How Sodexo reduced candidate onboarding from months to 15 days with Access Screening Evo

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 weeks or months per candidate
High candidate -drop-out due to slow, fragmented checks
Significant GDPR and data security risk from paper records
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 reduced from months to 15 days
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
Zero increase in headcount despite significant growth

From paper chaos to a candidate-led process

Before adopting Access Screening Evo, Sodexo's vetting operation was entirely manual. Candidates were asked repeatedly for the same documents across different checks. Site teams would gather paperwork and send it to a central team, who would review it, raise queries, and send it back. A cycle that could stretch across weeks or months for a single hire.

The challenges were just endless... We need a passport for this one, oh can you come back in? We need a passport now for your DBS. We now need a utility bill. It needs to be within six months.

— Maria Delaney, 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.

The manager doesn't have to rely on knowing that information. It's just a click of a button for them.

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 significant. Drop-out rates have fallen sharply across all segments. Where candidates once faced an open-ended wait, they can now be given a clear start date from the outset.

The addition of Access Evo’s platform capabilities has delivered benefits to Sodexo's end clients too. The ability to demonstrate robust, auditable vetting processes has become a competitive differentiator in new business bids, particularly as ISO audits and information security requirements become more stringent.

As Access Evo is evolving, it is supporting us more and more in these complex situations. It's a good selling point. You know, the audit results that we get back are fantastic for the amount of people we employ. So, it's a whole new brand. It's not just about that one candidate anymore. It's about the client. That's a selling point as well for new bids.

Maria has also referred Access Screening Evo to some of her clients.

We had a few clients come to me and say, what is that system? Who can I contact about it? And I've passed those referrals on.

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.

Involve the people who do this work day-to-day, because they will see the benefits. They will see how each of these workflows, each of these vetting solutions, will reduce the manual effort.

She's equally enthusiastic about where the platform is heading. With agentic AI-powered features on the roadmap through Access Evo, Maria sees Access Screening as a long-term partner, not just a system.

The biggest benefit is the adaptability that the platform itself has. It's really going to become a market leader because clients want more as more roles are being regulated, and this product that just keeps evolving.

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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