The following situation describes an actual occurrence.
You are an IT manager of a shop that is mostly resourced with employees but also has a small percentage of consultants. One of your consultants approaches you and indicates he wants to be considered for permanent employment with your company.
Some pertinent facts:
1. You have no current official openings. You would have to work with HR to create a headcount.
2. You have had no prior conversations with this consultant, or any other consultant, about the possibility of a permanent posting. There is no precedent for this at your company.
3. The consultant is very competent, very highly regarded, and would in fact be a valuable addition to your staff.
4. The consulting company that currently employs the consultant has a formal contract with your company. That contract has a standard bidirectional one year non-solicit clause.
5. You have been doing business with this company for several years, are satisfied with their services, and intend to keep on using them in the future. They are a large national firm.
Question: how do you handle this situation?