Let's say that you are applying to multiple jobs at once for different companies without using recruiting services, and then assume that you are made an offer by each company, but before you are officially hired, each company wants to check your references. This means that you have multiple companies checking in with the same people (your recommenders) multiple times to give the same reference. What the recruiter at Workbridge should've explained is that by Workbridge checking your references ahead of time, it would be a one time deal and your references would never have to be checked again as long as you were working with Workbridge. Part of their services to the companies they work with is that they pre-screen the candidates up front to allow for a more stream-lined process. That is how they should've explained it and why they requested them up front, so in the case that you didn't get that job that you potentially were going to interview for, the next time you were up for a job, your references would already be checked and you could move through the hiring process much more quickly.