How our smart procurement solutions streamlined operations across Big Childcare's 50 sites.

The fact we can just log on and see what we're spending for reach service is a lot easier from a head office perspective, especially as our operations span a lot of locations. Our experience to date has been fantastic.

More time to care, more time to grow

When a procurement solution is designed to work around an organisation, it frees up its most important resource, time. For care providers like Big Childcare, reduced administration and easy shopping mean more time focused on the children and long-term growth plans.

Simplifying every day

With over 50 sites across New South Wales and Victoria, Big Childcare’s finance team were drowning in invoices. Woolworths at Work’s procurement systems reduced 170+ monthly invoices to just one consolidated monthly invoice, helping cut administration time by 50%.

We hear from Erica Mihalakis, Operations Manager, that “invoicing had become a mundane process of data entry, reconciling, and back and forth between the shoppers and finance teams”. Since switching to Woolworths at Work, invoicing features and real time spend visibility has made reconciliations easier, allowing finance and shopper teams to be more productive, across the entire Big Childcare organisation.

On any given day, Big Childcare can be responsible for hundreds of children, across multiple centres. Woolworths at Work’s procurement systems allow Big Childcare to allocate each shopper their own account, so they can respond to attendance fluctuations at each location – critical during COVID.

In addition, the tailored product range for business, saveable shopping lists and one-click reordering made shopping for everything from breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks for the children, to cleaning products and stationery easy.

• And while Big Childcare had struggled with deliveries from previous suppliers, Woolworths at Work’s delivery network immediately improved day-to-day operations:
• Tighter delivery windows helped shoppers better plan their day.Same day and next day deliveries helped manage changes and fluctuations.
• Delivery network scale and capacity meant shoppers could get the windows they needed.

Enabling longer-term growth

Woolworths at Work’s customer-focused approach also helped with Big Childcare’s longer-term objectives. A dedicated team made the onboarding process quick and easy for shoppers and finance alike, taking pressure off Big Childcare’s head office.

As well as providing ongoing support for Big Childcare’s finance and shopper teams, Woolworths at Work’s account management team works with Big Childcare’s strategic leaders to deliver long-term value – being a great partner isn’t just about helping with the day-to-day stuff after all.