If you want to get a feel for the sales opportunities available from the ARRA, invest some time exploring the following websites.
Government Agencies and Other Valuable Information
www.recovery.gov
A must visit for information on ARRA funding.
www.fbo.gov
Visit daily to see what contracts are available. Just type in the NAICS codes for electrical distributors (423610) and electrical contractors (238210) into the advanced search engine.
www.gsaadvantage.gov
The General Services Administration's purchasing site for government agencies.
www.dla.mil
The U.S. Department of Defense's primary purchasing and distributing unit.
www1.eere.energy.gov/recovery
The Department of Energy (DOE) has $36.7 billion in ARRA funds to spend.
Electrical Manufacturers, Distributors and Other Industry Resources
Hubbell Lighting
At www.hubbelllighting.com/stimulus_act, Hubbell Lighting offers detailed information on ARRA requirements and the company's products that meet ARRA's confusing “Buy American” stipulations.
Eaton Corp.
In an area of its website devoted to federal stimulus spending, www.eaton.com/EatonCom/ProductsServices/Recovery, Eaton offers some tips on ARRA's Buy America provision and information on Eaton products that comply. Jim Dankowski, federal business development manager, manages Eaton's efforts in this area. He can be reached at [email protected].
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
www.nema.org offers quite a bit of information about ARRA, particularly the Buy American requirement. Just type “ARRA” into the search engine.
IDEA
IDEA members should check their country of origin data in the Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) and take advantage of the ARRA-eligible indicator flag for their data. Contact Josh Givens at [email protected] with any questions.
Other distributor websites
You can get a taste of how other distributors approach this market by visiting their websites. Must-visits include: Graybar (www.graybar.com); W.W. Grainger (www.grainger.com); WESCO (wescodist.com); Border States (www.borderstateselectric.com); Frost Electric Supply (www.frostelectric.com); and Shealy Electrical Wholesalers (www.shealyelectrical.com).