisations considering Access Screening Evo, Maria's advice is clear: bring in the people who do the work day-to-day from the very beginning.

Get the people doing this work involved from day one. They're the ones who'll feel the difference and they'll be your biggest advocates once they do.

For Sodexo, the value of Access Screening Evo goes beyond what it does today. With more roles becoming regulated and client expectations continuing to rise, Maria sees the platform's adaptability as a long-term competitive advantage. Not just an operational fix.

This isn't just a product that solves today's problems. It's one that keeps evolving. That's what gives us confidence for the future.

Ready to transform how you screen your candidates?

See how Access Screening Evo can reduce your onboarding times, cut manual effort, and give you audit-ready compliance. At any scale.

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