P-card program managers can get an inside look at the largest commercial card program in the world at the National Association of Purchasing Card Professionals 9th annual conference April 13–16 in San Antonio, Texas. David Shea, director of the office of charge card management at the U.S. General Services Administration leads the general session on the GSA SmartPay program. The program has more than $26 billion in annual spend. For info, go to www.napcp.org

Graybar, distributor of electrical and communications products and supply chain management and logistics services, is working with JCV Professional Products Co. to distribute its leading surveillance and security technologies. Among them: JVC Internet protocol (IP) cameras, analog cameras, and IR recording technology.

Eighty-eight percent of MRO buyers responding to a new Purchasing survey say MRO purchasing at their companies has become more strategic in the past three years. One sign that this is so: 73% say they are now partnering with suppliers, something they were not doing as much of in 2005.

Two books of special interest to MRO purchasing professionals published by Purchasing, the MRO/Indirect Sourcing Casebook and MRO Purchasing Best Practices are available through the magazine's bookstore at www.purchasing.com.