Schools

No, and we don’t need to be.

We are a Registered Aboriginal Business and the Western Australian Procurement Rules allow State agencies to purchase outside of the CUA.

No, you don’t.

The Western Australian Procurement Rules allow State agencies to purchase outside of the CUA from a Registered Aboriginal Business.

Yes, we are. You can find our registrations at the links below.

Aboriginal Business Directory WA

Supply Nation

We know – how else would you source your products?

But, have you compared their prices? If we can save your school money, why wouldn’t you purchase from us?

If you are buying from a supplier listed on the CUA, their prices are published online and are publicly accessible, so their pricing is not confidential. If you want us to beat your current supplier’s prices, we need to know what you purchase and for how much.

Department of Education messaging contemplates the use of Aboriginal businesses within all procurement processes.

Intranet content supports the Aboriginal Procurement Policy and provides guidance on buying from Registered Aboriginal Businesses. It also addresses the ability to purchase from Registered Aboriginal Businesses outside of CUAs under the Western Australian Procurement Rules.

This could be for two reasons.

First, like any other supplier, to access dedicated pricing for schools, you need to create an account and login to our website. Once you are logged in, products will show the price we have given exclusively to schools. You can also save time by viewing products for schools here.

Second, have you ever wondered why some suppliers can supply products so cheap? Have you ever stopped and checked where the products come from? Have you looked at the product’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to see the concentration of the active ingredients that break down dirt or kill germs? You get what you pay for.

Our Managing Director founded Workplace Warehouse because he saw an opportunity to support Western Australian schools. We know that schools need simple, convenient and cost-effective solutions.

Common Products in One Place

We have created a dedicated section on our website where schools can purchase common products that we offer at our best prices. This is not a complete range, but they are products that compete with our competitors’ equivalent products on price. To view these, click here.

Buy in Bulk and Save

Think of us as Costco – we sell in bulk. We do not offer broken box quantities, which means that we sell products in the quantities that our suppliers sell to us. Also, as we operate under a dropship arrangement, we do not handle stock, so your delivery will come to you direct from our suppliers. This means we operate with minimal overheads and is how we can offer low prices to Western Australian schools. It is also why there are minimum order quantities attached to some products.

Sourcing Locally and Supporting Western Australian Manufacturers

We are not an importer. We source all of our products locally from suppliers who manufacture or have warehouses in Perth. In our opinion, this helps to ensure reliable supply of products and mitigates against issues affecting the supply chain.

Support a Western Australian business that supports Western Australian schools – simple.

We do not see schools as a cash cow. In order to offer our best prices to schools, our profit margin on products found in the Schools section of our website is minimal. The only way we make profit is to sell in volume, which means we need as many schools as possible buying at our low prices. If we have helped your school save money, do us a favour and recommend us to other schools.

The Department of Education’s Commercial and Contracting Team provides ongoing information, training sessions and presentations to Manager Corporate Services, administration staff and Principals throughout the year to support their understanding and ensure compliant purchasing practices. These sessions reinforce the importance of considering Aboriginal businesses as part of the Department’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive procurement.

Matthew, our Managing Director, is the President of the CPSU/CSA, the Union that covers public servants, such as Manager Corporate Services and school officers. He has also served as a Board Member and Chair of the Board at Willandra Primary School. Matthew knows that public schools need to make every dollar count, which is why he is motivated to help schools save money.

Matthew’s partner is a Board Member at Cecil Andrews College and is the Vice President of the Willandra Primary School P&C. She also works as a relief officer in various schools.

The wife of David, one of our team members, is an Associate Principal in a public school. David understands the struggles of schools and the burden placed on administration staff to keep schools running.

We source our products from reputable global companies, like Huhtamaki.

We also source our cleaning chemicals from Able Westchem, a Western Australian family owned business that has been operating for over 50 years.

We are based in Seville Grove in Perth’s south-east. We are 100% independent and owned by people who work in our business.

We are not owned by other companies like C** and W***. Believe it or not, some Aboriginal businesses are 49% owned by them. So, even if you choose to support one of these businesses, you are still supporting C** and W***.

We are registered on the Aboriginal Business Directory WA and we are Supply Nation Certified which means we are a Registered Aboriginal Business within the meaning of that term in the Western Australian Procurement Rules. This means you can validly purchase outside of the CUA.

We are based in Seville Grove in Perth’s south-east. We live in Western Australia and we are part of the Western Australian community. When you purchase from us, we support the Western Australian community.