Smart School Purchasing - Term 3, 2022

smart news BETTER BUYING POWER FOR SCHOOLS

school purchasing

Most of our school members are aware that ASCA is a not for profit and we donate all our surplus funds to charities that support the education of vulnerable children.

But many ask us which are the specific charities that we support.

We support national charities including The Smith Family and St Vincent de Paul, and state based charities such as State Schools Relief, Western Chances and Stewart House

Our contribution to The Smith Family has now exceeded $1 million. In addition, we support charities in specific education segments such The Song Room and STELR and STEM, and The Sports Excellence Scholarship Fund and sports.

Finally, we also

fund some charities that focus on specific areas of disadvantage such as the AEIOU and its work in early intervention in Autism, and The Moriarty Foundation and its work with indigenous children.

These charities were put under extra pressure during the pandemic with many more calls for assistance, and reduction in the funding they were receiving. So we were delighted that we were able to donate a record amount in 2021 and again in 2022.

When ASCA member schools buy more from our supplier partners it enables us to increase our funding of the education of vulnerable children. So once again, we thank you all for your support.

2022 | Spring Issue

David Edwards - ASCA CEO.

ASCA is providing more support for vulnerable children

ASCA’s school suppliers

ASCA continually reviews the suppliers we recommend to bring your school savings and to assist with buying advice. If we can assist you in your procurement needs, please email office@asca.com.au – visit asca.com.au for more information.

EDUCATION RESOURCES

CREATEL PUBLISHING

Diaries and planners

EDUCATION PERFECT

Online teaching and learning toolkit

MOOVOSITY

PE planning and resource software

OFFICEWORKS

General education resources

RH SPORTS

Sporting equipment WORLD OF SPORT

Sporting equipment

OFFICE SUPPLY and SERVICES

CAMPBELL AND PARTNERS

Vendor independent print solutions

CARROL AND RICHARDSON / FLAGWORLD

Marketing and promotional flags and banners

eFULFILLMENT SERVICES

Print and mailing solutions

ENQUIRY TRACKER

Enrolment management system

LIVCOR

First aid training and equipment

OFFICEWORKS

General office products OPEROO

Productivity and process automation platform PIKFLIK

Augmented reality service SCHOOLZINE

eNewsletters and digital communications SMARTLINE

Mortgage brokers

THE GOOD GUYS COMMERCIAL Electrical equipment

PARENT PURCHASES

CADBURY FUNDRAISING

Fundraising for schools

CAMP AUSTRALIA

Before and after school care programs

CREATEL PUBLISHING

Diaries and planners

FLEXISCHOOLS

Online parent ordering and cashless payments

MY SCHOOLS CONNECT

Online parent ordering and cashless payments

OFFICEWORKS

General home & office products PSW

School uniforms

PROPERTY and FACILITIES

API ACCESS & SECURITY Locksmiths and security

BORG CORPORATE PROPERTY SERVICES

Cleaning and facilities services

BUNNINGS TRADE

Facilities management and equipment

CROWN PROPERTY SERVICES

Commercial cleaning and property services

HONEYWELL

Building management systems

JOHN DEERE

Turf care products

MAMACHI

Energy management – advisory and technology

ORKIN AUSTRALIA Pest control

SO-ECO Sustainability programs

THE GOOD GUYS COMMERCIAL Electrical equipment and appliances WASTE NINJA

Food waste managements and recycling WOODS FURNITURE Furniture

ZIP WATER Water filtration systems

SYSTEMS and TECHNOLOGY COMPASS

School management system

ENQUIRY TRACKER

Enrolment management system

LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGIES

Computer hardware OPEROO

Productivity and process automation platform RTG

IT equipment and services

SIMON

Learning management software for schools

TELTECH ICT

Telecommunications equipment and services

THE GOOD GUYS COMMERCIAL IT equipment

CANTEEN and CATERING

See food and beverage suppliers in ASCA’s Canteen newsletter

ASCAplus STAFF BENEFITS

All school staff members are eligible to make personal purchases from our ASCAplus suppliers. See opposite for those suppliers offering discounts and special pricing to your school staff.

The impact of 2021 on Primary School Children

Following another year of lockdowns and restrictions, the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic posed even greater challenges for schools and families alike as we adapt to the new learning environment.

To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children 5-12, we surveyed more than 3,000 parents and 89 principals from Camp Australia partner schools.

The survey revealed that the top three things affecting children during 2021 were increased screen time, feeling disconnected from friendship groups and family, and increased resilience and independence. In addition, it found children in Australia’s most locked down states – ACT, NSW and Vic – have been most impacted by the pandemic.

Now more than ever, we need to support children’s mental wellbeing to decrease the likelihood of these continued disruptions impacting their future. Clinical Psychologist Andrew Fuller says that “In times of dislocation like now, we all need to work harder to recreate a sense of belonging and connection.”

Your OSHC - our Outside School Hours Care program, is about helping boost children’s confidence by forging new friendships and strengthening existing ones.

Rocketeers – our Holiday Care program is all about extraordinary holiday experiences for children. If there’s one thing the last two years have taught us, it is how much we have missed being around nature: so, this Autumn we’re taking Rocketeers outdoors.

Warren Jacobson, CEO for Camp Australia, says “Knowing the issues children face gives parents and educators a great opportunity to work together to help children settle back into school, redevelop a sense of belonging, rekindle friendships, and reconnect with their learning.”

At Camp Australia, we work alongside our partner schools and employ the best educators to deliver enriching experiences to children before school, after school and during the school holidays. We offer a range of activities such as sport, cooking, drama and ‘arts and crafts’ that encourage socialisation, create excitement, and build confidence.

2022 Handball Championships

Sport is already part of our programming in Your OSHC and Rocketeers, and after a year where social and sporting activities were disrupted, we are doing something big so children can have fun and get moving again. In the Autumn holidays, and continuing through Term 2, Camp Australia will run the National Handball Championships where children will have the chance to get active and compete in the biggest handball competition ever.

For more information about our programs or find out more about the results of our survey, please contact us at:

“Getting children involved in activities where they learn and socialise in a less structured environment, outside the classroom is helpful” says Fuller.

WHY DO I NEED CELLAED?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the biggest contributor to deaths of Australians every year. It doesn’t need to be. The chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest drop by 10 per cent for every minute CPR and defibrillation is delayed. So first minute = 90% chance. By the tenth; little chance.

Do you know where your nearest AED is? Likely more than 5-10 minutes away? The solution is to have AEDs closer; homes. Historically, $2000 for traditional AEDs has been prohibitive for widespread deployment for real meaningful decline in deaths.

This all changes in 2022 with CellAED®, priced at just $359 each

MOVE

All school staff members are eligible for this supplier’s discounts

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKFLOW EFFICIENCIES IN EDUCATION

A research study of 135 schools into their effectiveness of using learning and administration technologies

The Secret

Every day at SIMON, our team works with the dedicated focus on delivering the best technology, service, and support for our schools in learning management and school administration. Sounds easy right? Well, let me fill you in on a little secret. It’s really, really hard.

Every school is unique. Every teacher is different. Every administrator has varied priorities and every parent wants everything delivered “immediately”. Oh, please bring back the days of when a technology fix usually involved “turning your computer off and then on”. Today, schools are more complex than any similar-sized organisation. Whilst many businesses may standardise on a handful of core applications, schools need to deliver an engaging learning experience aligned to the respective age group, subject, location, curriculum standard, individual skill set, level of collaboration, assessment type, individualised learning approach and all mandatory administration and reporting requirements – all this for just a teacher. Imagine extending this to the other common roles in a school such as a Principal, Department Head, Year Level Coordinator, IT Director, Finance, Enrolments and Wellbeing. I think you now see my point.

The Challenge

The SIMON learning management software solution is often the cornerstone of a school’s system of applications, addressing many of the core business needs and activities, from parent communication, reporting and assessment to behavioural tracking.

It is also true that SIMON is but one of many applications in an interrelated system of applications which will have grown and evolved over time with changing needs and innovation. New applications are added, new ways of working emerge, and additional complexity is introduced into the system. This cycle manifests additional workflows, processes, costs and stress for teachers and administrators.

SIMON needed to examine the ways in which people conduct their work within and across applications, exposing the difference between design and reality. When done we examined the ways in which:

• SIMON interacts with other applications (or doesn’t) at critical junctures in common workflows.

• Double-handling and highly manual, repetitive work

• Skills gaps and the impact on learning & teaching practice.

In total, 81 Secondary, 45 Primary, 2,471 users and 4,043 workflows were reviewed.

Discovering “Duplication Spaghetti”

by Simon Schools

The following chart visually represents the volume of workflows captured from schools which only use 32% of SIMON functionality supporting work types encompassing the major areas of:

• Classroom teaching

Development

•

and Student Communication

•

Reporting

•

•

•

Each column represents an element of each workflow: role type, data type/activity, application being used to initiate the workflow, whether the data needed to be duplicated in another application and reason for duplication.

Initial observation of the chart shows an incredibly high level of duplication of workflows against many different applications.

Chart 1: Duplication of workflows with schools using only 32% of SIMON features

Upon further analysis of both survey data and qualitative interview data, it was wonderful to see that SIMON scored an average of 4.25 out of 5 against the features of:

• Assessment (rubrics, marking, feedback, assigning assessment tasks)

• Attendance (class rolls, arrivals/departures, absence notification

• Behavioural Management (students notes, permissions, pastoral incidents)

Now, you may be thinking SIMON is very self-indulgent to be bragging about the above data insight – well you are right. We are very proud of this, but as you will shortly read, SIMON has a bit of work to do in some other key areas.

Another key learning from this chart is that there is an invisible negative pattern bubbling beneath the surface influenced by this level of duplication – stress. We have observed that the higher the level of duplication, the higher the level of stress amongst teachers and staff.

From all workflow analyses, we identified that schools using only 32% of SIMON features experienced repeated workflows for 47% of related activity in other applications to get a desired outcome.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

SIMON’s Systems Analysis has examined the ways in which schools conduct their work within and across applications, ascertaining workflows that bring efficacy in staff workloads, and those that decrease efficiency and impact on daily activity.

This analysis has confirmed assumptions on whether there is an ideal single “source of truth” application that will service all needs from a workflow activity perspective – this answer is no. However, what SIMON does provide is an application that, when utilisation is done right, offers a centralised learning management system that will create, curate and disseminate information alongside other systems to achieve and sustain operational efficiency.

The opportunities for schools to reduce workflow duplication and stress can be prioritised according to the following categories:

• Document Management

• Integrations: Google, Microsoft

• Parent Communications

• Push Notifications

• Mobile Applications

• NCCD and Behavioural Portals

• Training of Staff

• Learner Analytics and Insights being made available to students

Change Management

Educators and administrators have recently experienced significant pressures influenced by the pandemic and the resulting remote learning. Taking the initiative to reduce workflow duplication should be prioritised in a way which is aligned to your school’s culture, project experience and staff capacity.

The schools that used 64% of SIMON features experience something far different.

The above chart highlights the workflow efficiencies when using a higher number of features within SIMON. We also recognised the decreased levels of frustration and stress.

The most common applications being used in schools are Google Classroom, MS Teams, Google Drive, MS OneDrive, Operoo, SeeSaw, Class Dojo, and the Student Management Systems. When we delve further into the “functions and purpose” of these applications, we start to gain a clearer picture where schools should focus their efforts in alleviating their duplication and stress pain.

We are certain that whilst SIMON is an excellent platform to engage your community, the fact is that a technology platform is only as good as your school’s ability to successfully engage with their users. Our recommendation is to take a moment’s pause to assess and discuss your current situation and discover not only what innovations exist in the education technology sector, but also internally reflect on your internal workflows and community wellbeing.

About the Author: Danny Gruber is the Business and Partner Manager at SIMON – a leading not-for-profit learning management and administration platform supporting over 250 schools across Australia. He has been working with schools for over 12 years and has conducted over 200 Strategic ICT Reviews of schools into how they plan, leverage, and use technology.

If you would like to learn more about SIMON or have a confidential discussion about your current school situation, please contact SIMON at: info@simonschools.net.

We’re well-schooled in supporting you.

Compass is here to support your school every day, right here in Australia.

Compass may be an out-of-the-box school management system, but that doesn’t mean you’re on your own. You’re backed by a team of technical experts who are just a phone call away. From the biggest challenge to the smallest problem, you’ll get one-on-one support to resolve things quickly, so you can get back to doing what you do best.

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Sustainability

Introducing...

Brought to you by

A CUT ABOVE.

When it comes to choosing the right equipment for your school, your local John Deere dealer can help find the best solution that fits your needs. Whether your grounds are small, large, flat, sloped, for sport or play, there’s a John Deere mower to suit your needs and budget.

Talk to your local John Deere dealer to find out more.

NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE

Promote your school and support your students

custom flags a banners made to yo school's needs

skilled team will help you create exciting products to boost school spirit.

In today’s climate are you & your staff getting the right mortgage information?

are eligible

you’re making big financial decisions, expert help can be invaluable. Whether you’re looking for a home,

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EP helps by allowing teachers to make quick and easy adjustments to resources, assess student needs, and collate evidence to support a student’s inclusion Learn more here

How many EdTech products, workbooks, and textbooks is the school currently purchasing? The likelihood of by simply consolidating is huge

Education Perfect is the Australian market leader in EdTech, providing a comprehensive toolkit and curriculum coverage across Maths, Science, English, Languages, Humanities, Digital Technologies, and HPE No other resources need apply!

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Relief teacher costs can significantly strain the school budget, but EP can help Meaningful and engaging work can be set for students, and classes easily monitored by available internal staff with minimal inconvenience, on unnecessary and expensive hires and ensuring student learning continuity Learn more here

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Photocopying and printing expenses are often a significant part of any department budget proposal. EP can in these areas

With over 35,000 customisable lessons and ready made assessments, teachers can do away with (or even convert) their paper based workbooks, worksheets and exams. Digitising existing resources is simple with our content creation tools. Think of all the saved paper, toner and electricity not to mention the trees!

Get in touch with our friendly team on 6 7 or at

HOW TO HELP REDUCE CHILDHOOD OBESITY ROUGH HEALTHY SCHOOL CANTEENS

25% of Aussie kids are overweight or obese

Did you know that overweight and obesity affects 25% of Australian children and adolescents¹?

The three main factors contributing to this issue are unhealthy food choices, lack of physical activity, and family eating habits².

Now is the perfect time to start to combat childhood obesity before it affects more Australian kids. Most kids are at school five days per week, so school is an integral location to instil healthy habits and encourage nutritious eating.

by Flexischools

What can school canteens do to encourage healthy eating specifically?

1. Schools can review their canteen menus to figure out the percentage of foods that are healthy, moderate, and unhealthy.

2. Ensure your canteen has a number of healthy options for families to choose from every day.

3. Evaluate if some of the unhealthy menu items can be substituted with slightly healthier alternatives. For example, you could replace a cookie with a wholegrain muffin.

4. Encourage healthy food and drinks through your online ordering system. With Flexischools, you can make an exciting post on the Flexischools app promoting a new healthy wrap on your menu. You could also create a special food day or event where you sell healthy foods like sushi, instead of ice-creams or slushies.

5. Promote healthy eating at your physical school canteen. Perhaps you could hang posters out the front of your canteen or place flyers in your school classrooms to promote healthy menu items at your canteen.

What can schools do to encourage healthy habits?

1. 1Offer regular ‘fruit breaks’ throughout the day to encourage students to eat fruits and vegetables instead of unhealthy snacks.

2. Consider developing a school vegetable garden. Each class could have a day where kids help in the vegetable garden. Teachers can explain how vegetables are grown, how to take care of them, and why vegetables are good for your health. This information may help kids become more interested in vegetables and more likely to eat them.

3. Provide clean water fountains throughout your school. This should encourage kids to have water from the nearby fountain when they are thirsty, rather than gravitating towards a sugary drink.

4. Use non-food rewards in the classroom (e.g. cool stationery and skipping ropes) instead of lollies and sweets. This is an awesome way to reward kids for their hard work and good behaviour, without offering unhealthy treats as rewards.

5. Encourage students to be physically active at school. Classes could have a short break every day where they play an active game or sport against other classes. Schools may also like to encourage kids to be active at lunch, rather than just sitting and eating throughout the entire break.

How can schools show parents which menu items are healthy?

Flexischools is Australia’s leading online canteen ordering system for schools.

Flexischools has advanced technology that allows canteen managers to add each item’s traffic light category (Green, Amber, Red) to school tuckshop menus. Green traffic light foods are good, Amber traffic light foods are okay, and Red traffic light foods are not recommended.

The traffic light ratings for each item are shown on the Flexischools app. So when parents are ordering food for their child in the Flexischools app, they can see which foods their kids should eat regularly (e.g. rice, fruit, vegetables, lean meat, fish) and which ones they should only eat every now and then (e.g. fried foods, doughnuts, ice creams, jellies).

Why is it important to use the Flexischools traffic light system?

According to a Child Health Poll conducted by The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne³:

• 57% of parents say it is hard to know which foods are healthy choices when buying food for their family.

• 67% of parents say it is hard to know how much added sugar is in the food they buy for their children.

It is often really tricky for parents know which menu items at their child’s school canteen are healthy and unhealthy. This may be because they don’t know which ingredients are used in each item, so it is difficult to figure out the item’s nutritional value.

Additionally, some foods and drinks like fruit juices may sound healthy but are often deceptively high in sugar. Through the Flexischools traffic light system, schools are able to classify certain fruit juices in the ‘red’ category, so parents know if it is an unhealthy item that should only be consumed rarely.

The Flexischools traffic light system allows schools to help parents understand which menu items are healthy. This can assist parents in ensuring that their child is enjoying a healthy, balanced diet at school.

Translating healthy school canteen habits into everyday life

The healthy eating knowledge that parents start to learn through the Flexischools traffic light system may also be incorporated into each family’s home life.

For example, a parent may decide to make a chicken dish for dinner. Instead of their usual fried chicken, they might make a chicken stir-fry with vegetables as they remember a similar meal at their child’s school canteen had a green traffic light rating.

By encouraging healthy eating habits at your school canteen, you can help families understand which foods are good for their health. This in turn promotes healthier family eating habits outside of school and may help decrease childhood obesity.

References:

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/overweight-obesity/overweight-obesityaustralian-children-adolescents/summary

2. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/obesity-in-childrencauses

3. https://blogs.rch.org.au/news/2017/12/05/aussie-parents-struggle-to-makehealthy-food-choices-for-their-kids/

WASTE NINJA

Recycling food waste is one of the most immediate and effective strategies to reduce your carbon footprint. Waste Ninja works with schools to make food waste recycling easy, affordable and educational.

THE BENEFITS OF FOOD WASTE RECYCLING

& divert from

HOW DOES IT WORK?

on rising landfill costs

sustainable habits amongst students

We provide all necessary

and

information

& taken to our

Waste is

is

into electricity, pet foods & fertiliser

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT

Waste Ninja partners with you to provide a suite of educational material designed to enable students to develop long-lasting sustainable behaviours.

FREE TO ASCA MEMBERS

LIVE TRACK EMISSIONS

The Waste Ninja dashboard provides up-to-the-hour recycling rates, emissions reductions and recycling outputs - at your fingertips.

Classroom Essentials Service

The easy way to start the school year

Bulk School Supplies

You can quickly and easily order all the classroom essentials you need in bulk for each class or year level.

Easy for ASCA members

Our secure online portal makes it easy to review, revise and approve orders:

Orders converted from your previous provider

months’ deliveries on the one invoice

Invoices clearly split by class for simple budget reconciliation

A dedicated education team on-hand to make selecting, reviewing, and ordering easier through

portal

Keen to learn more?

Any late items free. That’s our guarantee. Get your order in full and on-time with our Classroom Ready Guarantee.^

A Classroom Ready Guarantee^ for classroom-ready teachers

Be one of the first 100 orders and get top-of-the-class peace of mind, along with:

Guaranteed delivery before the school year gets started

Drivers safely delivering and unloading orders for each class in each year level (metro locations only)

The very best brands that teachers and students know and love

Convenient bulk deliveries so you can focus on what matters most

AIR MONITORING AS EASY AS A–B–C

The

that does it all

A better alternative to an IT incident is to avoid it in the first instance, which means organisations should take the opportunity to review efficiency and effectiveness of IT security controls, networks and systems to take appropriate action to ensure they are sufficiently robust.

RTG’s Risk Register system tool is one of the cornerstones of an effective risk management operation. IT and risk management teams must think proactively and creatively about security controls to mitigate risk, and not just rely on layering more security to protect their data and IT infrastructure. Having an IT Risk Register offers a single point-of-reference about an organisation’s risk appetite, providing a structure and process to enable tracking, managing and recovering from problems, vulnerabilities and cyber attacks as they arise.

Using RTG’s Risk Register system tool will support your school by:

• Providing a model for managing data and cyber security events that identify, analyse, and solve risks before they become problems.

• Strengthening your preparedness to respond to cyber incidents and unexpected interruptions.

• Identifying areas where existing processes may be improved, or where new processes can be implemented to better secure your IT infrastructure. Want to find out more about RTG’s Risk Register system tool, including what our ASCA member special offer involves? Book a demo today by contacting our expert IT Risk &

consultancy team.

My School Connect

My School Connect started as an online ordering system for school canteens. Over time, we’ve evolved into a multifaceted online management tool for schools.

My School Connect has zero setup fees, zero ongoing membership fees, no locked-in contracts and free support for schools and parents. We now make it possible to manage school life without the risk and without the costs!

With 5 unique modules; Tuckshop, Uniform, Volunteer, Event and Raffle, we make online easy for schools Australiawide.

An App that keeps you logged in and ready to make purchases quickly and easily.

A custom POS system for your tuckshop or uniform shop, simply scan the student ID and our POS system easily tracks student information, monitors student credit balance and alerts the cashier if a student has any allergies.

Set up a professional event page with ease - track sales, collect payments, issue receipts and communicate with your guests!

My School Raffle makes running a raffles simple, stress-free and successful. Through one central location, you can setup your raffle, promote it, and monitor its performance.

Member benefits

Online Ordering - One Month Free!

An additional 8 hours free training support for Uniform and Canteen Staff.

POS Licence Software 20% discount* (for the first 12 months only)

Includes TeamViewer Remote Support valued at $1200 per annum.

Contact us to find out more!

What are you waiting for?

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&

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ASCA

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SUPPORTING CHARITIES

As a not-for-profit organisation, ASCA donates its surplus funds to the following charities:

ASCA

We are delighted to be ASCA’s preferred supplier of sporting goods and equipment, and we will be supporting ASCA’s charitable contributions to assist the education of disadvantaged youth.

Over 2000 schools nationwide already utilise World of Sport for their sports equipment and apparel requirements for the following reasons: We are specialists in the school market and have 30 years of experience. Our range of sports products and equipment is the largest for the school market. We offer very competitive pricing, with focus on best value. Our comprehensive range is backed by an unequalled level of customer service.

Contact us on 1300 658 648 or email sales@wos.com.au for orders and enquiries, or access our extensive online catalogue at wos.com.au

SUPPORTING CHARITIES

As a not-for-profit organisation, ASCA donates its surplus funds to the following charities:

ASCA PROFITS SUPPORT CHARITIES

While ASCA’s primary purpose is to maximise purchasing effectiveness for schools, we also have a secondary purpose which is to direct funds to charities which support the education and welfare of vulnerable school-aged children. As a not-forprofit organisation, ASCA donates its surplus funds each year to a range of registered charities. Learn more by visiting asca.com.au/charities

AUSTRALIA’S LEADING SCHOOL BUYING GROUP COMMITTED TO MAXIMISING SCHOOL PURCHASING EFFECTIVENESS

Danks-Guy, our School specialist is able to assist you with your purchasing

and

to

with a record of success in schools. Contact us to ensure you’re getting the best terms from ASCA partner suppliers, or to find out how they compare with your current suppliers.

asca.com.au