CHICAGO - Grainger announced new capabilities to help customers comply with the reporting requirements associated with the stimulus funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The new capabilities help customers track their stimulus spending on maintenance, repair, and operation (MRO) products with Grainger whether they order in person at a branch, 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.

“As their MRO supply partner, we are stocking the products they need for related projects so they can consolidate purchases with Grainger, saving their organization time and money and allowing them to focus their resources on their core business.”

Grainger is helping customers with ARRA compliance in a variety of ways. When calling into a branch, once a customer identifies an order is being placed with stimulus money, the Grainger customer service representative flags that order as an ARRA-related order. Similarly, when placing an online order, once a customer clicks the ARRA box, the order is flagged and at their request. Grainger can later provide a report that shows the customer’s consolidated ARRA purchases. This tool can be used to help customers as they comply with ARRA transparency and accountability requirements.

Another requirement that can challenge customers spending ARRA funds is compliance to the Buy American Act (BAA) obligations. Grainger provides customers with the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision, most notably, country of origin (COO) information.

For more information, visit www.grainger.com/stimulus.

Publication date: 01/11/2010