Plant supplies giant W.W. Grainger Inc. has introduced a new initiative to help customers comply with the complex reporting requirements associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $787-billion federal stimulus program. The new program will help Grainger customers track their stimulus spending on maintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) products, in person at a Grainger branch (store), via phone or online.
"Our customers told us they needed help in navigating the compliance of ARRA-related spending, and we have enhanced our systems and added new tools to make it easier to track their spending and comply with the requirements,” said Paul Kindzierski, Vice President, Grainger Industrial Supply Sales.
Kindzierski said Grainger is stocking products buyers need for related projects so they can consolidate purchases to save time and money.
Orders placed in person or by phone can be identified as a stimulus-related purchase; a similar option will be available for orders placed online. Grainger will provide a report that confirms a buyer’s consolidated ARRA purchases, which can help customers document their purchases for ARRA transparency and accountability requirements.
One qualification for customers earning stimulus funding is a “Buy American” provision for materials and supplies used in “construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building public work must be produced or manufactured in the United States.” Grainger will provide customers with the information necessary to document a purchase’s country-of-origin (COO) information.
Grainger’s product line includes over 400,000 products; more than 180,000 that are domestically manufactured.
